Author Topic: Pad 39A - Transition to SpaceX Falcon Heavy debut - Thread 3  (Read 444601 times)

 And it looks like they are indeed continuing with the FH mods after all! > https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=44175.msg1752458#msg1752458
« Last Edit: 11/23/2017 03:24 pm by Carl G »

Offline Astroraider

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Re: Pad 39A - Transition to SpaceX Falcon Heavy debut - Thread 3
« Reply #561 on: 11/23/2017 12:49 am »
Are the chances of FH static fire (much less launch) for 2017 now dashed with the Zuma delays?

I don't know if they're dashed, but the delays with Zuma certainly don't help. Last I had read, there are still about 3 week of pad mods needed at 39A to get it ready for FH. Even if Zuma had launched on-schedule, FH was a tight fit this year. On a strictly practical level, every day Zuma is delayed makes it less likely we'll see a FH static fire/launch this year.

It's also true that some kind of failure on Zuma (or another upcoming launch), whether of fairing deployment or another aspect of the mission, would probably delay FH indefinitely while a cause was investigated and a fix implemented.

If you read ChrisG's article at https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/11/spacex-aims-december-launch-falcon-heavy/ dated Nov 1 - with Zuma launching on Nov 15 a static fire targeted for Dec 15 [if everything goes well] that led to a NET Dec 29 FH launch if everything went smoothly.
Since Zuma can launch no earlier than Nov 20th now, that means at least a 5 day slip which says the best case date is Jan 3.

I have no special knowledge, I'm just adding the known 5+ day slip of zuma to the schedule in Chris's article.

Carl

The post seems confusing: I believe the 45th Space Command oversees all launches from CCAFS, Kennedy Space Center and Wallops Island, not just CCAFS. In fact the Eastern range extends all the way east to the Indian Ocean. The Western Range covers the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Offline Jim

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Re: Pad 39A - Transition to SpaceX Falcon Heavy debut - Thread 3
« Reply #562 on: 11/23/2017 03:13 am »
Not wallops

Offline Flying Beaver

Don't want to take this as fact from a low resolution picture, but I think SpaceX might have added the remaining 2 south booster hold downs. Mainly gathering that as it is very symmetrical, and not staggered as it would look if they were not in place, though it is certainly hard to tell.

Picture from Instagram posted 11hrs ago at time of writing.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb6YeQfH5oO/
Watched B1019 land in person 21/12/2015.

Offline shuttlefan

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Re: Pad 39A - Transition to SpaceX Falcon Heavy debut - Thread 3
« Reply #564 on: 11/26/2017 01:01 am »
Hard to tell by pictures whether or not the RSS 'tractor cab/motor' has been removed and if not, can it still be rotated?

Offline rpapo

Hard to tell by pictures whether or not the RSS 'tractor cab/motor' has been removed and if not, can it still be rotated?
There's no way it can be rotated anymore.  The tracks it ran on have been severed.  See this view from Google Maps.
« Last Edit: 11/26/2017 09:46 am by rpapo »
Following the space program since before Apollo 8.

Offline shuttlefan

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Re: Pad 39A - Transition to SpaceX Falcon Heavy debut - Thread 3
« Reply #566 on: 11/26/2017 12:11 pm »
Hard to tell by pictures whether or not the RSS 'tractor cab/motor' has been removed and if not, can it still be rotated?
There's no way it can be rotated anymore.  The tracks it ran on have been severed.  See this view from Google Maps.

Thank-you!

Offline russianhalo117

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Re: Pad 39A - Transition to SpaceX Falcon Heavy debut - Thread 3
« Reply #567 on: 11/26/2017 04:24 pm »
Hard to tell by pictures whether or not the RSS 'tractor cab/motor' has been removed and if not, can it still be rotated?
There's no way it can be rotated anymore.  The tracks it ran on have been severed.  See this view from Google Maps.

Thank-you!
The systems to operate it were stripped before pad handover to SpaceX.

Offline envy887

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Re: Pad 39A - Transition to SpaceX Falcon Heavy debut - Thread 3
« Reply #568 on: 11/27/2017 12:47 pm »
Don't want to take this as fact from a low resolution picture, but I think SpaceX might have added the remaining 2 south booster hold downs. Mainly gathering that as it is very symmetrical, and not staggered as it would look if they were not in place, though it is certainly hard to tell.

Picture from Instagram posted 11hrs ago at time of writing.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb6YeQfH5oO/

The south hold-down locations are hidden by the strongback in that picture.

