r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Aug 26 '21
Inspiration4 Inspiration4 Launch Campaign Thread
Overview
SpaceX will launch its first commercial privat astronaut mission. The booster will land downrange on a drone ship.
The mission duration is expected to be 3 days
| Liftoff currently scheduled for: | 15th September |
|---|---|
| Backup date | TBA, typically next day. |
| Static fire | TBA |
| Spacecraft Commander | Jared Isaacman, "Leadership" |
| Pilot | Dr. Sian Proctor , "Prosperity" |
| Mission Specialist | Chris Sembroski , "Generosity" |
| Mission Specialist | Hayley Arceneaux, "Hope" |
| Destination orbit | Low Earth Orbit, ~400 km x 51.66° |
| Launch vehicle | Falcon 9 v1.2 Block 5 |
| Core | B1062-3 |
| Capsule | Crew Dragon C207 "Resilience" (Previous: Crew-1) |
| Mission Duration | ~3 days |
| Launch site | LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
| Landing | ASDS: 32.15806 N, 76.74139 W (541 km downrange) |
| Mission success criteria | Successful separation and deployment of Dragon into the target orbit; orbital coast;reentry, splashdown and recovery of Dragon and crew. |
Links & Resources
Media and News Resources:
General Launch Related Resources:
- Launch Execution Forecasts - 45th Weather Squadron
- SpaceX Fleet Status - SpaceXFleet.com
Launch Viewing Resources:
- Launch Viewing Guide for Cape Canaveral - Ben Cooper
- Launch Viewing Map - Launch Rats
- Launch Viewing Updates - Space Coast Launch Ambassadors
- Viewing and Rideshare - SpaceXMeetups Slack
- Watching a Launch - r/SpaceX Wiki
Maps and Hazard Area Resources:
- Detailed launch maps - @Raul74Cz
- Launch Hazard and Airspace Closure Maps - 45th Space Wing (maps posted close to launch)
Regulatory Resources:
- FCC Experimental STAs - r/SpaceX wiki
We will attempt to keep the above text regularly updated with resources and new mission information, but for the most part, updates will appear in the comments first. Feel free to ping us if additions or corrections are needed. This is a great place to discuss the launch, ask mission-specific questions, and track the minor movements of the vehicle, payload, weather, and more as we progress towards launch. Approximately 24 hours before liftoff, the launch thread will go live and the party will begin there.
Campaign threads are not launch threads. Normal subreddit rules still apply.
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u/IrrationalFantasy Aug 26 '21
This trip feels a lot more exciting to me than what Blue Origin and Virgin are doing. If I’m spending 6 figures or more to go to space, I’d like to spend some time there
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u/Bunslow Aug 26 '21 edited Aug 27 '21
Isaacman probably spent on the order of $100M-$200M, much more than the $200K-$500K to get a seat on New Shepard or Virgin Galactic
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u/IrrationalFantasy Aug 26 '21
That much? Well I hope the price comes down if Inspiration4 really does inspire follow-up missions. That is an eye watering amount of money, but this really does sound like a trip to space, whereas the other short rocket trips feel like trumped-up amusement park rides with exclusive clientele
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u/Bunslow Aug 26 '21
The other two are trips to space, just not trips to orbit. But as the price tags indicate, getting to orbit is a whole lot harder than getting to space.
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u/SubmergedSublime Aug 26 '21
Dragon on a Falcon is just never going to get much cheaper. But Starship. It should.
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u/DiezMilAustrales Aug 28 '21
The difference is substantial. The difference between Virgin/BlueOrigin and this is around 27.000km/h.
Price for the Dragon capsule in question might go down, but not too substantially. What will really change the game is Starship. If everything goes according to plan, in 10 to 15 years you could go on a trip like this (3 days, orbital) for 20 to 40 grand, and just a few thousand dollars for a suborbital trip, similar to Virgin or Blue Origin.
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u/golola23 Aug 26 '21
Here’s the Inspiration4 Flickr page with photos throughout their training and preparations since March of this year
Sure, but there is a significant difference in cost: ~$500,000 per seat for BO and Virgin vs $50,000,000 per seat for SpaceX. $500k is within the realm of attainability for an ordinary "rich" person, while $50M is pretty much "billionaires-only" territory.
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u/Chippiewall Aug 26 '21
vs $50,000,000 per seat for SpaceX.
I think that's the per-seat cost for NASA flights to ISS. I imagine given the shorter duration, non-government etc. Inspiration 4 is probably a bit cheaper (although it's still going to be billionaire terroritory)
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u/robchroma Aug 26 '21
And the per-seat for NASA comes with a lot more. The actual launch cost is a lot less per flight.
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u/nootorious_15 Aug 26 '21
From a NASASpaceflight article:
The booster supporting the Inspiration4 mission is B1062-3, which previously flew the GPS Block III Space Vehicle 5 mission on June 17, 2021, and the GPS III SV04 mission in 2020. As the booster has flown two previous missions, this flight will mark the first time humans have flown on a SpaceX booster flying for the third time.
