Knowing what we know now following the successful launch, what would have been a more meaningful payload to put on Falcon Heavy's demo flight?
Quote from: sanman on 02/21/2018 04:40 amKnowing what we know now following the successful launch, what would have been a more meaningful payload to put on Falcon Heavy's demo flight?USAF STP-2 and bunch of secondaries.
Quote from: Mader Levap on 02/21/2018 10:50 amQuote from: sanman on 02/21/2018 04:40 amKnowing what we know now following the successful launch, what would have been a more meaningful payload to put on Falcon Heavy's demo flight?USAF STP-2 and bunch of secondaries.The best payload they could have chosen is the one they did. No way to know that the launch would be successful, and this payload minimized risk. It ALSO had the most massive upside of any payload any of us could imagine. The positive PR and buzz generated are immense.Second guessing them now is just as boring (and wrong) as all the "they should have chosen pet project X" talk was before the launch.
And with Elon lowering expectations about the launch I don't think many people would have volunteered...
NASA ran away from FH Demo for real mission collateral out of unsurprising pure political cowardice.
Quote from: Space Ghost 1962 on 02/21/2018 11:34 pmNASA ran away from FH Demo for real mission collateral out of unsurprising pure political cowardice.That doesnt sound like NASA. FH is the first mission of a new rocket, sometimes they work, sometimes they dont. You dont put important payloads on it. This leaves only unimportant payloads, maybe NASA has some of these (I doubt it). FH had a history for not being on any schedule whatsoever. How can you plan a payload for a rocket that is notoriously random in its launch time? This removes almost any sensible payload beyond GEO....
Quote from: Semmel on 02/22/2018 12:32 pmQuote from: Space Ghost 1962 on 02/21/2018 11:34 pmNASA ran away from FH Demo for real mission collateral out of unsurprising pure political cowardice.That doesnt sound like NASA. FH is the first mission of a new rocket, sometimes they work, sometimes they dont. You dont put important payloads on it. This leaves only unimportant payloads, maybe NASA has some of these (I doubt it). FH had a history for not being on any schedule whatsoever. How can you plan a payload for a rocket that is notoriously random in its launch time? This removes almost any sensible payload beyond GEO....Europa Clipper/SLS Block 1B?
Quote from: Space Ghost 1962 on 02/21/2018 11:34 pmNASA ran away from FH Demo for real mission collateral out of unsurprising pure political cowardice.That doesnt sound like NASA. FH is the first mission of a new rocket, sometimes they work, sometimes they dont. You dont put important payloads on it. ...
Quote from: AncientU on 02/22/2018 03:36 pmQuote from: Semmel on 02/22/2018 12:32 pmQuote from: Space Ghost 1962 on 02/21/2018 11:34 pmNASA ran away from FH Demo for real mission collateral out of unsurprising pure political cowardice.That doesnt sound like NASA. FH is the first mission of a new rocket, sometimes they work, sometimes they dont. You dont put important payloads on it. This leaves only unimportant payloads, maybe NASA has some of these (I doubt it). FH had a history for not being on any schedule whatsoever. How can you plan a payload for a rocket that is notoriously random in its launch time? This removes almost any sensible payload beyond GEO....Europa Clipper/SLS Block 1B?That's congress, not NASA mandating Europa Clipper fly on SLS.
This leaves only unimportant payloads, maybe NASA has some of these (I doubt it). FH had a history for not being on any schedule whatsoever. How can you plan a payload for a rocket that is notoriously random in its launch time? This removes almost any sensible payload beyond GEO. I cant think of any payload that NASA would want in <GEO orbit with an unimportant sat. A telescope, any telescope, is already asking too much.
So unless you have inside knowledge to the contrary, I dont think politics was a decisive factor.
IRISCU-E3MarCO...more. Have had them in my hands.
Quote from: Semmel on 02/22/2018 12:32 pmThis leaves only unimportant payloads, maybe NASA has some of these (I doubt it). FH had a history for not being on any schedule whatsoever. How can you plan a payload for a rocket that is notoriously random in its launch time? This removes almost any sensible payload beyond GEO. I cant think of any payload that NASA would want in <GEO orbit with an unimportant sat. A telescope, any telescope, is already asking too much.IRISCU-E3MarCO...more. Have had them in my hands.QuoteSo unless you have inside knowledge to the contrary, I dont think politics was a decisive factor. Politics is the only factor. Even Boeing wasn't stupid about this.And its intensely stupid politics. Grade-A level moronic. "We must stay away otherwise we PO by being pro-SX". Horsecrap.When a country of America's size/leadership walks away from a world-wide accomplishment, rather than pressing the advantage for all it can get out of it, its just plain moronic. In Russia they disfavor the unfavored, habit. In China they get hung up on who gets the advantage for doing something. No excuse for American idiocy can be found.At least you celebrate your victories, as a nation.
Quote from: Space Ghost 1962 on 02/22/2018 05:05 pmQuote from: Semmel on 02/22/2018 12:32 pmThis leaves only unimportant payloads, maybe NASA has some of these (I doubt it). FH had a history for not being on any schedule whatsoever. How can you plan a payload for a rocket that is notoriously random in its launch time? This removes almost any sensible payload beyond GEO. I cant think of any payload that NASA would want in <GEO orbit with an unimportant sat. A telescope, any telescope, is already asking too much.IRISCU-E3MarCO...more. Have had them in my hands.QuoteSo unless you have inside knowledge to the contrary, I dont think politics was a decisive factor. Politics is the only factor. Even Boeing wasn't stupid about this.And its intensely stupid politics. Grade-A level moronic. "We must stay away otherwise we PO by being pro-SX". Horsecrap.When a country of America's size/leadership walks away from a world-wide accomplishment, rather than pressing the advantage for all it can get out of it, its just plain moronic. In Russia they disfavor the unfavored, habit. In China they get hung up on who gets the advantage for doing something. No excuse for American idiocy can be found.At least you celebrate your victories, as a nation.Thought experiment.The FH launch failed.Now what would you be saying? The same thing? If NOT then you are using hindsight. Which is always 20/20.
Nothing much lost on failed test, so just fine as if still on the ground, because you have losses in ground tests.
Loss of secondary/lesser payloads can have devastating PR results.Consider the SpaceX CRS-1 mission:What should have been a thundering PR accolade (we lost an engine and the Falcon STILL delivered!!),is instead known as "the mission that lost Orbcomm"