SpaceX Falcon 9 Flight 1 Launch, June 4, 2010

[docm]

IIRC there was never an intent to recover this flights 1st stage.

NASA TV video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SOc_FHQP6I

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SOc_FHQP6I[/youtube]

 

[Boris_Badenov]

Congratulations SpaceX!

On behalf of myself and all of us at Bigelow Aerospace we would like to congratulate our friends at SpaceX on the unprecedented success of the inaugural Falcon 9 launch. Achieving orbit on its first attempt is a testament to the robust capabilities of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 specifically and commercial crew transportation in general. We look forward to the continued development of the Falcon 9 launcher and Dragon capsule. – Robert T. Bigelow

 

[3488]

I was sceptical all along I know, as I am afraid that the USA is going to sell out one of it's greatest achievements & assets, however today proves that perhaps my fears are unfounded.

Three shots from the video Boris linked to, that I quite like.



Looked a lot like the Ares 1X test launch on board cam coverage initially.

ANdrew Brown.

 

[ZiraldoAerospace]

We have all waited so long, and the day is finally dawning on commercial spaceflight! Not just small rockets, but heavy vehicles capable of easily contending with the likes of the Russian and US governments! This is a day of American pride for me.

 

[docm]

Musk just said two very interesting things in a teleconference....

a. long term plans are for Dragon to be able to do powered soft landings on solid ground using its (to be) integrated launch abort system

b. SpaceX and NASA are in negotiations for a joint Super-Heavy Lifter project

 

[Gravity_Ray]

Congratulations Mr. Musk and the entire SpaceX team. I too feel a great sense of pride for the achievements of private enterprise and its abilities in space flight. This was a heck of a trip down memory lane for me going back about 35 years. Watching governments making space available for the few instead of us mensch.

However, we must keep our game face on. Let us not forget that space flight is a very difficult and dangerous Endeavour. There will be more success for SpaceX, and Orbital Sciences but also there will be failures. Let us not get too merry yet with the successes and let us not be crushed by the failures.

Let us not be like the Congressmen and Senators that will put somebody on a pedestal for the smallest victories and throw the same person under the bus for the smallest defeats. Those are NOT the people we want to emulate.

Let us go forward with the final goal firmly in mind. The final goal of seeing small companies getting a foothold in LEO and then onwards to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

 

[thereiwas]

During the earlier parts of stage one, there was an awful lot of what looked like sparks coming off the engine area. I did not see anything like that on the Falcon-1. What might that have been?

 

[docm]

Already reported as ice and some cork fragments. Similar artifacts happened with Saturn V.

 

[nimbus]

Musk just said two very interesting things in a teleconference....

a. long term plans are for Dragon to be able to do powered soft landings on solid ground using its (to be) integrated launch abort system

b. SpaceX and NASA are in negotiations for a joint Super-Heavy Lifter project

b - :lol: That'd be so cool.... Can't wait to hear more about it, if it works out.

a - Sorry for the borderline off-topic question, but it's a small one: Is the Dragon LAS definitely a tower, or pusher cfg?

 

[nimbus]

There will be more success for SpaceX, and Orbital Sciences but also there will be failures. Let us not get too merry yet with the successes and let us not be crushed by the failures.

IMO it would've been much steeper a credibility curve to climb, for both the general public and enthusiasts alike, if this launch had been a partial or complete failure. Instead, this launch shows that they can definitely do it. Failures in upcoming launches will be counter-weighed by this "complete" success.

Clearly the better (if not best) scenario in the present US space industry and political environment.

 

[nimbus]

a. long term plans are for Dragon to be able to do powered soft landings on solid ground using its (to be) integrated launch abort system

a - Sorry for the borderline off-topic question, but it's a small one: Is the Dragon LAS definitely a tower, or pusher cfg?

Pusher abort motors..

 

[docm]

A couple months ago they announced that there will be hypergolic LAS engines built into the sides of the Dragon for crewed flights. If an abort occurs these would use the Draco thrusters fuel, listed currently as 1,290 kg worth. If not, apparently, they will be used for the powered landing.

 

[observer7]

I just read this entire thread, and what a thrill it brought to see all the anticipation and hard work payoff; this launch is indeed a historic event.

My hope is that F9 will be the first in a long line of COMMERCIAL SPACE CRAFT. Excuse my yelling, but you have to understand that this is the first venture into space for the intention of making a profit. Sure, they're going to sell most of their launches to the government, and without government subsidy it probably would have taken a lot longer, but SpaceX is in business to make money and they are succeeding with a SPACE BASED BUSINESS MODEL! This is a company that is taking a long-term view of the world and making a differnence. By not being short-sighted, they provide a model for the company of the future. Forward looking, environmentally consciencious, and willing to sacrifice in the short-run for long-term gains.

I think we may be on the verge of a paridignm shift. No longer will we think about profiting in the next quarter, but we will look at the long-term gains that we can gain by acting in a resonsible and goal-orentated manner. Look what happened when Kenedey said let's go to the Moon. If we can develope that same type of focus and mind-set that is aimed at maturing our human space flight program, as well as the space based mining/energy markets, then their is nothing that the human race could not accomplish.