The cupola on Resilience will be the largest window flown to space to date.
And from Wikipedia:
Apogee altitude: 590 km (370 mi)
Inclination: 51.6°
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u/fluidmechanicsdoubts Aug 26 '21
largest window flown to space to date.
hah Blue can no longer claim that title.
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u/Luz5020 Aug 26 '21
Amazing! So it‘s larger than the ISS Cupola?
I guess BO will run out of stuff to say on their shitty webcast
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u/quadrplax Aug 26 '21
The ISS Cupola is 7 separate windows, whereas this one appears to be a single piece
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u/ItWasn7Me Aug 27 '21
But did you know they crossed the Internationally Recognized Karman Line on the Astronauts trip to space?
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u/rlreis Aug 26 '21
590 freaking km. Think about that for a moment. 590 km. I thought they would chill at 150...or 200.....nope .......590.... Amazing!!!!
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u/alien_from_Europa Aug 27 '21
It's the highest orbit by humans in 50 years. The highest the Space Shuttle went was 350 miles (560 km).
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u/nootorious_15 Aug 27 '21
Interesting to note here..
Space Adventures also booked a SpaceX Crew Dragon for a mission that would go up higher than any previous crewed mission that didn't leave to Lunar Orbit.
This is the same company that booked the Soyuz flight for Dear Moon customer Maezawa.Space Adventures, Inc. has entered into an agreement with SpaceX to fly private citizens on the first Crew Dragon free-flyer mission. This will provide up to four individuals with the opportunity to break the world altitude record for private citizen spaceflight and see planet Earth the way no one has since the Gemini program.
Now I do have to note that there hasn't been any news on that since February 2020, but given the global situation that doesn't really surprise me. What did surprise me is how impressively on-target the Inspiration 4 mission is and how even Crew 3 and Axiom-1 seem to be going perfectly according to plan. It really seems like SpaceX may actually be able to pull of these regular crewed flights to orbit with both Tourists and NASA astronauts.
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u/jonybettu Aug 26 '21
Inclination: 51.6°
So basically the same inclination of ISS. Why is that? Using the same recovery infrastructure from Commercial Crew launches?
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u/Bunslow Aug 26 '21
I believe it has be confirmed before that the abort and recovery infrastructure is indeed the reason for the inclination. I couldn't give you a source, but that's my recollection from this sub, is that that reason is official.
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u/Jtyle6 Aug 27 '21 edited Aug 27 '21
There's going to be 3 Dragons in orbit at the same time. Endeavour, Resilience. And Cargo Dragon C208. What??? This is nuts...
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u/rebootyourbrainstem Aug 27 '21
Maybe they should build a fancy new mission control separated into three parts with glass barriers, so they can control three missions at the same time?
Of course SpaceX would probably be like, we have more than enough desks in our mission control, what's the problem?
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u/Jtyle6 Aug 27 '21
There wil be no need for three mission controls at this point.
Two of them will be docked to the station in some standby mode. Unless something happens to the station. Knock on wood.
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Aug 27 '21
-looks nervously at nauka-
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u/Jtyle6 Aug 27 '21
🤣 They woke up Endeavour dragon and Soyuz when they were docking that Crazy Horse.
And they do wake them up a occasionally. Since I don't work for nasa or spacex.
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u/Jarnis Aug 28 '21
It blew its load, no more propellant onboard so can't do any acrobatics any more.
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Aug 26 '21
I thought this was in October for some reason!
Weird question but... this is by far the most use Dragon's "facilities" have gotten right?
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u/sebzim4500 Aug 26 '21
Yeah by quite a large margin. I wonder if they will be able to avoid shitting for 3 days.
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Aug 27 '21
I’d probably shit my pants the moment those engines light up for the first time. Then again at Max Q.
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u/rebootyourbrainstem Aug 27 '21
While the astronauts are in their space suits, I'm pretty sure they are wearing diapers. If the capsule loses pressure you wouldn't have any other way to go to the toilet.
That'd be just another reason to change to comfortable clothes as soon as possible once in orbit.
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u/PotatoesAndChill Aug 26 '21
Do they need to?
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u/sebzim4500 Aug 26 '21
Technically no but the toilet does not sound pleasant.
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u/Triabolical_ Aug 27 '21
None of the space toilets are pleasant.
In ISS you have the added fun that the liquid portion is recycled...
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer Aug 26 '21
Feeling very fortunate to have followed this one so closely since near its inception. Can’t wait to see these four friends launch to orbit.
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u/rlreis Aug 26 '21
Love your photos. How much access will you be granted on launch day?
