Author Topic: SpaceX Falcon 9 : Iridium NEXT Flight 4 : December 22/23, 2017 : Discussion  (Read 151080 times)

Offline Flying Beaver

interesting, this may mean nothing, but on the patch s1 has no legs but has fins....

A press kit for this mission is finally available!

And is performing some kind of (four/nine engine?) boostback burn.  :o
Watched B1019 land in person 21/12/2015.

Offline TGMetsFan98

On the mission patch, the lucky clover is out in the ocean. I wonder if SpaceX is hoping for some luck with a recovery experiment?
It’s a beautiful day to go to space.


Offline Flying Beaver

Is it just me or are those gridfins?

Maybe the patch is accurate and they're trying some entry lifting testing or something along those lines?
Watched B1019 land in person 21/12/2015.

Offline IanThePineapple

https://twitter.com/SandyMazza/status/944024381725982720
That's not very sooty!

We're probably not seeing the RP-1 tank in that photo

EDIT: I was right, but the RP-1 tank is seen in another photo. There is no soot, except for possibly the interstage. Also a visual confirmation of no legs
« Last Edit: 12/22/2017 01:14 am by IanThePineapple »

Offline Johnnyhinbos

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More to the point - is that a Block 5 interstage or is it just the lighting?
John Hanzl. Author, action / adventure www.johnhanzl.com

Offline IanThePineapple

More to the point - is that a Block 5 interstage or is it just the lighting?

Nope, possibly soot or lighting. Block 5's interstage will be pure black.

Offline IanThePineapple

Is it just me or are those gridfins?

Maybe the patch is accurate and they're trying some entry lifting testing or something along those lines?

Yeah, looks like grid fins.

I'm guessing they're doing a Cassiope-style water landing with grid fins just to get more data and precision.

Offline Michael Baylor

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Is it just me or are those gridfins?

Maybe the patch is accurate and they're trying some entry lifting testing or something along those lines?
It has grid fins.

Offline RocketLover0119

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Exactly what I'm thinking.... May just be doing a water landing hopefully shill get better pics when its erected

Is it just me or are those gridfins?

Maybe the patch is accurate and they're trying some entry lifting testing or something along those lines?
« Last Edit: 12/22/2017 01:19 am by RocketLover0119 »
"The Starship has landed"

Offline Johnnyhinbos

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More to the point - is that a Block 5 interstage or is it just the lighting?

Nope, possibly soot or lighting. Block 5's interstage will be pure black.
Yeah - just saw the other angle. Guess I’m edgy on this eve of all the new SpaceX letters and numbers! (FH, B5, D2...)
John Hanzl. Author, action / adventure www.johnhanzl.com

Offline FutureMartian97

Why did they clean the stage? Didn't Matt Desch say it wasn't cleaned? Did SpaceX see a lot more drag than they anticipated with CRS-13?

Offline pb2000

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Why did they clean the stage? Didn't Matt Desch say it wasn't cleaned? Did SpaceX see a lot more drag than they anticipated with CRS-13?
1036 had the entire resource base of Hawthorne, so may have actually been refurbished before 1035, or at the very least had excess intern labour.

I think Elon should charge $100 per square foot for the privilege of washing a F9; at the rate they're recovering them, BFR will be funded in no time flat.
Launches attended: Worldview-4 (Atlas V 401), Iridium NEXT Flight 1 (Falcon 9 FT), PAZ+Starlink (Falcon 9 FT), Arabsat-6A (Falcon Heavy)
Pilgrimaged to: Boca Chica (09/19 & 01/22)

Offline RocketLover0119

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Another pic from credit user amarkit... Definately grid fins there
"The Starship has landed"

Online docmordrid

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DM

Offline gongora

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There really isn't a need to post everything in both the Update and Discussion threads.

Offline TorenAltair

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Would anybody try to land a F9 without legs on a ship structure? (I for sure wouldn't)
How sturdy are those two ships out there?

Offline gongora

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They're not landing on a ship.  The booster is being expended.

Offline dorkmo

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well if you're expending an older version stage, you might as well expend a few old style aluminum grid fins aswell  ;)

Offline woods170

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Why did they clean the stage? Didn't Matt Desch say it wasn't cleaned? Did SpaceX see a lot more drag than they anticipated with CRS-13?

No legs on this booster. Leg hold-down hardware was removed from this stage which required cleaning of the lower part of the stage. You than just might as well clean the entire stage.

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