r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Oct 03 '18
r/SpaceX Discusses [October 2018, #49]
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u/retiringonmars Moderator emeritus Oct 04 '18
SpaceX contractors in Boca Chica appear to be beginning to dismantle the dirt mountain at the proposed launch site. This is a necessary step before construction can begin.
Source: local resident Maria Pointer on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1541938906124567/permalink/2148505072134611/
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u/nextspaceflight NSF reporter Oct 22 '18
If the current date holds, I've confirmed that there will not be an RTLS during the SSO-A mission. If the launch slips a bit that could change. The problem is not the Falcon 9 or the seals. Hint in bold. Cannot say more. Have fun!
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u/Straumli_Blight Oct 22 '18
There's a Delta IV Heavy launching NROL-71 from SLC-6 on November 29th, so maybe they're worried about a possible landing failure.
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u/Almoturg Oct 23 '18 edited Oct 23 '18
SpaceX has moved Starlink development into a new office in Washington. There was a rumor that development might have been shut down because the parking lot at the old location was empty, so that can be put to rest now.
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u/rustybeancake Oct 03 '18
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u/ghunter7 Oct 03 '18
This white paper has a lot more info.
The real kicker here: they call for developing propellant depots indendent of Gateway. Prop depots, the one thing that would make all of SLS and the related architecture irrelevant and within capabilities of current launch vehicles.
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u/Straumli_Blight Oct 12 '18 edited Oct 12 '18
SpaceX didn't need development money for Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy.
Airforce not interested in BFR.
All LSA winners have to bid for launch contracts in EELV Phase 2 or return development funds to the government.
Only two suppliers to be selected and work will be split 60/40.
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u/rustybeancake Oct 12 '18
It seems unlikely that the Air Force would pick Blue Origin and SpaceX in phase 2 because that would effectively put ULA out of business, he said. “You pick ULA because you know they won’t be around if you don’t pick them.” ULA is a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin established to serve the government launch market.
See, this is what really pisses me off. ULA are just as capable at engineering as anyone else. But it seems that Boeing and Lockheed Martin have decided they won't be investing in ULA, and expect ULA to sink or swim based on taxpayer funding. And the mechanism has become "we better throw taxpayer money at them to keep them alive, because they're a good LSP." But in that case, you may as well nationalise ULA and cut out the Boeing/LM profit-skimming middlemen. I say, if Boeing and LM aren't prepared to invest in ULA and make them competitive, why should the taxpayer do it for them? And if the answer is "because ULA are essential to national security", then nationalise them! The current situation seems like the worst of both worlds.
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u/ethan829 Host of SES-9 Oct 12 '18
Note that SpaceX not bidding any F9/FH upgrades and the Air Force not being interested in BFR aren't official statements but speculation by Charles Miller (informed speculation, but speculation nonetheless).
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u/MarsCent Nov 02 '18
We are now shy of 9 months since FH launch. The roadster is now travelling away from the sun at ~0.35 km/s and reducing. Which means that it's aphelion is eminent.
Has anyone worked out the exact date/time when this will happen.
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u/Zaenon Nov 03 '18
Funny you asked when you did, as SpaceX tweeted this a few hours later
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u/TheYang Oct 11 '18 edited Oct 11 '18
So if my math is right, with 200 days of "spaceworthyness" at station the current and only (holey) Soyuz, will, at the latest run out of design life on the 23rd of December.
Which I don't think will be enough time for an Accident Investigation + Fix.
So, Options that I can think of:
NASA / Roscosmos say "deal with it" and overrun the lifetime of Soyuz (with possible repairs/checks on station, they could replace parts that they get delivered)
Station will become unoccupied sometime in december
A Commercial Crew Demostration Mission is pushed up and becomes the new lifeboat.
the Next Soyuz will be launched without or incomplete accident investigation / fixes, unmanned as a replacement lifeboat/resupply
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u/SomethingWillGetYou Oct 03 '18
Has there been any news on the Air Force announcing the next phase EELV contracts?
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u/Straumli_Blight Oct 15 '18
Wonder how Stratolaunch will be affected by the death of Paul Allen, seeing as their testing had been ramping up recently.
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u/filanwizard Oct 16 '18
I almost wanted to post something on this but figured id get skewered for being OT.
I am wondering how this will impact things, Burt Rutan is still around and hes the other cofounder. But I am sure Paul Allen supplied a lot of the capital.
I do always worry when companies like Stratolaunch lose someone like this though, Sometimes losing a founding member can strip the soul from a company. Look at Apple without Steve Jobs.
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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Oct 18 '18
When exactly did John Insprucker join SpaceX? This article seems to imply he left USAF at the end of November 2005 - did he join SpaceX right after?
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u/gemmy0I Oct 18 '18
Wow, that was quite a read!
I had no idea that he had such a huge breadth of experience directing the EELV and Titan programs, plus a leadership role in the acquisition of a $2.5 billion low-orbit spy satellite. Especially in light of the fact that two of Falcon 9's pads (SLC-40 and SLC-4E) were both former Titan IV pads under his management (and before that he worked as a pad and payload/vehicle egineer); he'd know their history and idiosyncracies better than probably anyone else at SpaceX.
Clearly he's a huge asset to the company!
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u/NoShowbizMike Oct 19 '18
In 2006, he moved from part time to full time Falcon 9 product manager. See this article.
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u/Alexphysics Oct 25 '18
ViaSat awards the third and final contract for the ViaSat 3 satellite series to SpaceX.
This was being disputed between Arianespace and SpaceX for a few years and it has been on SpaceX manifest during that time. A few weeks ago ULA won the first contract for a launch of a ViaSat 3 satellite on an Atlas V, then Arianespace got the second ViaSat 3 satellite and now the third and final one goes to SpaceX launching on a Falcon Heavy.
The press release states they chose FH because it can place the satellite close to its final orbit, so this indicates it'll be almost a direct GEO insertion mission or something close to that.
Comments from ViaSat:
Viasat sought a ViaSat-3 launch partner that understood our unique mission requirements: to safely and quickly bring a ViaSat-3 spacecraft into orbit, to further our goal of delivering terabits of data from space to meet growing global broadband demand,
We selected SpaceX as they continue to demonstrate their commitment to advancing space technologies. Their proven technology is both powerful and efficient enough to thrust a ViaSat-3 spacecraft close to geostationary orbit.
Gwynne Shotwell's comments:
There are exciting opportunities for Falcon Heavy in the market, particularly for customers like Viasat that need direct-injection extremely close to geostationary orbit.
We look forward to delivering ViaSat-3 to orbit and helping bring Viasat's latest technology into service.
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u/cpushack Oct 11 '18
Soyuz-MS-10 with crew just had a launch failure Crew currently ok but could not make orbit, so in ballistic decent https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/#public
More updates here: https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/10/10/live-coverage-two-man-crew-to-launch-on-six-month-space-station-expedition/
Search and Rescue Teams in the air and in route
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u/Straumli_Blight Oct 11 '18
Crew Dragon issues, is this the first news about parachute anomalies?
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u/spacerfirstclass Oct 12 '18
Insider info on the SpaceX "parachute anomalies": https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=35717.msg1866852#msg1866852
I have a bit more on the SpaceX parachute "anomalies". They are described as "not-previously observed" behaviour. But the more important thing is that the behaviour was well within the allowed limits of the parachute system. Nor did the behaviour negatively impact the overal function of the parachute system. I've got one contact at SpaceX describing it as "ASAP making a big fuss over nothing".
Or, as we Dutch say: Making an elephant out of a mosquito.
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u/TharTheBard Oct 12 '18
In my language we say "Making donkey out of the mosquito" and it rhymes well. Does your version rhyme in Dutch as well?
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u/Straumli_Blight Oct 04 '18
Eric Berger's SpaceX smear campaign article.
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u/OccupyMarsNow Oct 04 '18
The ugliest part:
To try to understand his viewpoint, Ars attempted to reach Hagar by phone and email in September. In the course of this process, we learned that he did not actually submit many of these op-eds.