Let's start thinking about future generations and what we can do for them. If we start this type of thinking it will grow exponentially and the human race may yet survive our own stupid ways. Thinking about your grandsons future instead of your own instantly changes your priorities and makes those tough ethical decisions a lot eaier.

We can do it if we try.

__

 

[scottb50]

Congratulations to the SpaceX team! Keep up the good work.

I had to go over to my father in-law's this morning and watched the launch on FAUX. They did have a couple of good interviews but I was disappointed that just about exactly at the time of staging they switched to their reporter and he blathered on and on. Switched to CNN and they were showing the second stage and replayed the separation. They also seemed to be having a problem with the lift-off, that they attributed to the feed they were getting, actually about as choppy as I was getting on my computer before I had to leave. It looked like the problem was the hold-down feature that prevents liftoff until everything is verified, the same thing that was used with Falcon1.

 

[surferastra]

VIDEOS Re: SpaceX Falcon 9 Flight 1 Launch, June 4, 2010

Well, it was a great day for those of us on the Space Coast. Here's to the future.

I understand there were big problems with the webcast today. I was fortunate enough to shoot the launch from the roof of the VAB (not fortunate to wait 4 hours in the blazing Sun... ouch!). I figured I'd post link to the videos I took and share them with everyone:

SpaceX Falcon 9 First Launch As Viewed From The KSC VAB Roof (Tight Shot)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah2NPfGR4dA

and SpaceX Falcon 9 First Launch From KSC VAB Roof (ZOOMED OUT View)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pOegGGHrP0

 

[dragon04]

Hooray SpaceX !!!








Sweet.

 

[nimbus]

I figured I'd post link to the videos I took and share them with everyone:

Thanks !

 

[arobie]

Just wanna say,

Three Cheers for SpaceX! This is a long time coming. Great to see a success!

 

[shuttle_guy]

IIRC there was never an intent to recover this flights 1st stage.

Not true. They did hope to recover the first stage. The NASA SRB recovery ships were out to assist in the recovery.

 

[robotical]

I was sceptical all along I know, as I am afraid that the USA is going to sell out one of it's greatest achievements & assets, however today proves that perhaps my fears are unfounded.

Just think of it as a demonstration of the United States's greatest strength: the freedom of its private citizens.

 

[scottb50]

IIRC there was never an intent to recover this flights 1st stage.

Not true. They did hope to recover the first stage. The NASA SRB recovery ships were out to assist in the recovery.

Like they have been saying the data from the launch was the most important thing. That the first stage was not recovered this time is a fairly small anomaly for an other wise positive first flight. I wonder if recovery is even worth the effort, like the Shuttle SRB's the propellant tanks could be refurbished pretty easily but the engines exposure to sea water could easily make them unusable or too expensive to refurbish. What has been the experience with the nozzles on the SRB's? I know the segments have been used numerous times but haven't heard much about the nozzles.

 

[EarthlingX]

One more video for collection :

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SOc_FHQP6I[/youtube]

 

[nimbus]

IIRC there was never an intent to recover this flights 1st stage.

Not true. They did hope to recover the first stage. The NASA SRB recovery ships were out to assist in the recovery.

Like they have been saying the data from the launch was the most important thing. That the first stage was not recovered this time is a fairly small anomaly for an other wise positive first flight. I wonder if recovery is even worth the effort, like the Shuttle SRB's the propellant tanks could be refurbished pretty easily but the engines exposure to sea water could easily make them unusable or too expensive to refurbish. What has been the experience with the nozzles on the SRB's? I know the segments have been used numerous times but haven't heard much about the nozzles.

I think I saw mention somewhere (NSF thread or space industry media article) that 1st stage recovery would significantly help bring costs down.

 

[Zipi]

Official launch video: http://spacex.com/multimedia/videos.php?id=51

 

[EarthlingX]

It was awesomely beautiful launch

One more article, with video too :

edition.cnn.com : SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches

By the CNN Wire Staff

June 5, 2010 -- Updated 0033 GMT (0833 HKT)

Cape Canaveral, Florida (CNN) -- Friday's test launch of the Falcon 9 rocket was "essentially a bullseye," SpaceX officials said after the rocket successfully pushed past the earth's atmosphere and deposited a mock-up of its Dragon space capsule in orbit.

The successful launch is the latest step toward commercial space ventures that could eventually ferry astronauts and cargo to the international space station.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, co-founder of PayPal, sent out the technical details of the successful launch, which he said performed its mission to deposit the Dragon mock-up into a 155-mile (250-km) orbit to near perfection.

"Nominal shutdown and orbit was almost exactly 250 km," Musk said in a written statement. "Telemetry showed essentially a bullseye: 126;0.2% on perigee and 126;1% on apogee."

The capsule is expected to orbit for about a year and eventually burn up in the atmosphere.

If all goes as planned after a series of test flights, Musk says SpaceX will be ready to begin flying cargo to the space station next year. If NASA awards SpaceX a contract, Musk says they can begin ferrying astronauts to the space station within three years. He says his company is profitable, but his motivations go beyond dollars.

"We want to see a future where we are exploring the stars, where we're going to other planets, where we're doing the great things that we read about in science fiction and in the movies," Musk said.