Author Topic: SpaceX's Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship Updates and Discussion Thread 3  (Read 1424099 times)

Offline Citabria

  • Member
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 321
  • Michigan
  • Liked: 276
  • Likes Given: 325
The point is to put payloads into orbit and not to land on barges

Wrong. The point is to put payloads into orbit more affordably by landing on barges and seashores.

We all grew up with disposable rockets and convinced ourselves that the missions were worth the waste. Good thing Mr. Musk did not.
« Last Edit: 08/12/2016 04:26 pm by Citabria »

Offline Comga

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Liked: 4572
  • Likes Given: 5136
Oh Puh-lease!
Let's not rehash this issue.
Jim is right.  (as usual)
Decreasing interest in the mechanics is proper for maturing technology, where the focus shifts to the ultimate purpose.
Just look at the JCSat-16 Updates Thread.  <36 hours to go and the press kit is only the 20th reply.
This is from someone who is thinking about driving several hours to the Cape to watch the 2 AM launch.
What kind of wastrels would dump a perfectly good booster in the ocean after just one use?

Offline meekGee

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 14158
  • N. California
  • Liked: 14046
  • Likes Given: 1392
Oh Puh-lease!
Let's not rehash this issue.
Jim is right.  (as usual)
Decreasing interest in the mechanics is proper for maturing technology, where the focus shifts to the ultimate purpose.
Just look at the JCSat-16 Updates Thread.  <36 hours to go and the press kit is only the 20th reply.
This is from someone who is thinking about driving several hours to the Cape to watch the 2 AM launch.

I'd drive further to watch a landing.  It's more interesting, from an "aerospace" point of view.

And if you want to discount the "mechanics", what's the point in watching either launch or landing?  It's all about the payload, right?

With routine operations, everything loses the novelty factor.   I'll all for that.  I sat at a restaurant on the shoreline by SFO watching airplanes land. Giant beasts coming and going, right outside the window.  After 3 or 4, got lost in my drink and conversation.  Looking forward to reacting to rockets the same way...

But meanwhile, rockets get launched all over, by multiple vendors, and have been for the last 50 years.  Landings, not so much.
ABCD - Always Be Counting Down

Offline envy887

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8144
  • Liked: 6801
  • Likes Given: 2965
How times have changed.  Only a couple of launches ago we would have been estimating departure times and sending out stalkers ahead of time.  Now it's just an footnote...

rightly so.  The point is to put payloads into orbit and not to land on barges

Exactly. They should be landing on land instead!  ::)

Offline AncientU

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6257
  • Liked: 4164
  • Likes Given: 6078
Oh Puh-lease!
Let's not rehash this issue.
Jim is right.  (as usual)
Decreasing interest in the mechanics is proper for maturing technology, where the focus shifts to the ultimate purpose.
Just look at the JCSat-16 Updates Thread.  <36 hours to go and the press kit is only the 20th reply.
This is from someone who is thinking about driving several hours to the Cape to watch the 2 AM launch.

Of course Jim is correct, the glass is half empty.

For the last fifty years, the Ultimate Purpose of a launch was delivering the payload, mostly because that was the ONLY thing a given rocket did.  Its mission was over when the payload was released. 

Falcon's 'mission' is just starting... by design, after it releases its payload, it will go through a series of maneuvers, land safely on a drone ship or at the launch site, get returned to the pad, launch another payload, go through a series of maneuvers, land safely on a drone ship or at the launch site, get returned to the pad, launch another payload, go through a series of maneuvers, land safely on a drone ship or at the launch site, get returned to the pad, launch another payload, ...

If you only do one thing, then of course it it the ultimate thing to you.