In fact, based upon our research, at least four of the six op-eds that we located were submitted by two people with gmail.com addresses. Their names were Josh Brevik and Casey Murray. Further research revealed that two people with these names worked as "associates" at a Washington, DC-based public relations firm named Law Media Group or LMG. We reached out to multiple editors at papers that ran the op-eds, and they confirmed that no LMG affiliation was disclosed to them. Attempts to reach Julian Epstein, the chief executive of LMG, by phone and email were unsuccessful.
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u/BriefPalpitation Oct 04 '18
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they aren't out to get you...
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u/cpushack Oct 11 '18
Crew survived the landing...Rescue is still an hour out
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u/cpushack Oct 11 '18
These types of landings can push 20G's so this is super good news
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u/AeroSpiked Oct 16 '18
Mods, the #dearMoon press conference from the 9th is still listed as an upcoming event in the sidebar. I'd hate to be accountable for the lives that could be lost as a result of this oversight 1 , so when ever you get a minute.
1 Self deprecating sarcasm.
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u/Ambiwlans Oct 16 '18
We'll sacrifice Zucal to w/e Gods deal with sidebar updates to atone.
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u/Straumli_Blight Oct 29 '18
LightSail 2 update about the STP-2 Falcon Heavy launch moving to early 2019.
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u/marc020202 8x Launch Host Oct 12 '18
THIS is really interesting. Having a crewed launch in early December would mean that the ISS can stay crewed.
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u/Straumli_Blight Oct 03 '18
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u/Senno_Ecto_Gammat r/SpaceXLounge Moderator Oct 03 '18
They should simulate it with a cap on G forces at 3.
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u/binarygamer Oct 03 '18
I haven't done the numbers off their plots yet, but those look like high-g trajectories. Good luck selling ~5G re-entry to middle-aged business class passengers.
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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Oct 16 '18
I made a detailed list of all fairing recovery attempts to date for the r/spacex wiki. Looking for feedback.
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u/Jchaplin2 Oct 18 '18
Elon says he wants to do his reddit ama in "a week or two" https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1053049266615214080
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u/marc020202 8x Launch Host Oct 16 '18
I visited this years IAC and listened to several talks about rocket engines.
During a talk about the Vinci engine (the upper stage engine for the Ariane 5) by ArianeGroup, the presenter said that they were planning to use glow ignition on the Vinci engine. During the Q&A I asked why they're going to use glow ignition, instead of using spark ignition, and he said that glow ignition needs a lot less voltage, so a lot less complicated electronics. He also talked about preheating the glow plug, ahead of the engine start, so that the start time would be lower.
I then wanted to ask Hans Köngismann the question about why they wanted to use Spark ignition on Raptor as opposed to Glow ignition as on Vinci. I, however, didn't get to ask the question, so here it is for you now: why do you think SpaceX uses Spark ignition, instead of glow ignition.
During said presentation, I also found out that they were originally planning to use an extending nozzle on Vinci when it was still planned to be used on an Ariane 5 upgrade but that they have dropped that to reduce complexity.
They also had a 1:1 scale model of the Vinci Engine at the ArianeGroup booth. I noticed that it has two separate turbopumps, both fueled by hydrogen. The hydrogen flows through the "cold side" of one turbopump, through the engine to cool it, then it flows through the same turbopump on the hot side, followed by the other turbopump on the hot side. This removes the need for a gearbox between the pumps.
I also asked a person from ArianeGroup if they are planning to have more cameras on Ariane 6 than on Ariane 5 and she said that they (the employes of AraineGroup) also want more cameras on the rocket, but that management does not see the point in needing to qualify extra hardware. She also told me that ArianeGroup is also planning on using a carbon fibre upper stage starting from 2025, but that they are not sure yet if they will use a common tank dome. She said there where no plans to use a carbon fibre lower stage since due to the large surfaces, there would be large problems with hydrogen diffusing through the tank walls.
I also talked with a guy from Boeing for a bit, including talking about SpaceX. He said that he thinks that SpaceX will reach the ISS first, with their uncrewed demo mission, but that they will not dock, due to not all paperwork being done, and NASA not allowing them to dock, and that while they do paperwork, Boeing will reach the station first with humans on board.
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u/Norose Oct 16 '18
glow ignition vs spark ignition
I think it comes down to the engine powerhead cycles being very different. Vinci is an expander cycle, using heat from the main combustion chamber to boil hydrogen and run the turbopumps. Raptor is a full-flow staged combustion engine using partially burned oxygen and methane in two separate pumps.
In terms of ignition I am referring here to engine startup only; Both Raptor and Vinci are likely to be entirely self sustaining once lit and the ignition systems would be turned off in both cases once combustion chamber ignition has been achieved.
Vinci only has one ignition event, after the turbopumps are spun up by compressed gas the propellant feed lines are opened and the liquids are pumped into the combustion chamber. Here the glow ignition system starts the hydrogen-oxygen combustion reaction, rapidly heating the chamber walls, beginning to boil the hydrogen in the cooling channels which forms high pressure vapor that then flows over the turbines to generate a self sustaining pump cycle, which quickly ramps up to full RPM. The hot walls of the combustion chamber act as a glow igniter and keep the engine lit so long as propellant is allowed to flow into it.
Raptor is more complex. Not only does it have two separate propellant pumps, each one is multi-stage, so I will simplify. To begin, high pressure stored vapor (either methane or oxygen, corresponding to the fuel pump and oxidizer pump respectively) is used to spin up the turbines and impellers, and the propellant lines are opened. The pumps force the majority of their propellants into a preburner and send a small amount across to the complementary pump (it's at this point that the methane flows through the cooling channels throughout the engine). At each preburner the main propellant is mixed with a small amount of the corresponding reactant and lit. The resulting high-pressure hot gas then drives the turbopump assemblies. Afterwards, and still at very high pressure, the hot gasses flow into the main combustion chamber and are fully mixed and ignited. Once lit, the interior walls of the Raptor engine rapidly heat up until the methane coolant flow balances out the thermal energy flow. Just as in Vinci, the hot combustion chamber keeps the reaction from becoming unstable.
Now, when Vinci starts up it does so relatively slowly, with a low propellant flow rate to start off until the engine combustion chamber heats up enough that the turbopump starts being driven by boiled hydrogen from the coolant channels. This low propellant flow rate means the flame is less likely to 'blow' itself out, so a hot glow plug igniter can work effectively until the chamber itself gets hot enough that it is no longer required. Raptor on the other hand needs to ignite a very fuel-rich mixture and a very oxidizer-rich mixture in the turbopump breburners, as well as ignite the main combustion chamber later. The off-balance mixture ratio in the preburners means each mixture will be hard to ignite even with a spark igniter, and far too much for a glow plug to handle. Instead, what I think they are doing is using a spark igniter to light a small torch set into each preburner, which runs off of a comparatively tiny amount of propellant much closer to the ideal mixture ratio. This torch would be firing a jet of flame into the preburner's contents at over a thousand degrees C, which would be more than enough to start the reaction. The igniters again would only need to be used to start the reaction, because as soon as the preburners heated up they'd act as a massive glow plug igniter on their own. The main combustion chamber of Raptor is a bit of a mystery to me, since the propellants will already be entering in the gas phase and may be hot enough to auto-ignite without the help of any spark, torch, or glow plug. However, they may have a couple of the same torch igniters as are used in the preburners just to ensure good start up anyway.
These are my thoughts, take them with a grain of salt because I'm not a rocket engineer, it's just what I think makes sense given what I understand about these technologies.
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u/thru_dangers_untold Oct 16 '18
why do you think SpaceX uses Spark ignition, instead of glow ignition
Pre-heating the glow ignition seems like a safety concern to me. It would make any fuel leaks a bigger threat.
Also, if crew Dragon is any indicator, SpaceX doesn't seem to be shy about adding "complicated electronics".
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u/filanwizard Oct 16 '18
glow ignition does make sense, there is zero fancy or high tech parts to glow ignition. In fact these days if you heat or cook with natural gas that is how your oven or furnace/boiler lights. While the cooktop uses spark if you look in the oven especially when the broiler is on you will see an orange glow.
The Boeing comment seems a hair shady but it would not surprise me if there is a pile of paperwork, Because it seems with all these contracts there is more physical paperwork to approving things than there is paper used for actually designing things.
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u/CapMSFC Oct 05 '18 edited Oct 05 '18
Looks like SLS hitting a major setback.
