Quote from: john smith 19 on 03/24/2017 06:13 amIn this regard I liked the sound of the system that was used on the Saturn 1. A pointed rectangular cone. Looked like the thing they used on the V2. All Copper IIRC and uncooled. It wasn't a pointed rectangular cone. It wasn't All Copper. And it wasn't uncooled.
In this regard I liked the sound of the system that was used on the Saturn 1. A pointed rectangular cone. Looked like the thing they used on the V2. All Copper IIRC and uncooled.
Jupiter, on the other hand, used a kind of sloped pyramidal base plate. Redstone used something similar. - Ed Kyle
I stand corrected, although I'm surprised. My impression of these things was that the bigger ones were (very) large concrete channels. How do cool something like that?
$18.6 million project begins on CapeCAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. --The 45th Space Wing’s communication capabilities took a giant step forward with the groundbreaking of the new Range Communications Facility March 16, 2017.A ceremony was held to signify the start of construction for the Eastern Range’s $18.6 million project, which will replace the former XY communications building, and serve as the new work center for the space launch program for decades to come.“It is an exciting time to be at the 45th Space Wing as we continue to break barriers and new ground for the next generation of range communications,” said Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, 45th Space Wing commander.The new 32,314-square-foot communications facility will be constructed in the industrial area and will directly support range operations.In addition to replacing aging equipment and infrastructure, the upgraded building will also resolve other issues, which plagued the old facility to include problems caused by flooding.“The new facility will alleviate concerns we have every hurricane season resolving structural, mechanical and fire protection problems that the building has experienced over the years. The upgraded facility will now comply with all electrical and telecommunications requirements,” said Robert Elliott, 45th Civil Engineer Squadron project manager.“As space launch and vehicles evolve, so must the technology and facilities we use to support it,” Monteith said. “This facility is crucial in advancing us toward our drive to 48 and providing ‘assured access to space.”Once completed, the new facility will house and operate state-of-art communications technology that will decrease operation and maintenance costs and increase long-term reliability, according to William Trump, 45th Range Maintenance Squadron project engineer.Demolition of the former building at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station was completed February 2017, and the new building is slated for completion in 2018.“It is our goal to deliver this project on time and on budget and well look forward to seeing everyone at the ribbon cutting,” said Lt. Col. Landon Raby, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District deputy commander.
SX's stated goal is "single digit turnaround" of a single pad. IE ready to launch another vehicle within 10 hours of the last one. With 2 pads on site that (and assuming SX have the launch team to do so) that's 2 9am launches and 2 launches before 7pm the same night. Assuming only week day launches, and excluding the 4 weeks CCAFS are saying they need for maintenance that's 960 launches a year. I guess that's the kind of scale you've got to be geared up for if you're wanting to launch a 12000 satellite comms network in a reasonable time. AFTS means SX don't need those USAF staff around to help them do the launches.
CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. -- The 5th Space Launch Squadron recently merged mission assurance operations with the 45th Launch Support Squadron (LCSS) to bring technical experts together under one organization and allow for the recently developed Falcon flight to meet future requirements.Prior to the merger, the members who worked on the United Launch Alliance Atlas and Delta launch vehicles were a part of the 5th SLS under separate flights. However, their counterparts assigned to oversee the SpaceX Falcon launch vehicles were a part of the LCSS.To maximize efficiency, the Atlas and Delta programs merged into one flight and the Falcon flight officially stood up under their new home at the 5th SLS. With this merger, one squadron is now responsible for all launch vehicle mission assurance.“Mission assurance” is the process of identifying, tracking and assessing risk of system deficiencies for launch site assembly and testing, as well as launch vehicle and space vehicle processing activities. This process is a requirement for all National Security Space missions.Knowing the Falcon launch vehicle would soon support NSS payloads, the team developed a plan to ensure a smooth transition. A methodical “crawl, walk, run” mentality was implemented in July 2017 to begin the transition from initial certification activities. By January 15, 2018, the Falcon flight entered its final ‘run’ phase, proving ready to provide mission assurance for the GPS III launch scheduled later this year.These changes benefit more than just the Falcon flight personnel. Having experts who provide mission assurance for launch vehicles aligned under one squadron allows the team to streamline operations and share best practices, characteristics essential to ensuring public safety as the demand for launches from the Eastern Range continues to increase.