Author Topic: SpaceX Reusable Falcon 9 (Grasshopper) DISCUSSION Thread (2)  (Read 351037 times)

Offline Robotbeat

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Re: SpaceX Reusable Falcon 9 (Grasshopper) DISCUSSION Thread (2)
« Reply #1040 on: 02/10/2013 07:27 am »
Elon made a cryptic tweet - sound like the next flight will be aggressive:

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/300234184193105920

Quote
@elonmusk: Next Grasshopper rocket test is called the Johnny Cash Hover Slam (yeah baby!). Might be our first smoking crater...

How soon we forget.

I believe Falcon 1, flight 1 was the first SpaceX smoking crater.
That was more splashy-splash. The rocket parts in the machine shed is a hole in the ceiling, not really a crater.

That's because the payload and fairing separated on the way down due to aerodynamic forces, and landed away from the main impact.  The two stages impacted with significant force. The video from the pad camera clearly showed a massive explosion, with palm trees swaying in the shock wave.
You know, I don't think I ever saw the infamous footage. I was just recalling it based on second-hand information. Thanks for the correction! And yet, it seems pretty clear from context that he was talking about Grasshopper, not the first crater ever (first SpaceX crater? First crater made by a US launch vehicle ever?). Again, whenever interpreting someone's speech, I think it's best policy to interpret it in whichever way actually makes sense and is true.

How's about "the first crater in the contiguous 48" then?
That should work. ;)
« Last Edit: 02/10/2013 07:29 am by Robotbeat »
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Offline R7

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Re: SpaceX Reusable Falcon 9 (Grasshopper) DISCUSSION Thread (2)
« Reply #1041 on: 02/10/2013 12:43 pm »
Jim, just curious if you doubt that Musk is being open about his beliefs and intentions.

Otherwise it's not exactly a secret that he says he intends to drive down launch costs as low as possible to facilitate permanent Mars settlement. He has said he wants to be able to move tens of thousands of people to Mars per year.

That clearly implies orders of magnitude more launches than are conceivable now...and is hardly the kind of mission statement you'd hear from a ceo at boeing.

Since comment above is about justifying stellar flight rate explosion requiring F9R (and GH as prerequisite to that) I gotta ask:

AFAIK Musk has spoken of only transporting people to Mars, for half million bucks per head.

Who is supposed to pay for the base infrastructure? Or does future Mars just have 80000 hobos pushing carts around, sleeping in abandoned craters and begging each other for air?

Kinda still on topic because if payer emerges, flight rate requirements inflate even more increasing need for F9R/GH tests.
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Offline billh

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Re: SpaceX Reusable Falcon 9 (Grasshopper) DISCUSSION Thread (2)
« Reply #1042 on: 02/10/2013 12:57 pm »
That's because the payload and fairing separated on the way down due to aerodynamic forces, and landed away from the main impact.  The two stages impacted with significant force. The video from the pad camera clearly showed a massive explosion, with palm trees swaying in the shock wave.

I've never seen that video. Where did you see it?

(SPLINTER THREAD: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=31072.0 - DISCUSS ONLY F9R from this point onwards).
« Last Edit: 02/10/2013 06:36 pm by Chris Bergin »

Offline Chris Bergin

« Last Edit: 02/10/2013 06:47 pm by Chris Bergin »
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