Edit: grammar (site vs sight)
« Last Edit: 08/14/2016 11:34 pm by AncientU »
"If we shared everything [we are working on] people would think we are insane!"
-- SpaceX friend of mlindner

Offline Ohsin

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1469
  • Liked: 1453
  • Likes Given: 2379
I liked that at T-4m50s they discussed how the orientation of Droneship is dictated entirely by sea conditions and not approach of first stage, also the bit on no talking between droneship and stage plus little description on final burn profiles. Good communication, better webcasts.
"Well, three cheers to Sharma, but our real baby is INSAT."

Offline CJ

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1302
  • Liked: 1282
  • Likes Given: 540
I liked that at T-4m50s they discussed how the orientation of Droneship is dictated entirely by sea conditions and not approach of first stage, also the bit on no talking between droneship and stage plus little description on final burn profiles. Good communication, better webcasts.

I liked that, too.

We've long discussed droneship orientation in this thread, and as I recall, the consensus was that it is dictated by sea conditions, but it's great to hear confirmation.


Offline starhawk92

  • Full Member
  • **
  • Posts: 245
  • Burlington, NC, USA, North America, Earth (for now)
  • Liked: 240
  • Likes Given: 227
As the latest capture returns to PC, please note significant observations/milestones here as appropriate:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=40926.0  (S1-0028 Reuse thread)

Thanks!

Offline Kabloona

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4846
  • Velocitas Eradico
  • Fortress of Solitude
  • Liked: 3429
  • Likes Given: 741
Here's our old friend Marmac 300 carrying components for the Deepwater Wind turbines off Block Island:

http://m.providencejournal.com/article/20151121/NEWS/151119173

Offline IntoTheVoid

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 422
  • USA
  • Liked: 420
  • Likes Given: 134
Here's our old friend Marmac 300 carrying components for the Deepwater Wind turbines off Block Island:

http://m.providencejournal.com/article/20151121/NEWS/151119173

What an embarrassing retirement, relegated to being lashed to another barge that's then using anchors and winches to hold position. How the mighty have fallen.  :'(

Online Johnnyhinbos

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3863
  • Boston, MA
  • Liked: 8095
  • Likes Given: 943
That article is behind a paywall. But now I'm going to run my boat out there to check her out!
John Hanzl. Author, action / adventure www.johnhanzl.com

Offline Kabloona

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4846
  • Velocitas Eradico
  • Fortress of Solitude
  • Liked: 3429
  • Likes Given: 741
That article is behind a paywall. But now I'm going to run my boat out there to check her out!

She may be long gone since the article was from last November and construction is nearly complete. But it would be a cool trip anyway. You might get to see some blades being installed.

http://www.newsday.com/news/region-state/long-island-sound-wind-farm-off-block-island-nears-completion-1.12179327
« Last Edit: 08/16/2016 04:08 pm by Kabloona »

Offline IntoTheVoid

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 422
  • USA
  • Liked: 420
  • Likes Given: 134
That article is behind a paywall. But now I'm going to run my boat out there to check her out!
Link was fine for me. Not behind a paywall, but behind a pop-up video add. If you blocked it, perhaps that caused the issue.

Offline CyndyC

Here's our old friend Marmac 300 carrying components for the Deepwater Wind turbines off Block Island:

http://m.providencejournal.com/article/20151121/NEWS/151119173

What an embarrassing retirement, relegated to being lashed to another barge that's then using anchors and winches to hold position. How the mighty have fallen.  :'(

Kidding aside, one ship company's spokesperson explicitly stated in a press release on the developer's website that they were proud to be part of building America's first offshore wind farm. It's an exciting renewable energy development to be alerted to on top of the association with the Marmac 300.
"Either lead, follow, or get out of the way." -- quote of debatable origin tweeted by Ted Turner and previously seen on his desk

Offline CyndyC

Decreasing interest in the mechanics is proper for maturing technology.....