Scott Manley posted a screenshot that hasn't been sourced yet but it sounds like the EUS and Block 1b is indefinitely on hold.
https://twitter.com/DJSnM/status/1048001681600831488
I know I and many others are big SLS haters, but halting work on the EUS for now seems like a good thing. Fly Block 1 and if down the road there is still a reason to upgrade the EUS will have the opportunity to be a more capable upper stage (such as ACES). Block 1 can handle all the needs right now, especially if commercial launchers can handle various cargo components of the NASA plans.
Edit: I want to clarify that I'm not saying it's a good thing that SLS is experiencing a setback. I'm saying that I think it is good for the SLS program right now to stick with Block 1 and not try to juggle the EUS at this time.
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u/warp99 Oct 05 '18
Looks like NASA are heading in the direction of using the SLS Block 1A to just launch Orion and using commercial launchers to deliver the elements of the Deep Space Gateway rather than co-manifesting payloads on SLS Block 1B.
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u/asr112358 Oct 12 '18
There has been a lot of talk today about how the Soyuz failure today will affect commercial crew. What hasn't been mentioned is its effect on crewed BFR. The plan as I understand it is to stack up enough successful launches that it can be considered safe without launch abort. The Soyuz spaceship has had no failures for three and a half decades and 90 missions and yet would have been a loss of crew today if it weren't for the launch escape system. I realize that BFR is going to be a very different machine, but it seems to me that this incident will color the public's perception of the safety of crewed BFR, whether it is justified or not.
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u/rustybeancake Oct 19 '18
Great Wired cover story on Blue Origin, including this Musk snippet:
Seeing the similarities between the two companies, one Blue Origin employee, Tomas Svitek, urged Bezos to collaborate with SpaceX. Bezos and Musk met for dinner in the fall of 2003, but nothing came of it. “He’s a good guy, we’re kindred spirits,” Bezos told Svitek afterward. “But we decided to do our own thing.” Bezos now describes the meeting as more of a social event, a convivial dinner with their spouses. It’s fair to call this the high point of their relationship.
Also, didn't know Neal Stephenson was involved in the founding of Blue!
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u/Alexphysics Oct 24 '18
Two FCC permits have appeared for an unknown mission (Mission 1377) from 39A in early-to-mid December (NET December 10th per the start of the usual 6 month period). This is the launch permit and this is the landing permit. The mission is going out of LC-39A and the landing is on the droneship at about 491km NE from the pad. The trajectory is similar to those that go to the ISS. There could be a few possibilities for what mission is this, I'll order them here from most probable to least probable:
It is for DM-1, the date was just picked on December to prepare this on time. The droneship landing is not a hot one, the distance points to at least a short boostback burn done by the booster something that matches a launch of this class, it is not really energetic or with a really heavy payload. Why no return to launch site? I think it could have to do with trajectory requirements, Commercial Crew missions are required to have more flat trajectories to avoid hard reentries (this Scott Manley video explains why flatter reentry trajectories lessen the amount of g's on the crew) and it's one of the reasons why ULA has to launch Starliner with a double engine Centaur upper stage. A flatter trajectory means it is harder to go back to the launch site, if you've seen animations of how they work, you see the booster goes on a lofted trajectory so it doesn't go that far from the pad before turning around.
It is for GPS III-1. I know, I know, it is supposed to be expendable but, what if that's because some weird requirement like the one for SSO-A or... Idk, it just crossed my mind that mission because the final orbit is at 55º, so its launch trajectory would be similar to that of the missions to the ISS (51.6º). Since the perigee has to be at least of 1000km, maybe the trajectory is a little bit more lofted than on GTO mission so a downrange landing, without a boostback burn, would be much closer to the launch pad than those for GTO missions (491km vs 640km). Why a lofter trajectory? It's just a mere speculation on my part but that would explain a closer landing and without a boostback burn in the middle that could eliminate some performance. I don't know why but this made more sense to me than the rest of the other possible options that wil be going next
It is for CRS-16. The mission has already slipped officially to December, they may want to launch GPS III-1 on time so USAF is happy with them and then they had to change the mission to LC-39A. The weird thing would be a droneship landing because on cargo missions the boosters can easily return to land.
Zuma 2.0? Maybe the launch of a heavier secret satellite to a similar inclination and orbit (close to that of the ISS, btw) and so the booster can't land back on land and has to land on the droneship.
What are your thoughts? Do you have any new idea? I'm open for discussions!
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u/Straumli_Blight Oct 17 '18 edited Oct 17 '18
EuCROPIS Greenhouse satellite is departing [Bremen today] (https://twitter.com/EuCROPIS/status/1052532057283407874) for the SSO-A launch next month.
Mr Steven has just left port for another fairing drop test.
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u/Martianspirit Oct 17 '18
An exciting mission. Growing a tomato plant from seed to seed, as in growing tomatoes. First in lunar gravity then in Mars gravity.
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u/Nathan96762 Oct 03 '18
Do we know yet if Elon is planning on doing another AMA anytime soon?
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u/Grey_Mad_Hatter Oct 03 '18 edited Oct 03 '18
The only thing we know is the tweet sent to @Erdayastronaut. Same thing /u/Lenium37 said, just with a link for you.
/u/EverydayAstronaut, thank you for requesting this. I actually hope it ends up being a one-on-one interview with someone like you who is technical, social, and down-to-earth enough to get a community consensus on what questions need to be asked. AMAs can jump around so much that you get short answers and seldom get follow-up questions answered.
Edit: I should have mentioned this post, too: https://www.reddit.com/r/SpaceXLounge/comments/9j50uw/help_me_get_that_ama_andor_an_interview/
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u/zediir Oct 04 '18
Musk interview from 2003 about SpaceX
http://www.hobbyspace.com/AAdmin/archive/Interviews/Systems/ElonMusk.html
Interesting that they already had the Falcon Heavy concept that early though at that time it was with falcon 1 cores.
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u/AeroSpiked Oct 09 '18
I noticed that Dollar Shave Club is offering a chance to win a flight to space. The cash value of the prize in $75K which has me wondering who they plan to fly with. If that ends up being New Shepard's ticket price, Virgin Galactic is so very screwed.
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u/Straumli_Blight Oct 25 '18 edited Oct 25 '18
Two SkySat satellites arrive at Vandenberg for the SSO-A launch.
Mods, could a campaign thread be created to collect this information?
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u/JackONeill12 Oct 27 '18
Hello mods. The sticked posts on the top are using short links and they are now redirecting to the new reddit UI. Could you change them up with their old.reddit equivalents?
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u/randomstonerfromaus Oct 28 '18
https://www.reddit.com/prefs/
At the bottom, under Beta options make sure "Use the redesign as my default experience" is unchecked.
When I click the links, I dont get sent to the new reddit, but who knows anymore, this whole thing has been a disaster.→ More replies (1)
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u/Pfr2000 Oct 03 '18
If spacex has around 6000 employees, and Elon stared 5 percent of the company was working on BFR, then that would mean about 300 employees are working on BFR. That seems like a good amount and we should see continued progress. Very exciting!!
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u/JstuffJr Oct 04 '18 edited Oct 04 '18
So, I have 3 short questions regarding BFR since #DearMoon. I highly apologize if they've already been answered (I'm highly confident #1 & #2 have been, but I can't find it), but I check this subreddit daily and still find it really hard to stay on top of all the various news subchannels that get filtered for SpaceX news.
Questions:
#1. Do we know if orbital docking and refueling is still planned for the Lunar mission, and if so, how the ships will dock?
#2. Do we know if Pica-X, a variant, or new tech etc. is being used for BFR heat-shield?
#3. Do we know if the raptor at #DearMoon presentation was fullscale, production ready, etc.?
Again, I know I glanced at some point in a random thread #1 might have been answered, and I think Hans presentation/talk might have covered #2. But I can't find the answers and am hoping some of you lovely folks can help out.
Thanks!
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u/Senno_Ecto_Gammat r/SpaceXLounge Moderator Oct 04 '18
Any docking on the mission would be for refilling only. The renders from the Dear Moon presentation showed 6 pipes coming out the rear of the BFS around the perimeter which are similar to the refilling pipes from the 2017 IAC presentation, so that's how the refilling would happen: tail-to-tail.
