The roomba is optional for landing, but that broken thruster pod is not...How much time do they need before they need to sail off again for KoreaSat booster?Can they fix it in time?What are consequences for that booster if it cannot be fixed in time?Expend it or postpone launch?So many questions...
The roomba is optional for landing, but that broken thruster pod is not...
Quote from: Jakusb on 10/15/2017 06:41 pmThe roomba is optional for landing, but that broken thruster pod is not...Are four fully operational thrusters actually necessary for landing? With four independently powered thrusters, I don't imagine the stationkeeping algorithm would be rendered unable to function by having one less. I could certainly see the loss of one thruster reducing the available margins when it comes to control authority, putting tighter constraints on acceptable weather.It would be interesting to know what the minimum equipment list for an ASDS would be. Is one thruster offline acceptable? How about two diagonal? same side? same end? And how does a set of three current thrusters compare to the original four thrusters back before they were upgraded?
Quote from: ClayJar on 10/17/2017 04:21 pmQuote from: Jakusb on 10/15/2017 06:41 pmThe roomba is optional for landing, but that broken thruster pod is not...Are four fully operational thrusters actually necessary for landing? With four independently powered thrusters, I don't imagine the stationkeeping algorithm would be rendered unable to function by having one less. I could certainly see the loss of one thruster reducing the available margins when it comes to control authority, putting tighter constraints on acceptable weather.It would be interesting to know what the minimum equipment list for an ASDS would be. Is one thruster offline acceptable? How about two diagonal? same side? same end? And how does a set of three current thrusters compare to the original four thrusters back before they were upgraded?Probably not the place to discuss it at length, but I'd suspect that the positioning system would be able to hold station adequately on three thrusters - as long as the control system knew that it only had those three thrusters. If it believed it had four but only three were operating, the results might not be so great.
Regardless; would they be able to reprogram this flight to a Cape landing, if the ASDS isn't available?
Do they have a couple JLG boom lifts hoisted up on the RSS in that first pic?
TEL is now back in the HIF. There are also reports that all three FH cores are in there as well, I'm sure it's nice and cozy!
Quote from: vaporcobra on 10/26/2017 04:58 amTEL is now back in the HIF. There are also reports that all three FH cores are in there as well, I'm sure it's nice and cozy!Is it actually possible to fit 3 cores plus TEL in HIF at the same time? I thought HIF is only 5 cores wide, and TEL is 3 cores wide.
I believe the additional cores can be shifted some toward the "upper end" of the HIF floor so that the wider base of the T/E isn't an issue when it is also inside. This may not be a possibility when there are additional second stages inside (besides the one going on the T/E for the next launch), but should be fine if they only have the first stages in.
They are still in port.