Offline Hog

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Re: Pad 39A - Transition to SpaceX Falcon Heavy debut - Thread 3
« Reply #569 on: 11/27/2017 05:25 pm »
Hard to tell by pictures whether or not the RSS 'tractor cab/motor' has been removed and if not, can it still be rotated?
There's no way it can be rotated anymore.  The tracks it ran on have been severed.  See this view from Google Maps.
Rotated-understood. But are the actual wheels still located on the rails that are present?  Wasn't there some sort of special precautions that were undertaken during the last HURCON initiation on 2017 which specified some sort of additional chains or hardware to prevent the RSS from moving?
Paul

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Re: Pad 39A - Transition to SpaceX Falcon Heavy debut - Thread 3
« Reply #570 on: 11/27/2017 05:45 pm »
Hard to tell by pictures whether or not the RSS 'tractor cab/motor' has been removed and if not, can it still be rotated?
There's no way it can be rotated anymore.  The tracks it ran on have been severed.  See this view from Google Maps.
Rotated-understood. But are the actual wheels still located on the rails that are present?  Wasn't there some sort of special precautions that were undertaken during the last HURCON initiation on 2017 which specified some sort of additional chains or hardware to prevent the RSS from moving?

"this will include ensuring the remaining portion of the RSS (Rotating Service Structure) at Pad-A is secured to hurricane anchors."
from
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/09/ksc-cape-major-hurricane-irma/
Paul

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Re: Pad 39A - Transition to SpaceX Falcon Heavy debut - Thread 3
« Reply #571 on: 11/27/2017 07:34 pm »
looks like SpaceX is lifting something big on the TEL deck (removing the Falcon 9 single stick plugs?)

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb-idaEhaMq/

Offline IanThePineapple

Perhaps they're test-removing the F9 plugs, or removing them and making them easier to install and remove (Such as using bolts rather than welding them on, I'm not sure what they did to attach them to begin with), for Crew Dragon and the eventual move of CRS missions to 39A.

Offline russianhalo117

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Re: Pad 39A - Transition to SpaceX Falcon Heavy debut - Thread 3
« Reply #573 on: 11/28/2017 01:05 am »
Perhaps they're test-removing the F9 plugs, or removing them and making them easier to install and remove (Such as using bolts rather than welding them on, I'm not sure what they did to attach them to begin with), for Crew Dragon and the eventual move of CRS missions to 39A.
the plugs use only large locking pins.

Offline IanThePineapple

Perhaps they're test-removing the F9 plugs, or removing them and making them easier to install and remove (Such as using bolts rather than welding them on, I'm not sure what they did to attach them to begin with), for Crew Dragon and the eventual move of CRS missions to 39A.
the plugs use only large locking pins.

So they can already be easily removed?

Offline russianhalo117

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Re: Pad 39A - Transition to SpaceX Falcon Heavy debut - Thread 3
« Reply #575 on: 11/28/2017 01:15 am »
Perhaps they're test-removing the F9 plugs, or removing them and making them easier to install and remove (Such as using bolts rather than welding them on, I'm not sure what they did to attach them to begin with), for Crew Dragon and the eventual move of CRS missions to 39A.
the plugs use only large locking pins.

So they can already be easily removed?
Yes. All latching mechanisms on the reaction frame use pins. latching mechanism was tested years ago by SpaceX. There is L2 info on what is going on at the pad but cant discuss what hasn't been made public yet.

Offline nacnud

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Re: Pad 39A - Transition to SpaceX Falcon Heavy debut - Thread 3
« Reply #576 on: 12/07/2017 07:29 pm »
If true then I guess space does the same thing, limit the number of cryocycles by never letting the tanks warm up.

Offline AncientU

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Re: Pad 39A - Transition to SpaceX Falcon Heavy debut - Thread 3
« Reply #577 on: 12/07/2017 08:11 pm »
If true then I guess space does the same thing, limit the number of cryocycles by never letting the tanks warm up.

Doesn't work for a rocket tankage that's supposed to fly 100 times.

I believe that the cryo cycle limitation is related to hydrogen tanks, not much more benign Lox, liquid Methane, and LN2.  (LN2 Dewars are used and reused for many years without limit that I've ever encountered.)  Hydrogen is a super-cryogen (about 20K) and is also a serious metal embrittlement agent, so that may be a combination that creates the limit.
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Offline nacnud

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Re: Pad 39A - Transition to SpaceX Falcon Heavy debut - Thread 3
« Reply #578 on: 12/07/2017 08:29 pm »
 Ah, the LH2 thing makes more sense, I was a bit :o by that statement.

Offline nacnud

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Re: Pad 39A - Transition to SpaceX Falcon Heavy debut - Thread 3
« Reply #579 on: 12/07/2017 09:04 pm »
I didn't read the story, shame on me!

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