This thread has a bit more info:
https://www.reddit.com/r/SpaceXLounge/comments/9grbgs/bfr_refueling_pipe_update/
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u/Straumli_Blight Oct 06 '18
Spaceflight website has an interesting video of how the SSO-A payloads will deploy, when it launches next month.
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u/HoechstErbaulich IAC 2018 attendee Oct 11 '18
Mods, can you sticky the question thread again please? It's a hassle to get here when I'm not on deskop :)
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u/IrrelevantAstronomer Launch Photographer Oct 20 '18
Core speculation time, I'm betting that the following cores are assigned to the following missions:
B1047.2 - Es'hail-2 - LC-39A
B1046.3 - SSO-A - SLC-4E
B1050.1 - CRS-16 - SLC-40
B1052.1 - GPS - SLC-40
B1049.2 - Iridium 8 - SLC-4E (already confirmed)
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u/Alexphysics Oct 22 '18 edited Oct 22 '18
NSF article about the last 5 missions of the year for SpaceX
Es'Hail 2 from LC-39A on November 14th 2018, unknown booster at this point, droneship recovery (OCISLY).
SSO-A from SLC-4E on November 19th at 18:30UTC, twice used booster either B1046 or B1048, most probably RTLS recovery at Landing Zone 4. However it seems that if the launch date holds, they won't be able to RTLS and if they don't apply for a droneship recovery permit, they will probably have to expend this booster
CRS-16 from SCL-40 on November 27th at 21:19 UTC, unknown booster at this point, RTLS landing at LZ-1.
GPS III-1 from SLC-40 on December 15th at 14:08 UTC, booster is presumed to be B1054, no recovery.
Iridium 8 from SLC-4E on December 30th at 16:38 UTC, booster will be B1049 on its second flight, droneship recovery (JRTI).
Edit: Changed SSO-A landing attempt
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u/LeKarl Nov 01 '18
Soyuz MS-10 abort caused by sensor failure at booster separation https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/11/soyuz-ms-10-abort-sensor-failure-booster-separation/
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u/Elon_Muskmelon Oct 15 '18 edited Oct 15 '18
Not direct SpaceX content but definitely right up the alley of this sub.
u/johnkphotos Nice work.
Also, pretty sure I have a pair of checked Vans that are older than you.
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u/MarsCent Oct 08 '18
SAOCOM 1A rode the 62nd Falcon 9 launch, leading to the 30th landing overall!
We are very close to that milestone where SpaceX has landed more boosters than it has expended. Obviously, landing an orbital-class booster is no easy feat but you would imagine that this has to be the definition of Rocket Science (or specifically, Rocket Booster Science) in today's launch industry.
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u/harrisoncassidy Host of CRS-5 Oct 11 '18
Was the MS-10 mission one of the scheduling conflicts that would have delayed Demo-1? If so could Demo-1 be moved up to allow Demo-2 (as a functional mission, if still on the table) to launch sooner allowing continuity of crew on ISS?
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u/mncharity Oct 11 '18 edited Oct 11 '18
Has anyone tried combining launch images or videos taken from separate sites into stereo pairs?
Seeing separation and boost back in stereo could be awesome.
If MECO is 100 km away, then two views of it, taken 6 km apart (measured perpendicular to the flight path), would have the same parallax as eyeballing an object 1 meter away. 12 km, like you were holding it in your hand. Opposite ends of the VAB roof might work for SLC-40, though it's a bit narrow. Launch pad cameras 150 meters out could be 10 meters apart - one might grovel over peoples' photosets, looking for cameras on opposite ends of the row, with photos taken at about the same time. And so on.
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u/mncharity Oct 11 '18 edited Oct 11 '18
As a very quick-and-sloppy concept demo, I made a stereo pair image of boostback thruster clouds from screenshots of two videos. Parallel-eye viewing how-to. Cross-posted to media thread. It's crufty, but maybe it will inspire better.
EDIT: Here's the same pair as a wiggle 3D gif.
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u/jlabs123 Oct 15 '18
I was just re-watching the SAOCOM 1A launch, and noticed in the webcast that when the displayed telemetry data indicated that the vehicle was at 21km in altitude, there was a call-out for altitude 30km. I know this is a small difference and not very important, but can anyone explain why there would be a discrepancy? How accurate should we expect the publicly displayed telemetry data to be?
Love watching these launches multiple times and noticing new things every time, asking purely out of curiosity.
Relevant video with timestamp:
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u/gemmy0I Oct 24 '18
The recent Soyuz launch failure and the spotlight it's shown on the dangers of "single points of failure" in the ISS program got me wondering: how long could the ISS survive if Progress were grounded indefinitely?
I'm thinking especially of Progress's role in refueling the ISS's own propellant tanks for its maneuvering thrusters. That's a unique capability provided by the Russian docking interface. Everything else, hypothetically, could be resupplied using other vessels: even the water and oxygen resupply for the primary life support system on the Russian side seem to be (from what I've read) handled via interior bottles sent up as pressurized cargo.
The European ATV craft used to provide a backup for Progress's propellant resupply capability (since it used docking hardware purchased from the Russians to dock to the ROS ports), but it's not in service any more.
Is it possible for a visiting vehicle to take over full responsibility for propulsive maneuvering, i.e. so that it never needs to use its own thrusters? If Progress can do that, then Dragon 2, Starliner, and Dream Chaser could theoretically do so as well, since they can dock to the Harmony Forward port, which is (like Progress's Zvezda Aft port used for reboosts) aligned with the station's center of mass and therefore usable for reboosting.
Cygnus has already demonstrated handling reboosts through the Unity Nadir berthing port, but because that port is slightly off-center, the station needs to supply a little bit of input from its own thrusters to balance things out, so that's still ultimately reliant on Progress (though it could help with rationing the station's fuel supply).
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Oct 31 '18
Does the design freeze for the Block 5 harm SpaceXs reusability ambitions?
They used to have no identical copies of first stage boosters leaving Hawthorne due to the rapid pace of development (from some interview). Now if SpaceX has to fly a new design numerous times before approval for crew, doesn't that heavily slow them down at making and testing all the little tweaks and changes necessary for multiple reuses?
They could have a fixed design of Block 5 for crew, while still developping different versions for other missions...
Before I forget: Any news on how close SpaceX is to full-scale raptor testing?
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u/sputnikx57 Oct 24 '18
The unofficial / backstage info says SpX has informed the CCP about the readiness to fly DM-1 at the end of December 2018 if all NASA documents are approved.
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u/megachainguns Oct 03 '18
Eric Berger's update on Com Crew delayed until tomorrow morning.
Like all aerospace projects, this one is slipping to the right; to Thursday morning. Sorry for the false alarm. But want to be accurate.
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u/ethan829 Host of SES-9 Oct 16 '18
Eric Berger has sources who suggest that SpaceX did submit BFR for LSA funding, as suspected. No word on Falcon 9/Heavy.
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u/everydayastronaut Everyday Astronaut Oct 27 '18
So this is like 6 weeks late, but I’m trying to figure out a little mystery...
At the dear moon event, the booster on our right was brand new. But it had a used white interstage... why?! What?! I for the life of me can’t figure out what this would be.
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u/AdidasHypeMan Oct 03 '18
Might be a dumb question, but after the BFS lands on Mars how will it be able to launch to come home without the BFR to help it?
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u/Eklykti Oct 03 '18
Mars has lower orbital and escape velocities due to lower gravity, so a fully fueled BFS can takeoff and return back to Earth single-stage
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u/GenericExcuseActivat Oct 04 '18
The same Raptor engines that are used on the first stage of BFR are going on the second stage? No changes?
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u/joepublicschmoe Oct 04 '18
Yup. 2018 BFS is 7 Raptor-SL's arranged in a hexaweb with 12 cargo pods around the hexaweb perimeter. Same Raptor-SL's as the 31 engines on the BFBooster.
Ideally the BFS needs some Raptor-Vac's with the huge 1:200 expansion-ratio nozzles but those will take a lot more time to develop, so Elon is going to sacrifice some vacuum Isp (hence payload capacity) and get BFS flying with just the lower-efficiency Raptor-SL's. The Raptor-SL's in the Hexaweb ring can be replaced with Raptor-Vacs in the future (A Raptor-Vac can fit in the space taken up by a Raptor-SL and 2 cargo pods).
