Author Topic: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight  (Read 73200 times)

Offline topsphere

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Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #20 on: 04/02/2016 03:37 pm »
Some photos and videos of the launch, and the capsule return, have been taken by Travis Bubenik over at https://twitter.com/traviswesttx. Not sure how to embed the video here though
« Last Edit: 04/02/2016 03:40 pm by topsphere »

Offline Hankelow8

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Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #21 on: 04/02/2016 04:02 pm »
Excellent. Now we wait for some photos, facts and video!


It's interesting how they are now becoming  much less secretive.

Marketing is becoming important for filling the places on future commercial launches.

A live web streaming of the next launch ?
« Last Edit: 04/02/2016 04:58 pm by Hankelow8 »

Online jcm

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Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #22 on: 04/02/2016 04:05 pm »
I can't find the launch time for the first New Shepard or the PM-2 flights, but the second and third NS flights were at 11:15 and 11:21 central time respectively; that should give a good idea when to expect this next test.

Do you have a source for these times?  I had 11:21 for the 2nd flight and haven't found a time for the third one

This one appears to be about 1018 CDT = 1518 UTC or so
« Last Edit: 04/02/2016 04:05 pm by jcm »
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Offline Kryten

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Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #23 on: 04/02/2016 04:13 pm »
I can't find the launch time for the first New Shepard or the PM-2 flights, but the second and third NS flights were at 11:15 and 11:21 central time respectively; that should give a good idea when to expect this next test.

Do you have a source for these times?  I had 11:21 for the 2nd flight and haven't found a time for the third one

This one appears to be about 1018 CDT = 1518 UTC or so
I thought I'd seen it in a SpaceNews article, but after checking it turns out I've just gotten confused somewhere.

Online Chris Bergin

Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #24 on: 04/02/2016 05:04 pm »
Due to popular demand I'll set up Blue Origin's own forum section when I get time.

Busy with the Progress docking, so keep an eye out for that video and update on their site with all those details we need for an article.
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Offline DatUser14

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Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #25 on: 04/02/2016 05:10 pm »
@JeffBezos saying on twitter the launch and landing were successful.
 https://twitter.com/JeffBezos/status/716285758382809088
Titan IVB was a cool rocket

Offline mme

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Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #26 on: 04/02/2016 06:20 pm »
Crew Capsule is locked & ready for flt. Tortoises mark successful CC missions.

https://twitter.com/JeffBezos
So is the Tortoise a reference to Aesop's Tortoise and the Hare fable?   Slow and steady wins the race.

Or is is the nickname of the CC?  It does sort of look like a tortoise.  Either way, well played Jeff.  Looking forward to the BE-4 and Big Brother.
Space is not Highlander.  There can, and will, be more than one.

Offline Kabloona

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Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #27 on: 04/02/2016 08:24 pm »
Crew Capsule is locked & ready for flt. Tortoises mark successful CC missions.

https://twitter.com/JeffBezos
So is the Tortoise a reference to Aesop's Tortoise and the Hare fable?   Slow and steady wins the race.

Yes, and it's the same tortoise as on their coat of arms.

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=10685.msg1503294#msg1503294
« Last Edit: 04/02/2016 08:25 pm by Kabloona »

Offline mme

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Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #28 on: 04/02/2016 08:54 pm »
...
Yes, and it's the same tortoise as on their coat of arms.

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=10685.msg1503294#msg1503294
I forgot their motto (Gradatim Ferociter!) and that they had a coat of arms.  Thanks.
Space is not Highlander.  There can, and will, be more than one.

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #29 on: 04/02/2016 10:53 pm »
Not sure what late restart (hoverslam) will achieve on NS as it seems to have performance to spare. Definitely worth perfecting for orbital LV.


Online Chris Bergin

Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #30 on: 04/02/2016 11:29 pm »
Certainly an improvement with Jeff tweeting, but their wish to do a fancy video seems to mean we're still waiting for some actual footage.
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Offline NovaSilisko

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Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #31 on: 04/02/2016 11:31 pm »
I hope that eventually changes. We, the SpaceX Technical Webcast target audience, don't care for spiffy productions - we want raw footage!  :)

Offline LastStarFighter

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Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #32 on: 04/02/2016 11:31 pm »
Not sure what late restart (hoverslam) will achieve on NS as it seems to have performance to spare. Definitely worth perfecting for orbital LV.