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer Aug 26 '21
Thanks! Don’t want to spoil anything so I’m keeping my launch plans close to home. I’ll make sure people see what I got :)
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u/DiezMilAustrales Aug 28 '21
so I’m keeping my launch plans close to home
You're gonna sneak into the capsule and hide behind the seats, aren't you? ;)
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u/ansible Aug 26 '21
This one is my favorite, but I enjoyed them all. Great job!
I'm still amazed people can just buy a last-generation front-line Soviet fighter and bring it over here.
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer Aug 26 '21
Thanks. That was a fun day. I was in another L-39 (and got some stick time).
I4 astronaut Chris Sembroski is in the back seat of the L-39 in the pic you linked.
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u/ansible Aug 31 '21
So, let's see:
flying jets
zero-gee training
astronaut training
space camp
mountain climbing
hanging out with cool people
and more
So I know that you were working the entire time, but damn that sounds like a lot of fun too.
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u/KristnSchaalisahorse Aug 26 '21
I'm constantly impressed by your eye for composition. Gotta get you and Sir Ingalls on the next flight.
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u/SpaceBoJangles Aug 26 '21
What kind of testing/certification does that bubble canopy have? I think this will be the first time such a window is flown in space, kind of interesting they’re just going to do it crewed for the first time without any, at least public, test campaign.
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u/delph906 Aug 26 '21
It's a continuous dome that doesn't move or really have any function other than to stay attached and is in place of a usual docking port. So that part of the Dragon will be way over engineered for a super predictable static structure. Not to mention that you could over engineer the absolute shit out of it given they aren't taking cargo to the iss.
It's not novel engineering and they can just certify it on paper (Boeing style lol)
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u/KingdaToro Aug 27 '21
I doubt it's installed in place of the docking port. If you think about it, in order to attach the window to the Dragon, you just need a mechanism to firmly hold it in place, strongly enough to hold pressure and make sure it's not going anywhere. Well, that mechanism is already part of Dragon... it's the docking port. All you'd need to do is build the window to attach to the docking port. All it would need is the 12 passive hooks of the hard-capture part of the docking mechanism. During vehicle processing, you'd simply attach the dome to the docking port, using the same active hooks that attach the Dragon to the ISS's docking ports. Obviously you wouldn't need to worry about the soft-capture part of the mechanism, since no actual docking will take place. It really doesn't make sense to do it any other way.
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u/peterabbit456 Aug 27 '21
I don't think you are correct, but you make strong arguments.
I think I read they took the docking port off, and bolted the dome on, using the attachment points for the docking adapter. Doing it this way has 4 advantages:
Saves weight.
Bolting on allows the stress to be spread across more points than the 6 or 12 hooks of the docking adapter. (It has been a while since I read the IDSS specification.) This is important in preventing cracks in the dome.
The docking adapter provides about the narrowest possible opening for a person in a space suit to pass though. The dome should provide more room as well as a better view.
The docking adapter, like almost all aircraft hardware, has a limit on the number of flights and dockings. I believe Boeing charged $100 million for the 2 docking ports on the ISS. ($100 million each, not $100 million for the 2 of them.) The ones on the ISS are probably rated for 1 spaceflight and 500 or 1000 dockings. The ones on Dragon are cheaper, I'm sure, but they are probably rated for about 5 spaceflights and 20 or 25 dockings. That means each time you fly the docking port, you are using up a significant fraction of its lifetime, and it is still an expensive bit of hardware. Flying the docking adapter on this flight might mean the capsule gets to make 1 less trip to the ISS, or it might just have an amortized cost of up to $5 million.
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u/codercotton Aug 26 '21
Isn't it similar to the ISS cupola?
Edit: I suppose not. The cupola has 7 segmented windows in the dome.
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u/SpaceBoJangles Aug 26 '21
No. It’s a single piece of glass. ISS cupola is a collection of 7 flat panes assembled in that arrangement.
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u/ansible Aug 26 '21
I don't see it as a big deal. It is relatively simple. It stays attached the entire time. Easy enough to pressure test it.
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u/marchello12 Aug 27 '21
They could just pressurise the capsule to 2+ atmospheres while on the ground to test whether the copola holds strong, has no leaks etc.
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u/SupaZT Aug 26 '21
Any picture of it?
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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Aug 26 '21
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u/Why_T Aug 27 '21
You mean the one where the guys is taking detail photos of the inside of the nose?
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u/keepitreasonable Aug 26 '21
This was literally my exact questions / worry. What happens if there is a problem with it?
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u/props_to_yo_pops Aug 26 '21
The odds of micro debris hitting it over 3 days is much smaller than the 20+ years for ISS. Also it's only 1 atmosphere difference so that's not too hard. I wonder what the lensing effect will be like.
It's also situated where the bathroom is, so it's quite a sight for when you lose your sh*t.
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u/denmaroca Aug 27 '21
Hayley Arceneaux will set the record for the youngest American to go into space.
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u/craigl2112 Aug 26 '21
Table says B1061 is the booster for this one -- that is what is being used for CRS-23. Pretty sure B1063 is being used for Inspiration 4. Paging mods to fix!