“Organizing all launch vehicle mission assurance under one roof brings all the brainstorming to one place, so the experiential knowledge of what works and doesn’t work can be used to enhance mission assurance,” said 1st Lt. Drew Carrigan, an Air Force responsible engineer in the Atlas/Delta Flight. “We’ve been forced to reevaluate how we do business and challenge the status quo, allowing the squadron to achieve previously unattained heights.”In forcing the squadron to look inward and reevaluate, Carrigan said the squadron has actually become more agile in their capability to support multiple mission sets.“We’ve also become more efficient due to the fact many of our mission assurance personnel are able to cover multiple launch vehicles,” he said.According to Carrigan, this change is a key enabler to meeting the Wing’s ‘Drive to 48’ initiative by having a certification process for all mission assurance personnel.“We’ve transformed how a team can balance changing requirements while continuing to ensure mission success as our Wing launches at an unprecedented rate,” said Carrigan. “Now that all launch vehicle mission assurance has been consolidated into the 5th SLS, we are united to crush roadblocks and innovate while safeguarding critical government requirements.”5th SLS leadership acknowledged the challenge of change noted the expertise their team has allows them to adapt and succeed quickly.“Change is unpleasant for most and it’s especially difficult when you uproot personnel, relocate them and ask them to completely rethink their way of doing business,” said Lt. Col. Waylon Mitchell, 5th Space Launch Squadron commander. “Every member of the 5th SLS was affected by this reorganization in some way, and I was very impressed to see how our members responded with resilience and a positive can-do attitude ready to take on the new challenge.”Mitchell continued, saying while the launch enterprise is rapidly evolving, the mission assurance community must adapt accordingly.“We must keep pace with an increasing number of providers, new vehicle designs and innovative concepts of operations, all the while maintaining our commitment to 100% mission success. This organizational change and the ramp up of Falcon mission assurance is just the first step of many to come on that journey into the future of space launch.”
Looks like we could be in for some exciting times.Quote“When pad 40 is up and operating, [it will] give us the capability of launching a Falcon from both pad 39A and pad 40 on the same day,” stated the Brig. Gen.
“When pad 40 is up and operating, [it will] give us the capability of launching a Falcon from both pad 39A and pad 40 on the same day,” stated the Brig. Gen.
Quote from: mme on 03/20/2017 05:16 pmLooks like we could be in for some exciting times.Quote“When pad 40 is up and operating, [it will] give us the capability of launching a Falcon from both pad 39A and pad 40 on the same day,” stated the Brig. Gen.This kind of happened the other day, didn't it? There was supposed to be a Falcon 9 then an Atlas V back to back, but the range chickened out. (I'm sure that's a gross simplification, but it does show that this statement above was kinda optimistic...)
Quote from: Robotbeat on 03/25/2018 02:21 amQuote from: mme on 03/20/2017 05:16 pmLooks like we could be in for some exciting times.Quote“When pad 40 is up and operating, [it will] give us the capability of launching a Falcon from both pad 39A and pad 40 on the same day,” stated the Brig. Gen.This kind of happened the other day, didn't it? There was supposed to be a Falcon 9 then an Atlas V back to back, but the range chickened out. (I'm sure that's a gross simplification, but it does show that this statement above was kinda optimistic...)2 Falcons isn’t the same as a Falcon and an Atlas. For one thing Atlas doesn’t have AFTS. Also, it wasn’t the range that chickened out. ULA and their payload partner didn’t want to risk an event from the Falcon on the pad contaminating their rocket and payload sitting unprotected on the pad nearby. Very different circumstances.
number of RD-180s remaining is not really on topic for launch frequency.
Quote from: Lar on 03/27/2018 08:34 amnumber of RD-180s remaining is not really on topic for launch frequency.Strongly disagree - goes to availability of launchers if Vulcan is delayed and exactly when Delta IV ends up being retired.
It really makes no difference for Delta IV retirement (unless Vulcan is about 5 years late). ULA will have enough engines to get through EELV Phase 1A. Someone will have vehicles able to launch payloads in Phase 2. Assuming Vulcan is chosen for Phase 2 it could be two years behind the current schedule and it would really make no difference, there is schedule margin.
“As we’re going to 48, we can’t have scrubs unnecessarily,” he said. “It’s very important that we preserve our launch opportunities.”For range safety, that means a shift in what happens when ships or planes enter restricted zones. An example he gave was a when a tugboat with a two-person crew was spotted in restricted waters ahead of a launch. In the past, such a ship would be treated the same as a cruise ship with thousands on board, but now the Air Force is looking at each ship, and the risk to those on board, individually.“We went from measuring the risk of hitting the boat to actually causing some sort of casualty,” he said. In that example, the launch could proceed.
[Fast Company, Apr. 9, 2018] This U.S. Air Force Commander Helps Elon Musk’s Interns Launch SpaceX RocketsA good interview with Wayne Monteith, I recommend reading it.