.....especially during the Olympics. Note evidence of a conflict when interest rose again to watch SpaceX stick a landing like a Gold medalist, as Bubbinski put it on Twitter. That might be a good analogy to use going forward. At most 3/10ths of a point deduction if they don't stick the landing, and 3/10ths no one wants to sacrifice. Even Jim might allow a 3/10ths of a point valuation.
« Last Edit: 08/16/2016 08:21 pm by CyndyC »
"Either lead, follow, or get out of the way." -- quote of debatable origin tweeted by Ted Turner and previously seen on his desk

Offline JebK

  • Member
  • Posts: 82
  • United States
  • Liked: 58
  • Likes Given: 15
At most 3/10ths of a point deduction if they don't stick the landing, and 3/10ths no one wants to sacrifice.

I just hope we get to see this landing at some point.  All I saw the usual picture freeze (during which we heard the "Falcon 9 has landed..." call) and then suddenly there it was on the deck of OCISLY.

Online Herb Schaltegger

At most 3/10ths of a point deduction if they don't stick the landing, and 3/10ths no one wants to sacrifice.

I just hope we get to see this landing at some point.  All I saw the usual picture freeze (during which we heard the "Falcon 9 has landed..." call) and then suddenly there it was on the deck of OCISLY.

SpaceX will almost certainly release a full-length landing video, or hopefully (as in some recent launches) several - distant views front the escort vessels or a drone, on board footage from the barge, or best of all, Stage 1 footage all the way to the X.
Ad astra per aspirin ...

Offline CameronD

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2374
  • Melbourne, Australia
    • Norton Consultants
  • Liked: 868
  • Likes Given: 548
At most 3/10ths of a point deduction if they don't stick the landing, and 3/10ths no one wants to sacrifice.

I just hope we get to see this landing at some point.  All I saw the usual picture freeze (during which we heard the "Falcon 9 has landed..." call) and then suddenly there it was on the deck of OCISLY.

Well, to be fair on them, we do know from the past couple that the stage touches down incredibly quickly in anything other than high-speed video - at a guess, less than a second from fall to complete stop.  I'm not going to try and guess the g-forces involved, but imagine they'd be significant.  Either way, for many reasons discussed here already, a nice, gentle, slow, touchdown this is not: they don't call it "hover-slam" for nothing.  If their live video link is fairly low frame-rate (as it appears to be) it's not all that surprising to me that it's all over before we know it. :)
« Last Edit: 08/17/2016 12:03 am by CameronD »
With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine - however, this is not necessarily a good idea. It is hard to be sure where they are
going to land, and it could be dangerous sitting under them as they fly overhead.

Offline envy887

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8144
  • Liked: 6801
  • Likes Given: 2965
No, there is plenty of time to see the actual landing in non-high-speed video, but the sat link always cuts out during the live feed.

Offline su27k

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6414
  • Liked: 9100
  • Likes Given: 885
Nice thing about reddit is occasionally you got interesting info like this: https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/4xmxar/spacex_on_twitter_falcon_9_first_stage_has_landed/d6hcbkt?context=3

Quote
Quote
Bencredible is already that guy and has put a lot of work into getting the feeds to do as well as they have. The fact that the feed does come back on its own should be appreciated.
Yeah, I have it (mostly) self healing now... Hey, we all want to see it too! Drives me bonkers when it cuts out. Working on solutions, but no ETA. It's actually a much harder challenge than the Internet gives it credit for. The solution will hopefully look simple, but has a boat load of... uh... things... making... it... thing... and... stuff... can't... talk... about...
Or it could miserably fail. Dunno, but I'm gunna try!

and

Quote
We simplify explaining problem to just vibe. It is actually vibe plus a lot of additional radio interference. Take in to account the massive distances involved between the nearest available objects and things get complex quick!
I'll say it is actually a sorta fun problem to solve. Engineers are split 50/50 as to if the proposed solution will work or not. We shall see!

Tags:
 

Advertisement NovaTech
Advertisement Northrop Grumman
Advertisement
Advertisement Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island
Advertisement Brady Kenniston
Advertisement NextSpaceflight
Advertisement Nathan Barker Photography
1