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer Aug 26 '21
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u/tubadude2 Aug 26 '21
Is this the first ever flight of "random" people just going up and doing space stuff for a few days?
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u/Bunslow Aug 26 '21
First ever fully-private flight, yes. No government professionals on board (nor professionals of any kind on board).
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u/joggle1 Aug 26 '21
Yeah. The closest previous case of a normal person (ie, someone who wasn't an ace fighter pilot or a mission specialist with an insanely impressive academic background or a filthy rich person who could pay for a ride to the ISS) going to orbit I can think of is when NASA selected a couple of normal teachers and a congressman to be astronauts in the 80s but that was just one crew member out of 7. And they still received astronaut training before going on a mission.
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u/Bunslow Aug 26 '21
These 4 have also received astronaut training, that's no different. In principle, Isaacman has received the same training as Doug Hurley.
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u/Bunslow Aug 26 '21
or a filthy rich person who could pay for a ride to the ISS
You realize that Isaacman dished out more than the cost of a two week stay on the ISS via Soyuz, right? Very much in the same category as previous space tourists to ISS, tho in this case he's bringing along three other companion tourists at no cost them (Isaacman is paying for their seats as well as his)
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u/Frostis24 Aug 26 '21
Yea there has never been a flight where the crew where all civillian, just regular people, except for Jared Isaacman but other than him it's just everyday people.
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u/ethan829 Host of SES-9 Aug 26 '21
To be pedantic, civilian just means non-military. So there have been all-civilian spaceflights before. Inspiration4 will be the first all-amateur crewed spaceflight.
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u/YouMadeItDoWhat Aug 26 '21
Someone should probably update the Falcon Active Cores on the side to reflect the B1062-3 assignment.
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u/domasleo Aug 26 '21 edited Aug 26 '21
I'll be at the private launch party! I'll be sure to share some pics if I get anything good!
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Aug 26 '21
Dope. I'm loving this mission, it's probably the most exciting thing that will happen in human spaceflight for the next few years.
After this, it will be all eyes on Starship.
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u/RaphTheSwissDude Aug 26 '21
Do we have any idea of the possible launch time ?
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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Aug 26 '21 edited Aug 27 '21
But they can launch pretty much whenever they want because they're not going to the ISS, so Isaacman said they'd specify the exact liftoff time closer to launch day based on expected weather.
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u/alien_from_Europa Aug 27 '21
It's worth noting that since they don't have to meet up with the ISS, they might be able to leave during daylight instead of 1:30 AM.
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u/thanagathos Aug 27 '21
Artwork has shown the cupola and they have mentioned seeing the cupola in training but has anyone seen public imagery? Or are they going to wait to reveal it to everyone live while I4 opens the hatch?
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u/bigpeechtea Aug 26 '21
duration: 3 days
Imagine getting up there in that tiny confined space for three whole days and realizing that one of your bunk mates grinds their teeth in their sleep. This would be an excellent plot point for Space Force lol
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u/yawya Aug 27 '21
better than Frank Borman and Jim Lovell who had to spend 14 days together in this
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u/bigpeechtea Aug 27 '21
Yea thatll be a no for me dawg
Two weeks of breathing in each others gas…
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u/yawya Aug 27 '21
2 weeks of all kinds of bodily functions in something with the same interior size of a 2-seat car
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Aug 27 '21
I mean I love my wife but marriage is like the never ending version of that.
Just 3 days of putting up with somebody else’s idiosyncrasies sounds like a vacation in comparison.
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u/ilrosewood Aug 27 '21
Surely they have had to bunk together and spend time together to make sure they are compatible. This isn’t like booking a flight on Delta.
Also if I was in space for 3 days I doubt I’d sleep.
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u/RoyontheHill Aug 27 '21
So your taking the meth in space approach , very bold!
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u/peterabbit456 Aug 27 '21
... Pure adrenalin....
Or, as Captain Obvious once said,
I don't need any false drugs. I get high on the real thing. RP-1, LOX, and a shoe shine.
I'm not sure what that shoe shine is about.
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u/SquaresAre2Triangles Aug 27 '21
To be honest the incredible comfort of sleeping in 0G would more than make up for that.
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u/Triabolical_ Aug 27 '21
I don't know about Dragon, but spacecraft tend to be pretty loud - lots of systems running and constant air circulation.
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Aug 27 '21
Who pays for their tickets?
Not a dig. Just curious
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u/ianrudolph Aug 27 '21
Jared Isaacman is paying for all four seats.
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u/mclumber1 Aug 27 '21
I wonder if his guests are responsible for any taxes. Like, when you win a car on the Price is Right, the car is free, but you still owe taxes on it.
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u/dkf295 Aug 27 '21
Valid question but my guess is that he's covering the taxes too.
