Quote from: Lar on 06/03/2016 05:20 pmI agree that replacing the foam is probably cheaper than helicopters ... especially because you have to figure out how to base them at sea since they don't have the range/loiter to fly out 500 nm, loiter around through a whole launch cycle and return.You can do in-air refueling of helicopters.Basing them at sea.... whoa... I mean, we just figured out how to land a simple rocket on a ship, now suddenly you're talking about moving directly to something with huge spinning blades!
I agree that replacing the foam is probably cheaper than helicopters ... especially because you have to figure out how to base them at sea since they don't have the range/loiter to fly out 500 nm, loiter around through a whole launch cycle and return.
Quote from: sewebster on 06/03/2016 08:20 pmQuote from: Lar on 06/03/2016 05:20 pmI agree that replacing the foam is probably cheaper than helicopters ... especially because you have to figure out how to base them at sea since they don't have the range/loiter to fly out 500 nm, loiter around through a whole launch cycle and return.You can do in-air refueling of helicopters.Basing them at sea.... whoa... I mean, we just figured out how to land a simple rocket on a ship, now suddenly you're talking about moving directly to something with huge spinning blades!SpaceX optimizes for cost. Are you sure that in-air refueling of not one, but two, helos is going to be the cheapest way? If not, are you sure that basing them on a ship is going to be the cheapest?
Or use an airplane to recover them. Doesn't have to be a helicopter. Corona used airplanes. ……Once a fairing halve is caught by the plane, however, I'm not entirely sure how it'd be gently placed on the ground.
Another factor is wind. Not sure how well the parachutes will be able to steer in heavy wind. There will probably be some severe restrictions to where you can aim the chutes based on the weather conditions.
The few parts that absolutely can’t be made to tolerate the salt water have just got to be cheaper to be replaced than the cost of a helicopter recovery.
Seems as though ya just need to get them down rather gently and pick em up rather quickly.
(snip)So, seeing as how the fairings would tend to come down not too far (50 miles?) from the ASDS on non-boostback-burn missions, I wonder if it's feasible to use the ASDS as a launch point for the helicopters; they ride out on the ASDS, take off a few minutes before launch, snag the fairings, and lower them to either the support ship or ASDS deck. (I strongly suspect the former.) and then fly to shore. You'd need helicopters with longer than normal range (some have that kind of range, and others can have an extra fuel tank added). I think the timing would be pretty daunting, so perhaps it'd be better (also from a cost perspective, perhaps) to emulate what the Air Force did way back in 1960 and after; use a cargo plane.
Quote from: CJ on 06/04/2016 03:28 am(snip)So, seeing as how the fairings would tend to come down not too far (50 miles?) from the ASDS on non-boostback-burn missions, I wonder if it's feasible to use the ASDS as a launch point for the helicopters; they ride out on the ASDS, take off a few minutes before launch, snag the fairings, and lower them to either the support ship or ASDS deck. (I strongly suspect the former.) and then fly to shore. You'd need helicopters with longer than normal range (some have that kind of range, and others can have an extra fuel tank added). I think the timing would be pretty daunting, so perhaps it'd be better (also from a cost perspective, perhaps) to emulate what the Air Force did way back in 1960 and after; use a cargo plane. At the risk of going farther down the rabbit hole....A big problem with staging helicopters from the ASDS is what happens if they fail to take off? They would have people and a helicopter on the ASDS. That would probably mean calling off the booster recovery.
Hrmmm. I think you're right - they'd have to skip the F9 recovery. That, plus other factors (such as the tight margins for them getting back to land) probably make this a bad idea.
Are we completely sure that helicopter recovery is what they intend to do?