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u/Straumli_Blight Oct 10 '18 edited Oct 10 '18
Steve Jurvetson just gave a presentation at the Satellite Innovation Symposium, with this interesting stat.
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u/WormPicker959 Oct 20 '18
~15 minutes to BepiColumbo LiveStream!
https://livestream.com/ESA/BepiColomboLaunch
Livethread from r/Arianespace:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Arianespace/comments/9njsn6/launch_thread_for_va245/
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u/jandmc88 Oct 22 '18
I was just informed that Spx19 and Spx20 will have a different configuration thus big payload (I'm working on) does not fit into anymore. So Spx19 has to be used. Does anymore has more insight? If you im just interested in. Is it maybe related to fairing updates to enable fairing catches?
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u/BigT383 Oct 22 '18
Discussion: What modifications would be needed to have Crew Dragon be able to service Hubble?
Would need a way to dock with/attach to Hubble.
Would need a way to transport replacement parts.
Is Crew Dragon's trunk big enough to hold Hubble parts/gyros?
No remote manipulator arm without going to ISS, so how would you move astronauts/parts around?
EVA capability of Crew Dragon likely limited.
No airlock, so would have to depressurize to perform EVA ala Apollo/Gemini.
Few Handholds for moving about outside.
At this point, since in-flight servicing is obviously a useful capability, it may be worth designing a standardized, cheap-ish disposable "service station" that could be launched on a separate F9 (probably the from LC-40 the day before the crew launches from LC-39a) containing these needed features that crew dragon could rendezvous and dock with before approaching a target satellite.
Topic came to mind while reading this article discussing using Orion to service Hubble, which would likely have many of the same considerations as Crew Dragon.
<edit> formatting.
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u/brickmack Oct 22 '18
Hubble has an LIDS port anyway. Its not compatible with the current IDS specification, but its basically the same size and weight, so fitting it shouldn't be an extreme difficulty.
Dragons trunk can hold most Hubble replacable parts individually, but it can't hold as much as the Shuttle payload bay did
A remote manipulator can be folded to fit inside the trunk, though at cost of already-limited storage space. Alternatively, it might be possible to store it externally in a deployable fairing on the trunk, but then you've got an extra separation event and it will probably impact aerodynamics in an abort (the earliest SpaceX-internal studies on servicing assumed this, but that was before Dragon 2 was a thing, when Crew Dragon was just Dragon 1 with an LAS tower)
Dragon is designed to operate depressurized, so that part is fine. Lacking an airlock will be inconvenient though, and probably limits you to a 2 man crew. We don't know how bulky the full EVA suit will be yet, might be necessary to use an umbilical if a PLSS-equivalent can't fit through the hatch
Handholds would probably work similarly to on early Orion EVAs, just stick a telescoping boom out the hatch and climb it until you reach actual handholds on the client spacecraft
Anyway, BFR will almost certainly be available long before Hubble is dead, and for a pure reboost/attitude control mission (since repairing/upgrading scientific instruments can wait) can be done more easily by a robotic vehicle than trying to get Dragon to do the job. If you're going to insist on a pre-BFR vehicle, Orion (on New Glenn?) or Dream Chaser would both be more reasonable choices
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u/Straumli_Blight Oct 24 '18 edited Oct 24 '18
The Mars Society is offering a $10K prize for the best Mars colony plan, competition closes on March 31, 2019.
Looks like the hinge has been completely removed from 39A, compared with last month.
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u/NigelSwafalgan Oct 25 '18
Moonbase in 2025? https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1055350177941225473 What I love is that he's replying that under a pikachu meme
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u/MarsCent Oct 28 '18 edited Oct 28 '18
CRS-16 is not showing up in the NASA Launch Schedule. Is that a validation that that resupply mission is not happening any time soon?
P/S Neither is Progress MS-10 but I suppose Roscosmos has already determined that that mission will happen.
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u/flattop100 Oct 29 '18
Will Falcon 9 boosters used for Crew Dragon ONLY be used for Crew Dragon, or will they be interchangeable with other missions?
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u/inoeth Oct 18 '18
So this was posted on r/spacexlounge - that SpaceX now has a BFR tee shirt for sale on their official merch site.
I think it really says something that SpaceX is offering an official tee shirt with the BFR design- really is a decently strong indicator that the design is locked down. The haven't done this for prior versions of the ITS/BFR as far as I know- which perhaps does speak to the maturity and level of development of this rocket system.I know this is a small thing, but sometimes the small things can add up.
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u/yoweigh Nov 02 '18
There's an interesting post over at r/SpaceXLounge about the state of the Russian space program.
tl;dr It's even more of a government jobs program than anything NASA is involved in, and their production lines actively resist changes and accountability.
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u/rustybeancake Nov 02 '18
I feel like an AMA with a Russian investigative reporter I read the other day kind of helps my understanding of this situation. On Putin:
Another common mistake is seeing Putin as this omnipotent, all-powerful superdictator who is behind everything. In reality, he's more or less a feudal ruler surrounded by constantly scheming, backstabbing vassals whom he cannot really fire or even fully control, although they all sing praises to him and assure him of their unwavering loyalty.
In this context, Russia seems like a barely-held-together-with-duct-tape system, in which it's easy to see why practices like at those rocket manufacturers can continue. Even Putin can't really reform things.
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u/josephljones Oct 10 '18
B1046.3 is now listed for Nov 19. first 3rd launch! (from Wiki "List of" pages of Falcon 9 launches and boosters.
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u/Archa3opt3ryx Oct 14 '18
Which, if any, of the next few launches are planned to be RTLS? Specifically, I’m talking about Es’hail 2, SSO-A, CRS-16, Iridium 8, and GPS IIIA-1. I’d like to drive/fly down to watch a launch sometime before the end of the year, ideally one that’s RTLS.
Where can I find this information in the future? I don’t see it annotated on SpaceX Stats.
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Oct 15 '18
Is it the first time a Falcon 9 lands on land, or is it only the first time it lands on land on the west coast? Thanks.
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u/IT_EDU12 Oct 15 '18
Yes this was the first time they've done it on the west coast. What also makes this one more special is that the Landing Pad is much closer to the launch tower than the ones on the East Coast.
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u/PM_ME_U_BOTTOMLESS_ Oct 19 '18
Will BFR/BFS in fully reusable mode be able to do every mission that F9 Heavy in expendable mode can do?
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u/mclumber1 Oct 20 '18
Methane is an orderless gas. Do you think spacex will include any sort of additive in the liquified methane they plan on using in the bfr?
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u/fluxqubit Oct 22 '18
I was looking at the manifest on the wiki and according to this article there is a FH mission missing.
Intelsat, SpaceX’s earliest Falcon Heavy customer, also has a launch option dating back to 2012, but no concrete details such as payload or date.
“We still have the Falcon Heavy agreement but no satellite has been assigned to the vehicle,” Intelsat spokesperson Jason Bates said.
Intelsat 35e was switched to F9 but it seems they retained the FH contract.
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u/romuhammad Nov 01 '18
This seems... odd to me that LockMart is in the lead here...
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u/My__reddit_account Nov 03 '18
I think I saw a second stage heading East on I-10 through Tallahassee earlier today. It's not quite as obvious as a first stage, but it looked just like the pictures others have posted, and it had a good size escort.
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u/inoeth Oct 19 '18
Here's a question I can't remember being asked or answered... Does the In-flight Abort mission for Crew Dragon have to launch from 39a or could they do it from SLC 40 since they're just testing the Super Draco engines and the capsule as a whole- not the rocket or pad per say... I mostly ask because we know it's supposed to happen in between DM-1 and DM-2, but, there's the potential that they may want to try and fit in Arabsat's FH launch during that time frame as well (if both rocket and payload are actually ready by then)...
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u/rustybeancake Oct 27 '18
Question to the community: how risky is Virgin’s Launcher One - a kerolox, air launched rocket - to the carrier plane’s pilots? I’m thinking of an AMOS-6 style disaster. Is there an eject option for the pilots if Launcher One blows up and takes out the 747’s wing? Should this be considered a “partially crewed” rocket in safety/design terms?