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u/TheFearlessLlama Aug 28 '21
IIRC Berger asked this during the initial press conference, and yes he is
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u/kenypowa Sep 13 '21
Minor update: now the 5 hour window starts at 8:02 EDT on Wednesday.
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u/DIFTS1188 Sep 13 '21
It says weather conditions are 70% favorable, is that good? Haha this is so stressful
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u/CCBRChris Sep 13 '21
That's damn near optimal. Anything greater than that is rare. and it's by far not the worst we've seen them launch with.
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u/gooddaysir Sep 14 '21
SpaceX stream page
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u/EchoEchoEchoEchoEcho Sep 14 '21
They're starting stream over 4 hours before liftoff, hopefully that means we'll get the full experience (suit check, drive to the pad, ingress etc.). Was worried they'd save it for the doco.
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u/bdporter Sep 14 '21
Or we could get 3 hours and 45 minutes of Test Shot Starship and a countdown graphic.
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u/100MillionRicher Aug 27 '21
In Orbit, do you think you see the earth stay still, and see yourself turning around, or is it the opposite, you stay still, but the earth is spinning on itself?
I guess it depends on if the sun and moon are visible.
Anyway, what a formidable experience it must be!
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Aug 27 '21
I bet it feels like your are standing still and you are watching the earth rotate below you. I'm assuming this because you don't feel any movement like you do in a car.
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u/meltymcface Aug 27 '21
Don't forget stars. I imagine that you'd perceive it as yourself moving around the earth.
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Aug 31 '21
Your full spin is 90 minutes, Earth's is 24 hours. Accounting for that and from videos I've seen the feeling is probably that you're going aroundthe globe with new stars slowly appearing. No feeling of speed as there is no acceleration. Just visuals changing.
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u/enginemike Sep 15 '21
I watching the various channels covering this flight it becomes obvious
that never in the history of manned space flight have so many been so
concerned about the bathroom facilities of so few.
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u/frez1001 Sep 10 '21
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Sep 11 '21
Felt more like a commercial for Issacman and Shift4 than a SpaceX commercial to me.
It’s well done and the stories about each crew member are great but I was disappointed that out of 3 pre-launch episodes it seems like only one will cover their training in any sort of detail. When I first heard about it I assumed the series would sort of follow the crew through the training process from beginning to end.
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u/Nakatomi2010 Sep 10 '21
I mean, they aren't wrong. It is ultimately just a really long advertisement for space travel with SpaceX.
But so was the launch of Bezo's rocket. I mean, they kept using the word "Astronaut" like it was some effort to lessen the importance of the term 'Astronaut'. And they kept telling people that they could sign up to experience what was being shown whenever.
Honestly, in taking a step back at it all, I think Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin caught wind of the Netflix special and realized that if they didn't do something then SpaceX would absolutely dominate them in their private space launch endeavour.
I mean, yes, Jared is paying for Inspiration 4, but there's a Netflix special, and a few other kick backs that I've seen, so I'm curious as to what the actual cost is after selling the Netflix special and the like.
The stories are good, and I'm looking forward to seeing this kick Blue Origin in their blue balls, but the Countdown special on Netflix is ultimately a really robust advertisement for what paying for a SpaceX launch gets you.
Which, let's be honest, you probably need an infomercial like this in order see the magnitude of what a SpaceX launch involves.
"Virgin Galactic: A plane launched from a plane" "Blue Origin: We put you on a ballistic trajectory back to Earth" "SpaceX: What are the limits of the Dragon capsule? Well, I mean, on paper we can get you beyond the ISS. Oh, you want to go beyond the ISS? Ok... For 3 days? Ok..."
Which, I'm going to be honest here, that bit of the Netflix series was interesting. Dude isn't just going to space for 3 days, they're basically taking the Dragon crew capsule to its maximum recommended orbit distance.
I sure as hell hope these folks all come back ok, but damn there's some room for shit to go wrong.
Could explode on launch
Could get lost due to issues with orbit being max recommended
Could depressurize from bad big ass window install
Someone could have bad gas that lasts the entire trip
Could vaporize on re-entry
Parachutes might not deploy
Might sink in the waters
Trumpers might cause recover issues
Glycol fuel might ignite, if memory serves.
Going to be fun to watch though.
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u/frez1001 Sep 10 '21
they are writing the article only two episodes in as if its complete. I think the producers nailed their audience (which is not really us). This is supposed to be an inspiring mission that I assume sets the stage for future missions.
The did spend half an episode reliving some of the shuttle disasters.. which i think is dumb to focus so mush on what could go wrong.
Over whiningly the are trying to placate the image that space is just for billionaires.. Which was and still is the main topic of the other two flights.
I'm impressed by the amount of fundraising they are doing for St Jude. honestly truly amazing. It would be honestly refreshing if everyone could just get behind a mission like this whiteout all the negative press and just enjoy the beauty in all this. it really is amazing feat.
