Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch (NET Dec 7)

[docm]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

I saw that too. I was wondering about that. Wonder if it's hardware or software. If it's software they can correct that easily. If it's hardware it may have been a fluke and the next thruster will work correctly.

From the SFN article;

"The roll on the second stage was also a non-fatal situation. We think the actuator may have overheated due to radiative heating from the nozzle," Musk said. "This is speculative, but we can trace the problem down to the roll actuator itself."

More insulation will be added around the actuator to prevent the same problem on the next launch.

 

[job1207]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

They are in late Sept now, according to that article.

 

[shuttle_guy]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

My son in-law saw the stage on the flat bed truck on US 1 in Titusville as it headed for KSC !!

 

[vattas]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

I don't remember hearing about any Dragon drop tests to test out parachutes and landing. Did these were performed?

 

[Zipi]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

Second Falcon 9 rocket begins arriving at the Cape

Six weeks after the first Falcon 9 rocketed into orbit, pieces of the second launcher have begun arriving at Cape Canaveral for a shakedown flight of SpaceX's Dragon capsule in September, according to the company's top executive.

Full article: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/0 ... irststage/

 

[docm]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

I don't remember hearing about any Dragon drop tests to test out parachutes and landing. Did these were performed?

Airborne Systems 'Ringsail' design was chosen for F9 and Dragon in May 2007

http://www.airborne-sys.com

Space Travel story....

>
"Our solution features a main parachute design from our family of large Ringsail products," said Tony Taylor, Technical Director, Space Market.

"The Ringsail was designed to handle the rigors of spacecraft recovery. Over the years, its unique design has proven its worth and is currently used on a number of spacecraft recovery programs including the parachute development on NASA's Orion Spacecraft. We are very proud to be selected to work with SpaceX as our entire team has been focused on developing parachute recovery systems for large spacecraft and manned spaceflight for over a decade," said Taylor.
>

NASA Watch poster neuronexmachina reported this spring that those tests were performed in 2007.

http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/2010/ ... r-sie.html

Dunno about his cred specifically, but one would think in 3 years a whole series of drop tests could have been done off the California coast where no one would see them.

 

[nimbus]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

Had they already decided on rocket-assisted landing then, and would testing that not necessarily be done in conjunction with chute tests?

 

[docm]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

I think that at this point worrying about rocket assisted landings is putting the cart before the horse. They know their max mass and probably tested the chute for water landings of the cargo version using those numbers. After that is working they can worry about redistributing some of that mass to the LAS for crew, then comes assisted landings - if it goes past the idea phase.

 

[vattas]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

Airborne Systems 'Ringsail' design was chosen for F9 and Dragon in May 2007

Thanks, docm, I missed this one. Very little information about this part from SpaceX.

BTW, here's correct link to the article: Airborne Systems Selected to Design Parachutes for SpaceX Rocket

 

[Boris_Badenov]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

SpaceX Readies First Dragon Spacecraft
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) this week is set to begin prelaunch checks of the first fully operational Dragon spacecraft destined to be launched under NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.

[snip]

“We’re gearing up for the flight of the first operational Dragon and the second Falcon 9,” SpaceX chief executive and Chief Technical Officer Elon Musk says. “The vehicle’s upper and second stage are at the Cape in the hangar and the Dragon is about to arrive — so all three pieces will be in place.” The first stage arrived at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Launch Complex 40 from SpaceX’s McGregor, Texas, test site in mid-July.

[snip]

SpaceX hopes to complete the checkout process by the end of September. “We’re looking at six to eight weeks,” Musk says, adding the launch window target could be from late September to early October.

[snip]

 

[PistolPete037]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

I assume Sept 9th is a "No Earlier Than" date. I saw the Russians are launching a Progress ship towards the ISS on Sept 8, which would make for a crowded neighborhood around the ISS at that time. Perhaps they are just pushing to hit this milestone sometime in Q3.

IIRC, the posted dates on SpaceX's web site are for delivery to the Cape. They normally don't post a launch window until the rocket goes vertical and everything has been worked out with Range Control.

 

[Boris_Badenov]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

Second attempt at spacecraft test in Morro Bay California

[snip]

another attempt at testing the next generation of return vehicles, that will carry Astronauts

[snip]

 

[Boris_Badenov]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

From a Whale Watchers Blog. :lol:

Thursday, August 12, 2010
Whales, whales, whales!!

Thursday 8/12/10 This afternoon on the way out we saw a space shuttle escape pod drill! A huge helicopter carried the pod to 14,000 ft and released it. It came floating down with 3 giant orange parachutes and splashed in the water. We spotted a BLUE WHALE for a while and saw several spouts in the distance.

 

[Boris_Badenov]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

 

[mr_mark]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

Hopefully there is some video.

 

[mr_mark]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

Full parachutes deployed! Total success, here's the picture link. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VHl1OPeOSOs/T ... GP2443.JPG

 

[docm]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

Full bloom + enhanced...

 

[sxjenks]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

Does anyone know what the smaller object in the background with 2 chutes is?

 

[mr_mark]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

I believe those are some form of drogue chutes. The matter was discussed at nasaspaceflight.com.

 

[vattas]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

I wonder if they are going to perform more drop tests from higher altitudes. From this altitude there's no way capsule has reached the speed at which parachutes will deploy in real reentry I think.

 

[docm]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

Depends on what its terminal velocity in dense air is. Once that's reached more altitude doesn't matter as long as the 'chutes have time to open, and for a hollow, blunt object that could be a lot slower than you'd think.

Anyone who wants to speculate about it can plug their mass, Cd, blunt-end surface area etc. guesstimates into this terminal velocity calculator -

http://www.calctool.org/CALC/eng/aerospace/terminal

My ghost says <250 mph. Skydivers rarely exceed 130 mph in a flat position, and they aren't hollow.

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

About terminal velocity :

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNED5RzqxOo[/youtube]

 

[vattas]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

Depends on what its terminal velocity in dense air is. Once that's reached more altitude doesn't matter as long as the 'chutes have time to open, and for a hollow, blunt object that could be a lot slower than you'd think.

Hm, I just found that in one of the links above drop altitude was given as being 14000ft (a little bit over 4km). That's plenty to reach terminal velocity.
Somehow I was under impression that it was not so high up - probably from the pictures

 

[mr_mark]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

In advance of the first COTS 1 flight here is a parachute test video update from Spacex. http://www.spacex.com/updates.php

 

[mr_mark]

Re: Spacex Falcon 9 Flight 2 COTS -1 Launch

I think it's funny that all the space websites have refused to report on Spacex's parachute test. It has taken space enthusiasts to get out the message. In fact the preliminary reports were announced by whale watchers and a whale boat captain. It's pretty clear space websites need to get on the ball and stop reporting on Star Wars conventions and get to the real deal.