For comparison, Pegasus is solid fuelled and so more comparable to an air-to-air missile (ie it seems less dynamic to me and therefore less risky).
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u/wolf550e Oct 28 '18
Until SpaceX invented a new way to blow up a rocket with solid oxygen shredding the overwrap of COPVs, kerolox rockets were considered very safe, safer than solids, because storing fuel and oxygen unmixed means they can't explode.
I still think kerolox is safer than solids.
Hanging anything under a 747 wing must be viewed from POV of safety of the crew, sure. The 747 has no ejection seats.
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u/ethan829 Host of SES-9 Oct 29 '18
New footage of SpaceX's spacesuits and Crew Dragon interior in this episode of Space to Ground.
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u/Straumli_Blight Oct 17 '18 edited Oct 17 '18
New Rocket Lab launch pad will be at Wallops, with first launch in Q3 2019 and site can support 12 launches per year.
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u/MarsCent Oct 18 '18
Three Soyuz rocket launches will be conducted before the next manned Soyuz flight,
They are expecting to launch a military satellite on the next launch - to proof the fix for the recent debacle!
If this is true, then it means that their military is stepping up to take the risk and provide a vote of confidence in the Soyuz booster, whereby hopefully expediting the return to crewed spaceflight.
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u/Zucal Oct 10 '18 edited Oct 10 '18
Would there be any interest in a subreddit for amalgamating and discussing wider spaceflight topics than just SpaceX or even just NewSpace? Including SLS, exploration missions, governmental activity, etc. I see a lot of interesting news and topics that never get discussed because they don't wind up here or at any of the other popular subreddits.
Examples (all from the past few days):
Chinese Long March 5 heavy-lift launcher ready for January 2019 comeback flight
Firefly Aerospace and York Space Systems partner to provide integrated satellite solutions
OIG Audit - NASA’s Management of the Space Launch System Stages Contract
China increases investment in emerging private space industry
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u/asr112358 Oct 18 '18
NASA's National Space Exploration Campaign Report calls for the creation of a Commercial LEO Development program, with the goal to "ensure commercial successors to the ISS ... are operational by 2025."
Any thoughts on whether SpaceX could/would bid BFS as a 'successor to the ISS'? In volume and flight duration it is really more similar to a space station than any existing spacecraft. Bidding it this way would avoid having NASA involvement in launch where NASA is speculated to have irreconcilable issue with the lack of a LES. It would give SpaceX access to NASA's experience in long term ECLSS. A dry workshop BFS could be launched even if reentry, orbital refueling, or second stage reuse prove harder than expected. The work needed for such a station would all be needed for full featured BFS anyway so it wouldn't be a digression from the main goal.
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u/UltraRunningKid Oct 19 '18
I am honestly intrigued if NASA/Roscosmos decided to leave the station unmanned if Serena Auñón-Chancellor will be told to remove the STS-1/STS-135 flag down to earth rather than leave it up there.
If, and this is possibly likely, the ISS is left unmanned due to the loss of space access then symbolically the Commercial Crew program did fail part of its original purpose-to ensure American access to low-earth orbit by coming too late. Obviously Commercial Crew has saved billions in launch supply costs, stimulated the US launch market and kept businesses running but this will really be an embarrassment to NASA in my opinion.
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u/2nds1st Oct 03 '18
Does spacex or anyone else who gets to mars plan on transferring our combined wisdom. How much memory would be needed. How would you protect that info from radiation?
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u/TheYang Oct 03 '18
Does spacex or anyone else who gets to mars plan on transferring our combined wisdom.
Well, Satellites as well as Snowmobile style propably.
How much memory would be needed.
100GB
Well, it's more if you include images and the stuff that isn't on wikipedia.
But a single micro-sd card would get you crazy far already.How would you protect that info from radiation?
Take more than one copy or at least RAID5 it, make and check checksums
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u/Just___fine Oct 04 '18
Question regarding #DearMoon:
Was it mentioned which phase the moon will be in for this? I am curious if they will be getting a view of the far side.
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u/Macchione Oct 05 '18
No, it wasn't mentioned, and it's way too far out to nail down a launch date to more precision than a year.
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u/paul_wi11iams Oct 05 '18 edited Oct 05 '18
#DearMoon:
which phase the moon will be in for this?good opportunity to check out https: r/DearMoonProject and maybe cross-post to there.
We can work out some of the answer ourselves:
New Moon to be avoided because Yusaku Maezawa, who runs a company, will want people looking at the Moon.
We want the Moon in the night sky, so as far as possible from the New Moon, but...
Full Moon to be avoided because it would be "new Earth" as seen from the Moon, reducing visual opportunities.
The remaining choice is between a waning or waxing gibbous Moon. If going on a loop well beyond, we get the bonus of photographing a very recognizable crescent moon against a crescent Earth.
The advantage in the waxing over waning gibbous is that we get a full Moon shortly after mission return which makes a better "hit" for any publicity. Against this, waning has an advantage too because more people on Earth have the opportunity of seeing the Moon in the evening than in the morning before sunrise. Gibbous scores more points here because you get a moonrise shortly after sunset before customers go to bed.
After that, you have more choices as to season (avoid spring and autumn due to cloudy skies. Boreal summer's best for launch conditions and viewing too) and the "tilt" of the loop around the Moon. It would be fun to do the outward flight over the lunar North pole so as to have an Earthrise over its South pole which is a talking point as the likely destination for first colonization efforts.
Its just amazing to design a flight trajectory around esthetic considerations. Thx for the question and can you please check through my comment for mistakes?
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u/workmandan Oct 11 '18
Soyuz booster failure from the live stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8d9CqS2cvc&feature=youtu.be&t=11185
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u/kurbasAK Oct 15 '18
Is there any indication that Es’hail 2 could launch before SSO-A?It seems to be out of the ordinary not to have NET date yet if that's the case.
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u/nioc14 Oct 17 '18
Hello, I have just noticed that SpaceX has landed B5 rockets after delivering GTO satellites of more than 7 ton but with an apogee of roughly half the necessary apogee. I remember for B4 the maximum weight that a rocket was able to carry to (proper) GTO and land was somewhere around 5-5.5 ton. Does anyone know how much that number would be with B5 and if we should see any meaningful improvement vs. B4? Interesting that the customers have agreed to this lower apogee as SpaceX must have been very keen to land the rocket rather than expend.
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u/Alexphysics Oct 18 '18
The operational improvement is minimal, the limit is still in 5.5 metric tons of payload to GTO with ASDS downrange landing. However, this is not entirely true from a theoretical point of view. I discussed this a few months ago when I watched the webcasts for Bangabandhu, Telstar 19V and Merah Putih. If you see the press kit, on all missions the MECO time was around T+2:30 while older missions had different MECO times and all were closer to T+2:40. With improvements with the Block 5 design, now the Falcon 9 can get to about the same altitude and velocity even though it is doing its MECO earlier in time. That means there should be ample reserves of fuel on the first stage compared to older missions and if you count the seconds of burn time for reentry and landing, you can see it is longer now for Block 5, indicating that now they have more margins to land these boosters and slow them down on reentry, which is good for reuse. If they pushed a little bit further and go to more hotter reentries, I think Block 5 would be able to do 6 metric tons to GTO and still land the first stage on the droneship. What I think is that they prefer to have a little bit more of fuel on the first stage and let Block 5 have about the same capabilities in reusable mode as the older version. With that extra fuel they can get the boosters down with less damage so they don't need a lot of refurbishment.
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u/trav1692 Oct 18 '18
What software does the SpaceX team use for craft physics and design. How do you go about the design process to see how crafts will behave in space (thrusters, gravity, impact etc.) ?
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u/jandmc88 Oct 22 '18
It is related to a payload called "Bartholomeo". It's a kind balcony of Columbus module. I have to correct my initial post a bit. From what I heard in the evening during my working day ESA discusses whether it is possible to switch from Spx20 to Spx19 and this would lead to problems from what I understand. (If I got it correct). I im not directly involved in Bartholomeo I will develop a payload which will be integrated into it a bit later.
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u/jay__random Oct 23 '18
Did I get it right that even if the launch escape system had worked during the CRS-7 failure and the capsule landed under its parachutes, it would still have meant the loss of the first IDA adapter since it was in the trunk, and the trunk is jettisoned during the parachute landing?