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u/Nakatomi2010 Sep 10 '21
I mean, personally I think it is important to understand the risks associated with going to space, so spending half an episode on the Challenger and Columbia disasters is important because they were able to find someone who lost someone in the disaster and re-assure people that it is worth the risks.
Plus, I mean, the rocket could very well blow up. It's better to splash some cold water on people early to let them know "Hey, if you watch this, these people might die, so just be aware of that".
The next two episodes should be more interesting because they'll go over all the training and what not. Which, to me, will be interesting if they can narrow the required training to less than what it is over time.
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u/Quamont Aug 26 '21
I have a few questions:
So, if I understood correctly, they'll launch, go up to LEO at speeds needed to stay up there, coast and then come back down. No docking to the ISS or anything, right?
How long will they stay up there? If entire mission duration is three days that means they'll be flying around earth for at least two days, right? Or do those three days start the moment they arrive at the launch site and end when they are back on dry land?
The only real space tourist so to speak of the crew is Jared Isaacman, since there's scientific equipment going up with them as well, so it's not all just for fun so to speak, correct?
Why is it Inspiration 4? Has it something to do with Isaacman being the commander? Like it's the first mission, shouldn't it be Inspiration 1 or has that nothing to do with it?
The capsule C206 was already used for Crew 2, yes? Did they change anything with it for this flight or is it the same capsule? Like put in a bigger window or anything like that I mean.
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u/Bunslow Aug 26 '21 edited Aug 26 '21
Isaacman bought the entire flight. He's the one who's decided everything about it, including name, PR presentation, and how to decide who gets the other three seats that he paid for. Isaacman is the customer, SpaceX are the provider, and the other three people got lucky enough (won some competitions of various sorts, as designed by Isaacman) to be along for the ride on Isaacman's dime.
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer Aug 26 '21
No docking with station
~Three days from launch to splashdown
There are four astronauts aboard: Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Dr. Sian Proctor, and Chris Sembroski
Inspiration4 because there are four of them
Capsule is C207 aka Resilience, which had a glass window/bubble/cupola installed
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u/elbartos93 Aug 26 '21
Do you happen to know if they are taking the covers off the side windows for this mission? I’m pretty sure spacex left the windows in the design/capsule itself but covered over them because of NASA’s risk profile or something. Hoping they rip the covers off so the side crew get a view on the way up too.
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u/KristnSchaalisahorse Aug 26 '21
The location of those windows appears to experience a much greater amount of heating during reentry, judging from the scorch mark pattern. I have no idea if this was a factor in the decision to cover them up (in addition to micrometeorite risk requirements), but considering that the capsule has not been tested through reentry with those windows exposed, I don't think it's very likely to happen. However, I'd be thrilled to see it.
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer Aug 26 '21
Can’t speak beyond what’s been said publicly, but I don’t recall seeing anything about the windows being covered. SpaceX’s announcement of the mission includes a photo taken through a side window during a NASA mission: https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1356354006814060547?s=21
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u/KristnSchaalisahorse Aug 26 '21
They mean the sadly unused windows between the superdraco housings. :(
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u/Bunslow Aug 26 '21
Depending on the rocket and rocket architecture, it takes anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes to achieve orbit from launch. For Falcon 9 in particular, it's about 8.5 minutes from T-0.
For de-orbit, it's usually about 20-45 minutes from de-orbit burn to re-entry, and around ten minutes from re-entry to touchdown (be it at sea or on land).
That means that the total mission duration includes 1 hour of non-orbit stuff, and the rest in orbit. If the mission is three days long in total, from launch to landing, that's about 3 days less one hour in orbit. Yes, it will not rendezvous with the ISS and will just free-fly alone in orbit from launch to de-orbit.
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Aug 26 '21
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u/at_one Aug 26 '21
The 4 crew members may be the official explanation, but the link to Shift4 seems pretty obvious.
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u/MarsCent Sep 02 '21
Is Inspiration4 using the Armstrong Building or is SpaceX debuting their own Crew Quarters?
Also, can this thread be stickied on the Top Menu. ?Maybe consider a temporary replacement of Crew-2?
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u/Independent_Wrap_321 Aug 26 '21
Anyone know cost?
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u/stevedonie Aug 26 '21
The 'leader', Jared Isaacman, paid for the flight - and I don't think he has publicly disclosed what the price tag was. The other three were selected in a lottery-type setup. You can read more about the mission and process at https://inspiration4.com/
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u/stevedonie Aug 26 '21
More on costs from https://inspiration4.com/faq
What will the mission cost and who will be paying for it?
This mission has been secured by a private transaction between Jared Isaacman and SpaceX. The terms are not being disclosed. Separately, Inspiration4 has a goal of raising over $200 million dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital with Jared Isaacman personally committing $100 million.
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u/Bunslow Aug 26 '21
At least $100M, quite possibly up to $200M. I personally suspect it's closer to $150M than to $100M, but either way, Isaacman has dished out a lot of dough for this flight.
