Quote from: matthewkantar on 06/12/2017 05:57 pmFrom sketches in the speculative XB-37 on Falcon thread, the fit of the orbiter in the fairing is tight. I would think the Airforce and SpaceX would not want to do the fairing separation blind. Especially for the first time. The knowledge that could be gained in the event of a mishap far outweighs keeping pictures of a (widely photographed) spacecraft secret. MatthewYou are misinterpreting the picture. That is the allowable payload envelope, not the physical sides of the fairing.
From sketches in the speculative XB-37 on Falcon thread, the fit of the orbiter in the fairing is tight. I would think the Airforce and SpaceX would not want to do the fairing separation blind. Especially for the first time. The knowledge that could be gained in the event of a mishap far outweighs keeping pictures of a (widely photographed) spacecraft secret. Matthew
As some have speculated, ULA was not given the opportunity to bid for this particular payload. https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/873243359204302849QuoteHey @torybruno, did you bid for the X-37B mission that was awarded to SpaceX?QuoteNo. We were not given the opportunity to bid.
Hey @torybruno, did you bid for the X-37B mission that was awarded to SpaceX?
No. We were not given the opportunity to bid.
Not needed. fairing separation was blind for decades. Fairing clearance analysis is done without cameras. There is no need to verify it in flight. It does little good to do it after the fact.
Quote from: matthewkantar on 06/12/2017 05:57 pmFrom sketches in the speculative XB-37 on Falcon thread, the fit of the orbiter in the fairing is tight. I would think the Airforce and SpaceX would not want to do the fairing separation blind. Especially for the first time. The knowledge that could be gained in the event of a mishap far outweighs keeping pictures of a (widely photographed) spacecraft secret. MatthewNot needed. fairing separation was blind for decades. Fairing clearance analysis is done without cameras. There is no need to verify it in flight. It does little good to do it after the fact.
The fairing envelope is there for a reason. It is the space inside the fairing that will absolutely never be impacted by fairing separation, as determined by fairing separation testing on the ground. The fairing envelope is for that reason always slightly smaller than the actual volume inside the fairing. As long as the X-37B fits inside the fairing envelope (even if it is an exact fit with the envelope) than there is no need whatsoever to check a clean separation by any other means than 'just' telemetry. No live stream camera's needed, let alone GoPro's.
Software engineers often put tests into code that are impossible by design. For example, suppose you do some calculation that gives some result x, known to be greater than 0. Nevertheless, you'll often see code like:/* At this point, x is >= 0 */if (x < 0) then print "This can't happen: x < 0" then stop.
Quote from: LouScheffer on 06/12/2017 11:09 pmSoftware engineers often put tests into code that are impossible by design. For example, suppose you do some calculation that gives some result x, known to be greater than 0. Nevertheless, you'll often see code like:/* At this point, x is >= 0 */if (x < 0) then print "This can't happen: x < 0" then stop.And thanks to agile and code reviews when the reviewers see it, they make you strip it out of your code because it can't happen!
Quote from: woods170 on 06/12/2017 08:22 pmThe fairing envelope is there for a reason. It is the space inside the fairing that will absolutely never be impacted by fairing separation, as determined by fairing separation testing on the ground. The fairing envelope is for that reason always slightly smaller than the actual volume inside the fairing. As long as the X-37B fits inside the fairing envelope (even if it is an exact fit with the envelope) than there is no need whatsoever to check a clean separation by any other means than 'just' telemetry. No live stream camera's needed, let alone GoPro's.This kind of thinking always makes me a bit nervous. I agree that it should not be any problem. But especially if this is the first payload that actually touches the envelope, you might want to check.
SecAf Wilson just said SpaceX would "go up again on August 17" so presumably that's the exact date for the X-37B launch.
QuoteChanges to Eastern Range launch schedule: SpaceX CRS-12 now no earlier than 8/14; SpaceX X-37B NET 9/7; ULA NROL-52 NET 9/25.https://twitter.com/emrekelly/status/890273595166949377
Changes to Eastern Range launch schedule: SpaceX CRS-12 now no earlier than 8/14; SpaceX X-37B NET 9/7; ULA NROL-52 NET 9/25.