Author Topic: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!  (Read 465821 times)

Offline sanman

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1640 on: 05/31/2012 07:56 pm »
CRS-1!

Yeah, but Grasshopper testing will start before CRS-1. Frankly, I think that'll be more interesting than just watching the ISS get resupplied all over again.

Offline Chandonn

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1641 on: 05/31/2012 08:06 pm »
I half-expected Elon to pop out of the Dragon (on orbit, or after splashdown) like a stripper pops out of a cake... ;)

Man, I'm all out of Kool-Aid... gotta run to the store!!

Offline kevin-rf

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1642 on: 05/31/2012 08:24 pm »
CRS-1!

Yeah, but Grasshopper testing will start before CRS-1.

But will it fly before CRS-1? I'll believe that one when I see it.
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Offline apace

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1643 on: 05/31/2012 08:24 pm »
CRS-1!

Yeah, but Grasshopper testing will start before CRS-1.

But will it fly before CRS-1? I'll believe that one when I see it.

Don't forget, Elon told about powered landing tests with Dragon also this year.

Offline Robotbeat

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1644 on: 05/31/2012 08:28 pm »
CRS-1!

Yeah, but Grasshopper testing will start before CRS-1.

But will it fly before CRS-1? I'll believe that one when I see it.
Tough to say, but it's just a test-bed. There'll likely be several test firings first. Might do a short hop before CRS-1. Also sort of depends on how quickly CRS-1 gets off the pad. ;)
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Offline Ben the Space Brit

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1645 on: 05/31/2012 08:44 pm »
CRS-1!

Yeah, but Grasshopper testing will start before CRS-1.

But will it fly before CRS-1? I'll believe that one when I see it.

Tough to say, but it's just a test-bed. There'll likely be several test firings first. Might do a short hop before CRS-1. Also sort of depends on how quickly CRS-1 gets off the pad. ;)

Tethered hover isn't too hard to do; we might see that over the summer.
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Offline Robotbeat

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1646 on: 05/31/2012 08:46 pm »
CRS-1!

Yeah, but Grasshopper testing will start before CRS-1.

But will it fly before CRS-1? I'll believe that one when I see it.

Tough to say, but it's just a test-bed. There'll likely be several test firings first. Might do a short hop before CRS-1. Also sort of depends on how quickly CRS-1 gets off the pad. ;)

Tethered hover isn't too hard to do; we might see that over the summer.
Can they even tether that thing? Grasshopper is much bigger than ANY other VTVL vehicle ever. And I don't think the closest one (DC-X) was ever fired while tethered (PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong!).

(EDITed for clarity)
« Last Edit: 05/31/2012 09:00 pm by Robotbeat »
Chris  Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

To the maximum extent practicable, the Federal Government shall plan missions to accommodate the space transportation services capabilities of United States commercial providers. US law http://goo.gl/YZYNt0

Online mrhuggy

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1647 on: 05/31/2012 08:58 pm »
CRS-1!

Yeah, but Grasshopper testing will start before CRS-1.

But will it fly before CRS-1? I'll believe that one when I see it.

Tough to say, but it's just a test-bed. There'll likely be several test firings first. Might do a short hop before CRS-1. Also sort of depends on how quickly CRS-1 gets off the pad. ;)

Tethered hover isn't too hard to do; we might see that over the summer.
Can they even tether that thing? It's much bigger than ANY other VTVL vehicle ever. And I don't think the closest one (DC-X) was ever fired while tethered (PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong!).

I could see a dragon hanging from a crane been used for a hover test. As for a LAS test, the first tests would be a basic dragon for size and mass fasten to a tower to test engine performance with out it flying off.

Offline majormajor42

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1648 on: 05/31/2012 09:19 pm »
CRS-1!

Yeah, but Grasshopper testing will start before CRS-1.

But will it fly before CRS-1? I'll believe that one when I see it.

Tough to say, but it's just a test-bed. There'll likely be several test firings first. Might do a short hop before CRS-1. Also sort of depends on how quickly CRS-1 gets off the pad. ;)

Tethered hover isn't too hard to do; we might see that over the summer.
Can they even tether that thing? It's much bigger than ANY other VTVL vehicle ever. And I don't think the closest one (DC-X) was ever fired while tethered (PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong!).

I could see a dragon hanging from a crane been used for a hover test. As for a LAS test, the first tests would be a basic dragon for size and mass fasten to a tower to test engine performance with out it flying off.


just how tall is the stage on top of the grasshopper as seen in that recent photo (taken at night)? Is it the full height of a V1.1 Falcon first stage? That would be a tall crane if they are going to tether it.
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Online mrhuggy

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1649 on: 05/31/2012 09:34 pm »
CRS-1!

Yeah, but Grasshopper testing will start before CRS-1.

But will it fly before CRS-1? I'll believe that one when I see it.

Tough to say, but it's just a test-bed. There'll likely be several test firings first. Might do a short hop before CRS-1. Also sort of depends on how quickly CRS-1 gets off the pad. ;)

Tethered hover isn't too hard to do; we might see that over the summer.
Can they even tether that thing? It's much bigger than ANY other VTVL vehicle ever. And I don't think the closest one (DC-X) was ever fired while tethered (PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong!).