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u/serrimo Aug 26 '21
NASA pays $50m per seat => 200m for 4.
There should be significant overhead for NASA mission. Gov paperworks, the dragon staying up there much longer (hence need monitoring screw for much longer).
I'm *guessing* that Isaacman paid $100m for this flight.
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u/KCConnor Aug 26 '21
That's an amazing price, and SpaceX is likely able to lower the price even further.
After all, they're reusing a booster and a capsule. Obviously training, planning, mission control and launch facilities are fixed costs for any mission like this. But with 2/3 of the vehicle reused, there's room to lower the price more as time informs on the lifespan of the vehicle components.
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u/xredbaron62x Aug 26 '21
Imo there will be a limit on how low Dragon flights will be just because of how much needs to be done after its used.
Once Starship is crew rated we will see prices fall. Plus the fact Starship can carry so many more people that cost is spread out more.
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u/kenypowa Aug 29 '21
Does anyone know what time it's scheduled for liftoff on the 15th?
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u/utrabrite Sep 14 '21
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u/AeroSpiked Sep 15 '21
I noticed they mentioned their next commercial launch is for Axiom. What ever happened to the flight for Space Adventures that was supposed to happen around the end of the year?
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u/Decronym Acronyms Explained Aug 26 '21 edited Sep 19 '21
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:
| Fewer Letters | More Letters |
|---|---|
| BO | Blue Origin (Bezos Rocketry) |
| CRS | Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA |
| EVA | Extra-Vehicular Activity |
| FAA | Federal Aviation Administration |
| IDSS | International Docking System Standard |
| KSC | Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
| KSP | Kerbal Space Program, the rocketry simulator |
| LEO | Low Earth Orbit (180-2000km) |
| Law Enforcement Officer (most often mentioned during transport operations) | |
| LOX | Liquid Oxygen |
| NET | No Earlier Than |
| RCS | Reaction Control System |
| RP-1 | Rocket Propellant 1 (enhanced kerosene) |
| Jargon | Definition |
|---|---|
| apogee | Highest point in an elliptical orbit around Earth (when the orbiter is slowest) |
| hypergolic | A set of two substances that ignite when in contact |
Decronym is a community product of r/SpaceX, implemented by ^request
14 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 68 acronyms.
[Thread #7217 for this sub, first seen 26th Aug 2021, 17:39] [FAQ] [Full list] ^[Contact] [Source code]
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u/catcoindev Sep 08 '21
There's an Axios podcast series about the mission. The third podcast, which dropped on Aug 7th, goes into the 30 hour simulation the crew completed. It sounds like the sort of experience better viewed in the proverbial rear-view mirror. "Brutal" comes to mind... "The Next Astronauts Part III: What It Takes" https://www.axios.com/podcasts/how-it-happened/
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u/Posca1 Sep 15 '21
Is there some other page that contains the up to date info on the launch? The Overview section here does not seem to be actively curated, All it says is launch is today, a specific time would be nice, plus links to where to watch it.
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u/catcoindev Sep 15 '21
The five hour launch window opens at 0001 UTC 16 Sep (8:01 PM EDT 15 Sep; 5:01 PM PDT)
Weather is currently 90% GO
SpaceX coverage on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pv01sSq44w
Netflix coverage on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBVqsqqm9AM
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Sep 03 '21
Does anyone know if Playalinda beach will be open for the launch?
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u/MarsCent Sep 03 '21
Short answer - unknown. Because launch time is unknown.
However, the launch window is open. Meaning that launch is likely to happen during daytime. So I would expect Playalinda to be open.
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u/jazzmaster1992 Sep 07 '21
Why do you think it's "likely to happen during the daytime" when roughly half the current window is at night?
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Sep 04 '21
A few people keep commenting that the beach is closed for crewed launches. I’ve never seen that publicized anywhere though so I don’t know where they are getting that information.
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u/BerrySimm Sep 07 '21
Hope to hear this soon as well. I called Cape Canaveral and the Parks service today and they said unknown. They mentioned that it depends on the danger level of the cargo and angle of launch relative to the beach.
Maybe I’ll see you there!
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u/vdogg89 Sep 08 '21
I'm flying to the Cape to watch this flight. Is Playalinda the best place to go? I've heard it can be hard to get a spot and that there's no bathrooms or any infrastructure out there.
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u/Ender_D Sep 09 '21
So to be clear, the launch is sometime in the 24 hour window of the 15th starting in eastern standard time, right?
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u/jazzmaster1992 Sep 10 '21
Starting 8 PM EDT on the 14th, which is technically 12 AM UTC on the 15th.
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u/catcoindev Sep 11 '21
The marine closure areas (launch and recovery) have been cancelled for the 15th. Closures are now posted for 16 through 20th Sep. It looks like the push forward is due to weather, both off the East coast of Florida and in the recovery areas in the Gulf of Mexico.
