SpaceX Launch Update

[syndroma]

<img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" />

 

[nacnud]

Apparently the RSO terminated the flight or the spin would have ended with fireworks, either or not sure which yet.

 

[mlorrey]

Thats right. I'm sure by next week even the SpaceX folks will be able to laugh about it. It's not like anybody died. Elon finally used up one of his three strikes. The telemetry from the vehicle ought to say what went wrong.

 

[gofer]

Ablative messed up by all the static tests lead to hugely asymetric thrust, that the controls couldn't compensate for?

 

[Swampcat]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="3" color="#ff9900"><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>------------------------------------------------------------------- </em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."</em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong></font></p></font> </div>

 

[kumbarov]

"We had a successful liftoff and Falcon made it well clear of the launch pad, but unfortunately the vehicle was lost later in the first stage burn. More information will be posted once we have had time to analyze the problem." - Elon

 

[Swampcat]

Where'd you get that quote? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="3" color="#ff9900"><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>------------------------------------------------------------------- </em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."</em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong></font></p></font> </div>

 

[tap_sa]

<font color="yellow">"didn't Mr. Musk say this vehicle was supposed to go pretty much straight up for a long time?"</font><br /><br />Good call. Earlier in the SFN mission status center:<br /><br />"Some rockets turn faster than others, depending upon the trajectory. In this case it is going to go almost straight up until it is out of sight," SpaceX founder Elon Musk said, predicting how the launch will appear.

 

[kumbarov]

"Where'd you get that quote?"<br /><br />http://www.spacex.com/ -> Updates

 

[Swampcat]

They at least have a first stage -- the one that was damaged back in December. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="3" color="#ff9900"><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>------------------------------------------------------------------- </em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."</em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong></font></p></font> </div>

 

[mlorrey]

Yeah, it appeared to me at the end that the turbopump exhaust roll control vectoring was totally maxed out trying to compensate for something. That might have been it, or the vector actuator might have failed. The tip-over also seemed excessive, which might have been from high level winds. What altitude can they measure the winds to there?

 

[nacnud]

During the build up to this launch they swaped out both the 1st stage and the second stage, so if you call that a complete vehcile then there is at least one spare.

 

[josh_simonson]

At least it didn't KATO all over their launch infrastructure...

 

[mikejz]

Just remembered the FTS was a thrust-termination system: Depending on the failure they might be required to go back and change that.

 

[llivinglarge]

KATO?<br /><br />You mean "reverse liftoff"?

 

[Swampcat]

Yeah, I remember them going through their checklist and getting an OK on ground level winds, but not on upper level winds. I might have not known if they had, but I didn't hear it.<br /><br />Anyway, I gotta go. It'll be interesting to hear what they come up with for a cause of failure. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="3" color="#ff9900"><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>------------------------------------------------------------------- </em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."</em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong></font></p></font> </div>

 

[llivinglarge]

I'm still searching for the stream file on Akamai.

 

[josh_simonson]

I think it stands for "kaboom at take off"

 

[mikejz]

SFN notes a change in the color and shape in the flame prior to failure---Wonder if the they never fixed all those engine problems.

 

[aaron38]

A question from a non-rocket scientist. Is it not posible to test a rocket in stages?<br /><br />Meaning, in this case the first stage is completely re-useable. Couldn't they put a dummy fairing/weight atop a first stage and launch it, just to test the 1st stage?<br /><br />Or is that not a cost effective approach?

 

[mlorrey]

They could, theoretically speaking. The problem is wasting the investment if it has a successful launch but a bad recovery: you didn't make any money and don't have a rocket anymore either. Payloads are insured against failed launches, so its less risk for everybody to just launch and hope to make orbit.

 

[llivinglarge]

Failure around Qmax?

 

[nacnud]

Last frame from falcon 1 - nabbed from www.nasaspaceflight.com

 

[llivinglarge]

I've seen it... Black magic from a superheated MERLIN.

 

[llivinglarge]

I can't wait for mission control audio.