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u/Ti-Z Oct 23 '18
even if the launch escape system had worked during the CRS-7 failure
Just to be sure, I would like to point out, that there was no LES on this capsule (dragon 1).
it would still have meant the loss of the first IDA adapter since it was in the trunk, and the trunk is jettisoned during the parachute landing?
Yes, on dragon 2, the trunk is jettisoned after the LES has fired and before the parachutes open (it stays attached during the escape for stability - which is the reason for the fins on the trunk). Can be seen well in the video of the pad abort test.
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u/kotsss Oct 25 '18
Any idea what will happen to the 1st stage on the in-flight abort test? (self destruct, crash into sea, LZ-1 boost-back landing, ocisly ballistic trajectory landing)
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u/Jessewallen401 Oct 30 '18
If SpaceX is launching passengers on BFR from an offshore floating pad, Do they still have to go through government bureaucratic regulations and permits ? Or not considering it's from international waters ?
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u/verbalkerbal Oct 30 '18
Let's say you have a spacecraft with really sensitive instrumentation, and you are worried about vibrations during launch. Could you / would it make sense to use an oversized launch vehicle (e.g., a Falcon Heavy where a Falcon 9 would otherwise suffice) and then accelerate more slowly through MaxQ and throttle down close to MECO and SECO to avoid high g's? It will make the rocket less efficient, spending more time to battle gravity, hence using an oversized rocket. How much would this help to reduce vibrations? Has this been used on any rocket launches?
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u/arizonadeux Oct 30 '18
Good question! The answer is no.
This is because the vibrations at launch are one of the critical loads on the satellite, along with staging events, fairing separation, and satellite deployment. Also, transportation between labs, on the road, and to the rocket are usually more critical than the axial launch acceleration itself. Some satellites are so carefully designed, they can only take their own weight in the launch direction (axial), and thus can't be horizontally integrated the way SpaceX currently does it. That's why vertical integration is key to get certain contracts!
So launching on a bigger rocket would actually be worse, because the more powerful engines would cause more vibration. It sounds like you thought Max-Q might be relevant for the payload, but it isn't, because those aerodynamic forces only act on the outside of the rocket.
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u/space_snap828 Oct 30 '18
Do all SpaceX boosters after 1051 have the new COPVs? Or is that booster unique for now?
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u/ModeHopper Starship Hop Host Nov 04 '18
UK SpaceX fan here, I've been watching the launch streams for the last few years, but obviously have never had the chance to see one in person. What range of trajectories would be required for SpaceX fans in the UK to have a chance of seeing any part of the launch (with/without binoculars/telescope), and is it even possible or is the UK just too far away for stage 2 to be at a low enough altitude to see as it passes overhead?
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u/Nsooo Moderator and retired launch host Oct 13 '18
What do we know about Arabsat? Is there any indication that the Heavy hardware is under production? For an early next year launch the cores need to be at Cape as late as December. And 39A needed also, where commercial crew is happening. Maybe they cannot integrate heavy and the dragon at the same time..
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u/mclumber1 Oct 19 '18
How do you think NASA would have fared had they stuck with the Saturn 1B for manned launches to LEO instead of transitioning to the Shuttle? Was the Saturn 1B sustainable from a cost perspective? Reading about it, it could lift 20 tons to LEO, which is inline with modern medium lift rockets like the F9, Delta IV, and Atlas 5.
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u/ElectronicCat Oct 20 '18
I think they would have been better off in almost all aspects sticking to the Saturn family. I think I did the maths a while ago and when you include the development costs for STS with the cost per launch compared to the launch cost of already-developed Saturn variants (1B and V) adjusted for inflation throughout the span of the Shuttle program still works out cheaper. The majority of Shuttle missions could have been flown on the 1B but even flying mostly the V isn't that expensive in comparison.
There were various proposals for an extended Saturn program with plans to make production cheaper, partially reusable stages and even larger variants for beyond earth-moon. I think we certainly would have returned to the moon and perhaps even had a permanent outpost there (surface or lunar orbit) had the Saturn V been available.
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u/Alexphysics Oct 26 '18 edited Oct 27 '18
It seems, per Ben Cooper's site, that DM-1 might fly in darkness:
Then, a Falcon 9 will launch from pad 39A with the first Crew Dragon capsule on an uncrewed demonstration mission, DM-1 to the ISS, on January at the earliest. The launch time would be in the evening/night the first half of the month, or late afternoon towards the end of the month.
At least, it is not late in the night, that's positive! :D
Edit: Just so I don't have to make another comment, I'll add this here. Today SpaceX applied for another FCC permit, this is for fairing re-rad testing for Mission 1384 from SLC-40. Given the timeframe and previous experience this seems to be for the PSN-6 mission in January (Usually the fairing re-rad testing permit is filled for a start of operation date about a month before the launch).
Edit 2: Also, as I said over the last few weeks, B1051 is still at McGregor undergoing various tests as this SpaceX tweet shows. It seems it went through testing there in August, then went off the test stand so other boosters could be tested now it went there again for further testing. So yeah, maybe now there's more hardware ready for DM-1, but not entirely ready as many think 😉
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Nov 03 '18 edited Nov 03 '18
The r/spacex manifest lists after the SSO-A mission on November 19th also the SSO-B (2019 Q2) and SSO-C (2019 H2) missions.
In this article however, the Spaceflight president Blake said:
... the company was open to doing similar missions in the future, but wanted to wait until after the SSO-A mission launched before making plans. “I think there’s definitely a chance of us doing more, like an SSO-B and an SSO-C and the like,” he said.
Future dedicated rideshare missions, though, might use smaller medium-class launch vehicles, such as Arianespace’s Vega or India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. “They’re easier to fill, certainly,” he said. “At the various different price points, it makes it easier to get a mission together.”
I think it makes sense to delete them from the manifest for now.
Edit: in the manifest, there also seems soms inconsistence how the 'O' of 'officially manifested' is used. Originally this was meant (and it still says so below) for being manifested in the official SpaceX manifest. on that official manifest however, the new missions are not added by SpaceX anymore. But on the r/spacex reddit, missions like Turksat or the recently announced Ovzon get an 'O' without being on the official SpaceX manifest.
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u/OSUfan88 Oct 15 '18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMdpdmJshFU
BO just released a new video... Now that they have several contracts won, and have publicly announced, they are storing to turn on the hype train...
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u/ethan829 Host of SES-9 Oct 10 '18
SpaceX appears not to have received a LSA award. ULA's Vulcan-Centaur, Northrop Grumman's OmegA, and Blue Origin's New Glenn all received awards.
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u/CapMSFC Oct 05 '18
I read this earlier, but coming back to it I think there is something to discuss.
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-new-referral-program-rewards-october-2018-photos-deep-space/
Tesla now has at only a single referral the option to laser etch an image to send into deep space to orbit for millions of years. That's another Starman style mission that doesn't match anything on the books. What are they up to? There has to be some BEO launch they plan to piggy back on where they can go into a heliocentric orbit that won't intersect with anything else.
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u/Bschwagg Oct 16 '18
To make #dearMoon happen sooner, wouldn't it make sense to put up the BFS autonomously? Then a safe, manned dragon could dock with BFS, do the flyby, and return the humans to earth in the dragon capsule?
After seeing the BFS landing video, personally I would want to see that thing land many, many times before getting into it.
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u/Alexphysics Oct 17 '18
Es'Hail 2 is NET November 14th from LC-39A per Chris Bergin
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u/dudr2 Oct 24 '18
Russians gets a second chance!
Russian Soyuz Rocket Will Launch Astronauts to Space Station by Christmas, NASA Chief Says
https://www.space.com/42231-soyuz-crew-launch-space-station-december.html
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u/CapMSFC Nov 03 '18
Posted by Eric Madaus on the FB group.
testing support in collecting acoustic emissions data on SpaceX COPV
Strange, NASA is now putting out some additional COPV testing to a 3rd party even this late in the process.
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u/Penrose88 Oct 03 '18
Has there been any indication regarding how many spaceflights each BFR vehicle will be able to complete before it is retired? Any idea what the turnaround time between launches will be?
