Author Topic: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread  (Read 329021 times)

Offline gin455res

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #20 on: 01/12/2014 09:18 am »
how hard would it be to land it on an old ship with a concrete decking?

or to build a floating landing pad?

Offline Barrie

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #21 on: 01/12/2014 11:38 am »
how hard would it be to land it on an old ship with a concrete decking?

or to build a floating landing pad?

This sort of thing has been discussed at length in other threads.  Leaving aside any technical difficulties of landing on a floating platform, there is no future in it.   RTLS is considered necessary for rapid, economic reuse.

Offline Avron

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #22 on: 01/12/2014 04:03 pm »

Here is a picture of the leg attachment points on the CASSIOPE flight, where the points are circled in red. Those points appear to serve no other purpose, and they are in the right place, but I could be wrong.

Looks like the mounts are integrated with the hold down system.. this image frame-grab from SES-8 launch.

Looking back at the video they are covered by the hold down system

Offline Avron

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #23 on: 01/12/2014 04:08 pm »
The best view of the mounts can be seen in the SES-8 launch but we have a closeup on the CASSIOPE launch pad, they keep the camera zoom back in the next two launches, so its not easy to resolve the mounts for the legs on the launch pad.. ( got a thing for legs)..

CASSIOPE pad show an addition mount point in this image.. ideas (stage recovery) ?
« Last Edit: 01/12/2014 04:09 pm by Avron »

Offline Avron

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #24 on: 01/12/2014 04:22 pm »
Here is another pic of the CASSIOPE (assumed) booster stage at the factory, looking for landing leg mount points.

Offline Lar

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #25 on: 01/12/2014 04:34 pm »
Looks like the mounts are integrated with the hold down system.. this image frame-grab from SES-8 launch.

Looking back at the video they are covered by the hold down system

If the mounts are covered by the hold down, then I would wonder if the hold down would work unmodified with the legs attached to the mounts... presumably the legs would stick out a bit farther. Or did you mean just visually blocking the view rather than in close prox?

I can't imagine they would deploy a hold down that would need to be modified so soon though, so it's probably just view blocking.
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Offline cambrianera

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #26 on: 01/12/2014 04:38 pm »
Hold down points and leg attachments are parts of the octaweb.
Additional points could be used as octaweb handling attachments during assembly.
See colored circles in the pic.
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Offline Arb

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #27 on: 01/12/2014 04:51 pm »
...we are not very far away from CRS3 and not one GH2 hop at all yet. I find that surprising, I was SURE they would want to test a few things so every day without a GH2 makes CRS3 landing on land a bit less likely, IMHO.
There is no guarantee that every or indeed any GH2 flights will be reported promptly or at all.

Security and secrecy seem to be tightening. Someone posting pictures recently mentioned that it is not now possible to get as close to the test site as it used to be due to guards blocking the road and turning folk back...

Offline Prober

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #28 on: 01/12/2014 05:03 pm »
Yes, they might do RTLS but with a target in the ocean a few miles out from the shore - before going for a land landing.
Perhaps, but Musk was quoted saying they were seeking permission to land back at the Cape for CRS-3.

He was saying that a few months ago, yes. But without any GH2/F9R-1 test flights in McGregor or NM, I think that is a very remote possibility at this point. A couple of GH2 hops will of course change that if they happen.

Judging based on the post launch Q&A of Orbital; the company knows 2014 plans extremely well.   Moving this thinking over to the SpaceX side.   Legs or no legs, landing etc. should have been all timed out Sept-Oct 2013.

So the only information we will get is once SpaceX wishes to reveal it.   Don't believe a couple of hops would make any difference regarding CRS-3.
 
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Offline Avron

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #29 on: 01/12/2014 05:08 pm »
Looks like the mounts are integrated with the hold down system.. this image frame-grab from SES-8 launch.

Looking back at the video they are covered by the hold down system

If the mounts are covered by the hold down, then I would wonder if the hold down would work unmodified with the legs attached to the mounts... presumably the legs would stick out a bit farther. Or did you mean just visually blocking the view rather than in close prox?

I can't imagine they would deploy a hold down that would need to be modified so soon though, so it's probably just view blocking.
I can't tell, I would go with a blocked view at this time, but speculate that they have already modified the hold down posts.

Offline joek

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #30 on: 01/12/2014 05:10 pm »
It would still surprise me if they aimed for land before two or so first stages had been brought back to off-shore targets and demonstrated precision navigation.

Yes; the FAA requires that the three-sigma dispersion be wholly contained within the reentry site.

Offline Avron

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #31 on: 01/12/2014 05:12 pm »
Hold down points and leg attachments are parts of the octaweb.
Additional points could be used as octaweb handling attachments during assembly.
See colored circles in the pic.

Not easy to see, but they look part of the jig vs octaweb, however, I would go with handling attachments

Offline cambrianera

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #32 on: 01/12/2014 05:45 pm »
Close up with details.
@Lar: the leg should be where I've put the black area.
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Offline Prober

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #33 on: 01/12/2014 06:29 pm »
Close up with details.
@Lar: the leg should be where I've put the black area.

think your off on your black areas...sorry  :P

Everyone seems to be focused on the bottom parts.   I'm more interested in Parts B & D in this photo.

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Offline Avron

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #34 on: 01/12/2014 06:34 pm »
Close up with details.
@Lar: the leg should be where I've put the black area.

think your off on your black areas...sorry  :P

Everyone seems to be focused on the bottom parts.   I'm more interested in Parts B & D in this photo.



I have looked for (B).. just don't see it in images ( assuming we are talking of the top mount/lock point for the legs)

Offline MTom

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #35 on: 01/12/2014 07:33 pm »

Everyone seems to be focused on the bottom parts.   I'm more interested in Parts B & D in this photo.

Yes, D is for the telescopes...

Offline MTom

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #36 on: 01/12/2014 07:42 pm »
Close up with details.


I think, theese jigs are not for the legs.
Both of them are perpendicular to the radius. In this case they could not be the axis for a flipping leg.
The two axis of a leg have to be in a line.
« Last Edit: 01/12/2014 07:52 pm by MTom »

Offline Prober

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #37 on: 01/12/2014 08:58 pm »
Close up with details.
@Lar: the leg should be where I've put the black area.

think your off on your black areas...sorry  :P

Everyone seems to be focused on the bottom parts.   I'm more interested in Parts B & D in this photo.



I have looked for (B).. just don't see it in images ( assuming we are talking of the top mount/lock point for the legs)
yes, that's the locking point.     D looks to be "NEW" sheet metal cover if the graphics are correct?
 
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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #38 on: 01/12/2014 09:02 pm »

Everyone seems to be focused on the bottom parts.   I'm more interested in Parts B & D in this photo.

Yes, D is for the telescopes...
The telescopes seem to be built under the legs and fit flush from what's been shown thus far.   Has to be a lot more design work we have not seen as yet.
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Offline Comga

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Landing legs - General Discussion Thread
« Reply #39 on: 01/12/2014 10:36 pm »
Close up with details.
@Lar: the leg should be where I've put the black area.
Why don't you think the tab circled here in red is the anchor for the legs? It looks right to me.
I don't see anything at the "D" label.  That seems to be for the dimension.  What is it you think you see there?
What kind of wastrels would dump a perfectly good booster in the ocean after just one use?

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