Perhaps they want to use that extra performance to go higher and get more micro gravity time. Will be interesting to see what the flight stats are. Or perhaps they want to test if they can push it if the mission gets heavier and needs more propellant for boosting. They did say they wanted to push the limits during testing of the system.

Offline Damon Hill

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Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #33 on: 04/03/2016 01:28 am »
Crew Capsule is locked & ready for flt. Tortoises mark successful CC missions.

https://twitter.com/JeffBezos
So is the Tortoise a reference to Aesop's Tortoise and the Hare fable?   Slow and steady wins the race.

Yes, and it's the same tortoise as on their coat of arms.

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=10685.msg1503294#msg1503294

I'd say it's turtles, all the way up.


--Damon

Offline Navier–Stokes

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Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #34 on: 04/03/2016 01:40 am »
Still no video but we now have some pictures:

Quote
Blue Origin
‏@blueorigin

Congrats Blue team on today’s flt! New pics in top row of image gallery http://www.blueorigin.com/gallery  #LaunchLandRepeat

6:32 PM - 2 Apr 2016

Apogee was 339,138 feet (103.4 km) and BE-3 restart occurred at 3,635 feet (1.1 km).

Edit: Added flight information from Blue Origin photo captions.
« Last Edit: 04/03/2016 02:06 am by Navier–Stokes »

Offline Space Lizard

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Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #35 on: 04/03/2016 10:41 am »
Do I read "MSS Jules Verne" above the crew capsule hatch?

And the windows are fake, so it's not the real vehicle yet?
I watch rockets

Offline Rik ISS-fan

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Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #36 on: 04/03/2016 11:51 am »
And the windows are fake, so it's not the real vehicle yet?

It is a real vehicle! A unmanned / micro-gravity experiment vehicle.  ;)
Most likely there are no live support systems integrated in this capsule. It will only be used for micro-gravity experiments. I think this is efficient use of resources. The live support systems and windows are not required for micro-gravity flights. For optical experiments it is beter to mount them outside of the vehicle than behind a window. All materials in between the source and the sensor distort the measurement, so external mounting is beter. Possibly a sensor can be placed in a location of a window dummy panel.
Most likely several capsules will get destroyed before living payloads, especially of the human variety are flown.
So I expect that later versions of the capsule will have windows, this one doesn't need them. 

PS is the discussion topic a beter location for this?
« Last Edit: 04/03/2016 11:52 am by Rik ISS-fan »

Online Chris Bergin

Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #37 on: 04/03/2016 12:15 pm »
I think we can use this as updates and discussion given the updates are literally just some tweets and a few photos. Hopefully we'll get a video and some Bezos quotes today (as I have a draft article, but I need more to make it an article) and we can discuss the video in this standalone thread. An update only thread would be rather threadbare ;)
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Offline Space Lizard

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Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #38 on: 04/03/2016 12:45 pm »
And the windows are fake, so it's not the real vehicle yet?

It is a real vehicle! A unmanned / micro-gravity experiment vehicle.  ;)
I just wanted to be sure of what was actually flown yesterday and how far in the development of the New Shepard manned vehicle this flight stands.

Apparently, there's still some way to go.
I watch rockets

Offline brihath

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Re: Blue Origin Fourth Developmental Flight
« Reply #39 on: 04/03/2016 01:49 pm »
Still a way to go defined by what?

AFAIK, the flight was successful and in a prior flight the capsule achieved an altitude above the Karman Line, which was Bezos' stated objective.  Until we have more information on the flight test objectives above and beyond what has already been stated, that may be all we have to go on, which was pushing the envelope on the booster recovery engine start altitude.

My guess is they are continuing to qualify the equipment and refine the booster recovery profile.  I have not yet heard whether they have yet lofted a fully capable capsule with a life support system, but all of that will have to be qualified prior to taking crew/passengers.
« Last Edit: 04/03/2016 01:50 pm by brihath »

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