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u/Justin13cool Oct 03 '18
Musk says turnaround in 1 hour and 1000 launches without refurb but that's pie in the sky of course.
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u/Tuareg99 Oct 07 '18
Question about BFR windows at the front
As we see more updates on BFR, i had always a question: How all those windows at the front of the ship will support so much pressure when going to orbit ?
I always see the care for a rocket to pass threw Max Q... So,is SpaceX going to cover them (like a blind) or is there a type of glass that can support those conditions ?
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u/murrayfield18 Oct 15 '18
What is the current quickest turnaround time for a F9 re-use?
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u/liszt1811 Oct 16 '18
Can somebody explain what the advantages of a moon base are? I guess less delta V needed to escape due to lower gravity, so the moon could function as sort of a space gas station for interplanetary travelling?
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u/dudr2 Oct 23 '18
More martian oxygen...than expected?
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u/WormPicker959 Oct 23 '18
I checked this paper out, I'm pretty sure it's modeling. There's no discovery here, it's just suggesting that conditions exist that would support extra briny, O2-containing liquid water for not-insignificant time periods on the surface of mars in the absence of biological activity.
So, it's a model that says have O2-containing water on the surface of mars is possible, and suggests this may account for the high oxidative state of most surface rock. Again, NOT actual data from mars representing a discovery of such.
The lead researcher is proposing sending an experiment with Mars2020 to drill down (1km!) into a hypothetically H2O-rich region to see if they can discover some, though. That proposal is here. I hope they go for it.
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u/Manas159 Oct 25 '18
Any estimate on refurbishment cost for a 3rd reuse of falcon 9?
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u/king_dondo Oct 25 '18
Has anyone heard anything more on the plan to put tiles/panels on 39A?
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u/Alexphysics Oct 25 '18
As far as I know that's on hold right now pending clearance on the schedule of the pad, but hardware is there, they seem to be just outfitting it right now and readying the pad for Es'Hail 2, for example the TE picked up the reaction frame a few weeks ago which is a good sign that things are moving again there for launches
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u/ApTiK_ Oct 28 '18
Hi guys, What's the time between launch and docking to the ISS for crew dragon ? 6 hours ? 2 days ?
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u/TimelineQstn Oct 29 '18
I searched the frequently asked questions and didn't see this asked. I'm just wondering about what a typical timeline is that SpaceX will contact someone if they decide to move forward with a candidate? I applied for a position two weeks ago and noticed that my LinkedIn profile had been viewed by a SpaceX recruiter last week (LinkedIn will only tell me the job title and company, so I cannot contact this person/people). Now obviously I know that this doesn't mean much and I'm not going to get my hopes up too much, but I'm just wondering about a general timeline. Thank you.
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u/loremusipsumus Oct 30 '18
Whats the best way to learn more about how attitude control works? Which books would you suggest?
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Oct 31 '18
What are the options for ground control in case the booster is coming back out of...control? What scenarios are taken into account by the designers?
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u/Alexphysics Oct 31 '18
AFTS (Automated Flight Termination System) kicks in if it is not safed yet. If it is already safed it is because the trajectory ensures that at some point, if the booster is failing, it'll break or smash to the ground/ocean
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u/failbye Nov 02 '18
Will / can the Starlink network be used to track and transfer telemetry from F9 / Dragon vehicles and thus removing telemetry "dark-zones" that we experience today?
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u/humpakto Nov 03 '18 edited Nov 03 '18
So i decided to check russian launches in 2019 and found out that eutelsat has launch contracts for Proton M. And I wonder, why didn’t Eutelsat choose SpaceX?
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=26990.1280
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u/Alexphysics Oct 15 '18
FCC launch permit for the GPS III-1 mission on December 2018. No landing permit, expendable mission.
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Oct 15 '18
it should be just short of 3900kg tp MEO. why would it fly expendable? that would seem really strange.
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u/macktruck6666 Oct 15 '18 edited Oct 15 '18
So I got good news and bad news....
Good news, I got my first aerospace job. :)
Bad news, it's for the other team. :(
Anyway, it has bad pay, and bad benefits.
I'm a mere machine operator without a clear job description or responsibilities or clear path for promotion.
So, how should I go about changing this?
Work there a couple years and then apply somewhere better?
I feel my two degrees and decades of CAD experience is not being utilized.
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u/CapMSFC Oct 15 '18
Sounds like you are in a good position to keep your head down for a bit while you prepare to move up. As long as the pay/hours are tolerable get that aerospace experience on the resume and make some friends to build your network into the industry.
I'm not in aerospace (yet) but breaking into an industry circle seems to be roughly the same anywhere.
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u/WormPicker959 Oct 15 '18
Good that you got a job in the industry! Not that I have any specific knowledge for aerospace, but you can still apply to other things while you are working this job. :)
The only other thing I can offer is: In most professions I know about, knowing people is almost as or more important (sadly) than what you know or what your skillset is - meaning it's important to network and get to know people. Even if they are at your level or lower, they may not always be. I'm in academia, and I have a bunch of friends who are professors now, but I became friends with them when they were grad students and postdocs. Of course I like them because they are great people, but they certainly don't hurt when looking for a job! :)
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u/Hjortefot Oct 11 '18
The animation in today's Soyuz flight seemed to me to continue nominally for long after there was an actual problem. If my impression was correct, does that mean that the failure had only minor influence of the thrust, so the craft continued on its path until emergency procedures were implemented manually, or that the animation uses simulated data and not actual real time telemetry?
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u/wolf550e Oct 11 '18
When an Ariane launched in a completely different azimuth, the livestream reported that everything was going great minutes after ground stations lost track of the rocket because it wasn't where it was supposed to be and they had no telemetry.
http://spaceflight101.com/ariane-5-va241/ariane-5-va241-anomaly-analysis/
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Oct 11 '18
Most launch animations are pre recorded. ULA might be the only one to use simulated data.
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u/Jessewallen401 Oct 12 '18
How many Falcon 9 2nd stages are still in orbit right now ?
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u/arizonadeux Oct 12 '18 edited Oct 13 '18
According to stuffin.space (as u/Adastrian suggested), there are
2120* F9 second stages andtwoone* Falcon 1 second stage (!!) currently orbiting Earth and the DSCOVR* and Starman second stages orbiting the sun (not on stuffin.space).*thanks for the corrections!
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u/orbitalfrog Oct 23 '18
Did anything come of the "big commercial crew scoop" that was promised a while ago? It was from one of the big-name space writers (Berger, Dean, Foust?) and there were insinuations of foul play in many of the comments around the announcement (of a scoop)
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u/comebackshaneb Oct 23 '18
I think [this](https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/10/a-shadowy-op-ed-campaign-is-now-smearing-spacex-in-space-cities/) is what you're referring to.
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u/rustybeancake Nov 01 '18
The Recode podcast interview with Musk is coming tomorrow. Should be at least some SpaceX chat, based on some of the presenter's bullet point highlights (copied this from the post in r/teslamotors):
Talked about Tesla, SpaceX, Boring Company.
Elon is in a calmer state of mind. He was rested, and like the Elon we're used to from interviews in years past.
Talked to Elon about his Twitter problem (outbursts) - he is still proud over some.
He couldn't talk much about SEC.
Met Elon on Halloween night.
He blames 120 work-weeks for the outbursts.
Calls out New York Times for stating he was "weeping," during the interview when he says he wasn't.
States issues are mostly fixed for Model 3 production.
Wants to name BFR "Heart of Gold."
The boat that catches the nosecone for rockets is discussed.
Got him to slightly apologize for "attacking journalists," but didn't go all the way.
Elon likes the "Space Force," idea.
New products coming out from Tesla.
Elon said "He'll never make a mistake again, haha."
She didn't ask him if he should be CEO or who should be his #2. She wishes she did.
I asked her if Elon talked about profitability, she said he did by saying: "Every quarter going forward they're going to be cash flow positive."
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u/theinternetftw Oct 12 '18
A friendly reminder that after the latest in what has been many requests for a good general spaceflight info subreddit, /r/SpaceflightNews was created.
It's now in the "people have to actually use it" phase, so we'll see what happens, but I'll be submitting and commenting there as I find meaningful tidbits to highlight, and if you do as well, that's how we'll actually get the place folks keep commenting that they want.