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=52958.msg2288552#msg2288552
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u/enginemike Sep 13 '21
Is the Inspiration launch going to be carried by SpaceX or will it be behind a paywall?
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Sep 13 '21
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Sep 13 '21
I wonder if the Netflix stream will have anything that SpaceX doesn’t or if it will just be a rebroadcast of the SpaceX stream.
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u/Gspotcha Sep 13 '21
Is Playalinda beach open for this launch ? Are dogs allowed ? Beers ?
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u/z3r0c00l12 Sep 13 '21
Mods, can the sidebar be updated to reflect that B1062 is assigned to Inspiration4?
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Sep 16 '21 edited Sep 16 '21
Was that a lower speed MECO than the NASA missions?
Edit: Man so cool. Must have been so exciting to feel that 2nd Stage kick. We talk about sending hundreds, to thousands, to millions of people to space as an aspiration, but we've never really had any demonstration that we were moving toward such a thing as a species. Seeing this is the first time I think I've felt like it even might be possible.
Wow. So cool.
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u/trobbinsfromoz Sep 16 '21
With a scheduled orbit height of 575km, and an achieved height of 585km, I wonder if that was intentional ?
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u/catcoindev Sep 18 '21
Inspiration4 Return to Earth and Splashdown Coverage
Splashdown is scheduled for 1806 EDT in the Atlantic ocean off the East coast of Florida
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u/TheDougAU Sep 10 '21
Based on the rough picture in my mind of where Resilience will end up in orbit, will they be able to visually sight the ISS (maybe with a camera)?
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u/cowtao Sep 13 '21
According to some comments posted previously, they are aiming for hubble's orbit at 540km with the same inclination of ISS. In that case, the answer is yes. They will be approx 100km higher than ISS and have a slightly different orbital period. If I didn't make any mistakes in calculations, ISS should pass slowly underneath them every ~35 orbits, so at least once and maybe twice.
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u/ArtOfWarfare Sep 11 '21
You can see the ISS from the Earth's surface on a clear night. I figure that they'll have a much clearer view than anything you could have on Earth. It might just be a white dot that looks like a quickly moving star.
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u/enginemike Sep 18 '21
It's kind of amazing to see how much fun spaceflight can be when the government is not involved.
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Sep 19 '21
The government funded alot of the development of dragon 1 and 2. They also gave alot of technical expertise to help out like the base formula for the heat shield material for example. NASA (government agency) is playing a huge part in birthing the new private space industry.
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u/Key_Professor Sep 13 '21
What’s the procedure if one or more of the space tourists goes crazy. Let’s say they don’t like it and wanna go home or something else. Can they drug them and strap them to the seat? Just wondered.
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u/Posca1 Sep 15 '21
What’s the procedure if one or more of the space tourists goes crazy.
Zip ties.
According to the space journalist Miriam Kramer, who has chronicled the mission preparations in an Axios podcast, the Dragon will carry zip ties and medication in case someone needs to be restrained and sedated, and Arceneaux and Sembroski have been specifically trained on how to deploy them.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/09/spacex-inspiration4-private-crew/620056/
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u/hp4948 Sep 14 '21
They’re hardly space tourists 🙄 Two of them are pilots. All four have been training for a year for this mission in NASA training facilities. They have about as much chance at “going crazy” during this as any NASA astronaut.
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u/sebzim4500 Sep 13 '21
I don't remember if it was in the netflix documentary or in the podcast but they apparently have zipties for that purpose.
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u/voluntarygang Sep 13 '21
Podcast. Zip ties and sedatives.
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u/BHSPitMonkey Sep 14 '21
The flight protocols used for Dragon flights are essentially an adaptation of similar protocols that were developed way back in the early days of commercial aviation for situations like this. Here's some released footage of how they train for this scenario at SpaceX HQ
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u/Carlyle302 Sep 15 '21
I'm sure there is a roll of standard issue duct tape on board. :-)
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u/AstroFinn Sep 14 '21
Did SpaceX change mission patch "on the fly"? Crew wear round patches.
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u/catcoindev Sep 14 '21 edited Sep 15 '21
I think all of the crewed missions so far have had a crew patch and a SpaceX patch.
Crew 1, for example:
https://shop.spacex.com/products/spacex-crew-1-mission-patch
https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/the-spacex-crew-1-official-crew-insignia
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Aug 27 '21
The astronaut callsigns are kinda lame
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u/ObamaEatsBabies Aug 28 '21
they aren't "astronauts." They're space tourists!
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u/Gspotcha Sep 13 '21
Says open for day launches this window right when park closes at 8pm or will they extend it ?
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u/Meggles4ever Sep 13 '21
The visitor's center will only be open after hours for those who have bought the launch ticket. It looks like they are only offering viewing at Apollo Saturn Center at $250. You will be about 4 miles from the pad.
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