Author Topic: SpaceX Falcon 9 - Iridium NEXT Flight 1 DISCUSSION (Jan. 14 2017)  (Read 441990 times)

Offline Danderman

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I would imagine that, in the event that the second stage were not to re-start, that the satellites would have enough prop to make it to their final orbit, at the price of a shorter working lifetime.

Offline abaddon

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Question: is this the longest coast of an S2 by SpaceX to date?  IIRC GTO launches have shorter coasts.  But maybe one of the more unusual launches (e.g. Jason-3) had a similar or longer coast and I am forgetting...

Offline getitdoneinspace

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Thanks for the FANTASTIC play by play Zach. Are you an intern at SpaceX? If so, I wish you a great career.

Offline jaufgang

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Anyone see and know what the tumbling thing was to the left and below the first stage during the reentry burn?  It was so fast I couldn't tell.  Would be surprised if it where a fairing segment.

I saw it too starting at T+05:33 in the little triangular wedge of earth visible between the left grid fin and the fuselage.  If you are still connected to the live stream you can back up to see it again.  It's clearly tumbling and certainly looks like a fairing segment to me.

Online ZachS09

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Thanks for the FANTASTIC play by play Zach. Are you an intern at SpaceX? If so, I wish you a great career.

No. I am not a SpaceX intern. I'm just a college student at the University of Arkansas who knows a lot about the space program.
Liftoff for St. Jude's! Go Dragon, Go Falcon, Godspeed Inspiration4!

Online ZachS09

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Anyone see and know what the tumbling thing was to the left and below the first stage during the reentry burn?  It was so fast I couldn't tell.  Would be surprised if it where a fairing segment.

I saw it too starting at T+05:33 in the little triangular wedge of earth visible between the left grid fin and the fuselage.  If you are still connected to the live stream you can back up to see it again.  It's clearly tumbling and certainly looks like a fairing segment to me.

If it was a fairing segment, then SpaceX could be trying their hardest to recover the fairings.

Remember when they showed footage from a camera inside one of the fairings? That could be proof of why you saw that segment.
Liftoff for St. Jude's! Go Dragon, Go Falcon, Godspeed Inspiration4!

Offline Hankelow8

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obviously have been working on de-fogging the decent camera, clear picture all the way down.

Offline Saabstory88

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obviously have been working on de-fogging the decent camera, clear picture all the way down.

Well this stage likely had a less rigorous decent regime than the GTO birds.

Online Johnnyhinbos

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Anyone see and know what the tumbling thing was to the left and below the first stage during the reentry burn?  It was so fast I couldn't tell.  Would be surprised if it where a fairing segment.
If you're referring to the object at about 5:40 , that cannot possibly be fairing. The fairing was released well before than, and both S1 and S2 have accelerated from that location since.

Much more likely, its a smallish, close object. Possibly a cover for the gridfin vents or somesuch. (they were opened just a few seconds before this)
I thought I could see some kind of RCS activating on that thing...
John Hanzl. Author, action / adventure www.johnhanzl.com

Offline Norm38

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The F9 is back online, and landings don't get any better than that. Congrats SpaceX on a great RTF.

Offline Pete

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Heh, passing over the south Pole, and I see that the projection system they use has the same awkwardness in orientation as KSP when one tries to view a vehicle passing very close to the poles.

I think we are a little too bound to the north-is-to-the-top-of-the-screen viewpoint that we are comfortable with!

Offline karki

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A bit premature, but still....

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
From: 30th Space Wing Public Affairs, www.vandenberg.af.mil

FALCON 9 LAUNCH SUCCESS

To be fair, the *launch* part was successful  ;)

Offline Flying Beaver

The F9 is back online, and landings don't get any better than that. Congrats SpaceX on a great RTF.

Not until the fat lady sings (SC Sep) ;)
Watched B1019 land in person 21/12/2015.

Offline meekGee

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Wow, just got home and watched. Seemed....  Controlled..

The one engine landing seemed almost slow-mo.

Like when you go back to level 1 after dying on level 20...

Everything is better in California!
ABCD - Always Be Counting Down

Offline Pete

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Mission timeline:
00:52:31    2nd stage engine restarts
00:52:34    2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)

So the second S2 burn is only three seconds??
What is the purpose of this burn, as it will impart only a very small amount of orbit change in such a short time. At most some 150m/s, likely a good bit less?

Offline Ben the Space Brit

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A bit premature, but still....

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
From: 30th Space Wing Public Affairs, www.vandenberg.af.mil

FALCON 9 LAUNCH SUCCESS

To be fair, the *launch* part was successful  ;)


At the risk of being identified a pendant, for satellites I see the 'launch' as being really the entire mission from ignition to final s/c sep. However, I can see the merits of the argument that the 'launch' phase ends upon insertion into a stable parking orbit and, thereafter, the mission being in 'in-orbit operations'.
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Offline old_sellsword

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Mission timeline:
00:52:31    2nd stage engine restarts
00:52:34    2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)

So the second S2 burn is only three seconds??
What is the purpose of this burn, as it will impart only a very small amount of orbit change in such a short time. At most some 150m/s, likely a good bit less?

Circularization.

Offline envy887

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Mission timeline:
00:52:31    2nd stage engine restarts
00:52:34    2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)

So the second S2 burn is only three seconds??
What is the purpose of this burn, as it will impart only a very small amount of orbit change in such a short time. At most some 150m/s, likely a good bit less?

Raise at apogee raise to put the spacecraft in circular orbit.
« Last Edit: 01/14/2017 05:54 pm by envy887 »

Offline Pete

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Mission timeline:
00:52:31    2nd stage engine restarts
00:52:34    2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)

So the second S2 burn is only three seconds??
What is the purpose of this burn, as it will impart only a very small amount of orbit change in such a short time. At most some 150m/s, likely a good bit less?

Circularization.

*slaps self*
Tsk, of course. The goal orbit is at about 630km, so of course you have to wait to the opposite side of the planet before circularising. (or do a ridiculous altitude-dogleg near launch.. inefficient)

So far so good Great!
Just awaiting good spacecraft sep and its a perfect launch.

Offline ruthsarian

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Will S2 conduct another engine firing to deorbit itself or will it keep going until its orbit decays on its own?

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