I could see a dragon hanging from a crane been used for a hover test. As for a LAS test, the first tests would be a basic dragon for size and mass fasten to a tower to test engine performance with out it flying off.


just how tall is the stage on top of the grasshopper as seen in that recent photo (taken at night)? Is it the full height of a V1.1 Falcon first stage? That would be a tall crane if they are going to tether it.

Doing a tethered Grasshopper might be a bit too much. I was talking of Dragon 2.0

Offline R.Simko

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1650 on: 05/31/2012 10:15 pm »
Perhaps instead of a crane for tethered flights, they could use a very large tripod with a winch system, that is offset from the center line of the rocket.

Offline rickl

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1651 on: 05/31/2012 11:23 pm »
come to think of it...
this was actually the first spacecraft splashdown i have seen live ever (or first in my lifetime for that matter)

Sheesh... Rookies! I remember watching all of the Apollos from 11 on hit the drink.



 
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I saw them all from Mercury-Redstone…  :)

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I remember them as far back as Gemini.  I'm a little too young to remember watching Mercury, although my father always said that I was sitting in his lap for MR-3.  I was also 3 at the time.

Of course I saw those Gemini splashdowns in black & white.  In fact, my family got our first color TV on the day of Apollo 10's splashdown.  My dad plugged it in, turned it on, and...nothing.  He hooked up the B&W again and we watched it on that.

It was easier to hook up TVs in those days.  You just plugged in the cord to the electrical outlet and extended the rabbit ear antennas.   :)

Edit:  Now that I think of it, those B&W splashdowns were clearer than the color one we saw this morning.   :D
« Last Edit: 05/31/2012 11:28 pm by rickl »
The Space Age is just starting to get interesting.

Offline Rocket Science

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1652 on: 05/31/2012 11:28 pm »
come to think of it...
this was actually the first spacecraft splashdown i have seen live ever (or first in my lifetime for that matter)

Sheesh... Rookies! I remember watching all of the Apollos from 11 on hit the drink.



 
Young David!

I saw them all from Mercury-Redstone…  :)

~Robert


I remember them as far back as Gemini.  I'm a little too young to remember watching Mercury, although my father always said that I was sitting in his lap for MR-3.  I was also 3 at the time.

Of course I saw those Gemini splashdowns in black & white.  In fact, my family got our first color TV on the day of Apollo 10's splashdown.  My dad plugged it in, turned it on, and...nothing.  He hooked up the B&W again and we watched it on that.

It was easier to hook up TVs in those days.  You just plugged in the cord to the electrical outlet and extended the rabbit ear antennas.   :)

Edit:  Now that I think of it, those B&W splashdowns were clearer than the color one we saw this morning.   :D
Rabbit ears!! Yup, just tweak them or add some tin-foil, 3 stations no waiting!  :D
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Offline Halidon

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1653 on: 06/01/2012 12:09 am »
Big time congrats to SpaceX, this was a mission of Firsts and they could hardly have done better.

Offline simonbp

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1654 on: 06/01/2012 12:38 am »
Can they even tether that thing? Grasshopper is much bigger than ANY other VTVL vehicle ever. And I don't think the closest one (DC-X) was ever fired while tethered (PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong!).

They did ground static fires, but nothing like the modern "dangle from a crane" tether tests. The DC-X(A) did have a never-used parachute, though.

EDIT: Also, the Blue Origin vehicle is comparable in size to the Grasshopper (and showed the pitfalls of limited testing).
« Last Edit: 06/01/2012 12:43 am by simonbp »

Offline JAFO

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1655 on: 06/01/2012 01:41 am »


Just woke up at our layover hotel in Delhi to this  news, enroute from Newark last night we flew over Norway, Sweden,  Finland, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and  Pakistan before landing. Next week I go to Tokyo and Beijing.

America  has her faults, but there aren't too many other places in the world  where a citizen can launch his own space program with a bunch of other  civilians on his own dime.

America, F yeah. Space X, double F yeah!!!

(Self-moved from the serious Space X thread to save Chris the trouble  ;D )
« Last Edit: 06/01/2012 01:46 am by JAFO »
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Offline oiorionsbelt

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1656 on: 06/01/2012 01:59 am »
I wonder how long PRW will keep running those ads. So far, SpaceX has stayed on the "high road". If they change their minds, they can have this one from me, no charge:

At SpaceX, we don't make attack ads...we make HISTORY.

High Road?  Until this week, Spacex had nothing.
It was a legimate ad campaign that now has run it course.

Also, PWR has made history many times over
Not like this they haven't not even close. Although maybe closer than the X-37 came to berthing with the ISS  ;D

Offline Lars_J

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1657 on: 06/01/2012 02:01 am »
Wooo hoo! :D I need to unwind in the party thread here... I'm very excited!

And the "blind squirrels" of SpaceX are two for two, I guess. :D

Offline Jim

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1658 on: 06/01/2012 02:03 am »

Not like this they haven't not even close. Although maybe closer than the X-37 came to berthing with the ISS  ;D

Huh?  Docking/berthing to the ISS is not a big deal and is not the point of the ads. 

PWR has aided in ending the Cold War and saving American lives .

'Nuff said
« Last Edit: 06/01/2012 02:03 am by Jim »

Offline oiorionsbelt

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Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1659 on: 06/01/2012 02:19 am »
obfuscation.

Nuff said

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