Author Topic: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017  (Read 63019 times)

Offline e of pi

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #120 on: 12/20/2017 01:03 pm »
Had I been there, I would have unstrapped and ripped the power cord off of whatever was doing that incessant, constant, infernal beeping.

I want to feel like I'm going into space, not like I'm working a submarine sonar by ear... :(
Given that was one of the (paying?) customer science payloads, I'd imagine that'd be heavily discouraged.

Offline hektor

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #121 on: 12/20/2017 01:11 pm »
Interesting
...the best thing about this video are the amazing sounds! - Makes it feel like being there.

Had I been there, I would have unstrapped and ripped the power cord off of whatever was doing that incessant, constant, infernal beeping.

I want to feel like I'm going into space, not like I'm working a submarine sonar by ear... :(

This raises the interesting question : will there be someone from Blue Origin on board to prevent you from doing that ? Or will the passengers be on their own ?

Offline EgorBotts

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #122 on: 12/20/2017 01:59 pm »
When they did the PR operation with the New Shepard visits in Colorado Springs they said it was for 6 tourists, unsupervised. But they will be trained.

Offline hektor

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #123 on: 12/20/2017 02:58 pm »
I guess they cannot do much damage to the mission. I assuming you cannot interact with the GNC or the access hatch in flight. They could just do damage to the payload or to each other.
« Last Edit: 12/20/2017 02:59 pm by hektor »

Offline high road

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #124 on: 12/21/2017 01:19 pm »
I guess they cannot do much damage to the mission. I assuming you cannot interact with the GNC or the access hatch in flight. They could just do damage to the payload or to each other.

At 5G, that can be quite a lot.

Offline ugordan

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #125 on: 12/21/2017 01:38 pm »
Any idea why the acceleration peaks out at highish 5 Gs? I'd have imagined they'd prefer something like 3 Gs for tourist flights.

Offline Rocket Science

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #126 on: 12/21/2017 02:34 pm »
...the best thing about this video are the amazing sounds! - Makes it feel like being there.

Had I been there, I would have unstrapped and ripped the power cord off of whatever was doing that incessant, constant, infernal beeping.

I want to feel like I'm going into space, not like I'm working a submarine sonar by ear... :(
It's the "sound of space" Doug, haven't you watched Marooned? ;D
"The laws of physics are unforgiving"
~Rob: Physics instructor, Aviator

Offline Lars-J

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #127 on: 12/21/2017 02:39 pm »
Any idea why the acceleration peaks out at highish 5 Gs? I'd have imagined they'd prefer something like 3 Gs for tourist flights.

Practicality and the laws of physics? With a mass efficient capsule (no wings) and an straight up/down trajectory, they are limited in what they can do. 

Offline ugordan

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #128 on: 12/21/2017 02:43 pm »
Any idea why the acceleration peaks out at highish 5 Gs? I'd have imagined they'd prefer something like 3 Gs for tourist flights.

Practicality and the laws of physics? With a mass efficient capsule (no wings) and an straight up/down trajectory, they are limited in what they can do. 

Perhaps, but then they are "wasting" propellant for that hover landing. Seems like a weird trade to make for me especially since they're not aiming at specially trained people for flights. 5 Gs might be more than Starliner and Dragon 2 will experience on ascent and they're going to orbit!

Offline zlynn1990

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #129 on: 12/21/2017 02:59 pm »
The booster's hover landing has nothing to do with the forces on the capsule since they separate long before that. They haven't detailed what the training process will be like to fly on New Shepherd, but 5Gs peak isn't that bad if it's short duration.

Offline ugordan

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #130 on: 12/21/2017 03:11 pm »
The booster's hover landing has nothing to do with the forces on the capsule since they separate long before that.

Lars was alluding at total performance available from the booster so it would have something to do with it. I will grant that the delta-V cost of that hover landing might be lower than any gravity loss hit if limiting ascent to say 3 Gs, but haven't done any BOTE calc myself.

Offline envy887

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #131 on: 12/21/2017 03:19 pm »
The booster's hover landing has nothing to do with the forces on the capsule since they separate long before that.

Lars was alluding at total performance available from the booster so it would have something to do with it. I will grant that the delta-V cost of that hover landing might be lower than any gravity loss hit if limiting ascent to say 3 Gs, but haven't done any BOTE calc myself.

The 5 g acceleration is on the way down, so nothing the booster can do about it. If I'm reading right, acceleration on the way up is only 3 g.

Offline Chasm

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #132 on: 12/21/2017 03:29 pm »
The actual acceleration profile would be interesting. There don't seem to be any pictures of that slide.

How long are the acceleration events? What is typical profile? Or perhaps more interestingly: What is the maximum envelope?

Offline Lars-J

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New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #133 on: 12/21/2017 05:28 pm »
Any idea why the acceleration peaks out at highish 5 Gs? I'd have imagined they'd prefer something like 3 Gs for tourist flights.

Practicality and the laws of physics? With a mass efficient capsule (no wings) and an straight up/down trajectory, they are limited in what they can do. 

Perhaps, but then they are "wasting" propellant for that hover landing. Seems like a weird trade to make for me especially since they're not aiming at specially trained people for flights. 5 Gs might be more than Starliner and Dragon 2 will experience on ascent and they're going to orbit!

The 5G is during DESCENT. It has nothing to do with booster performance and trading propellant for accelration, since the capsule has separated by then.

If you drop straight down into the thicker atmosphere, you will decelerate hard. That’s why I mentioned the laws of physics. Entering with a significant horizontal velocity would help, but this is a straight up/down ride.

(A more parabolic trajectory plus wings is why the SS2 should be more gentle - if it ever enters service)
« Last Edit: 12/21/2017 05:36 pm by Lars-J »

Online FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #134 on: 12/22/2017 03:20 pm »
Quote
First Commercial Payloads Onboard New Shepard

On Dec. 12, 2017, New Shepard flew again for the seventh time. Known as Mission 7 (M7), the flight featured our next-generation booster and the first flight of Crew Capsule 2.0. While our primary objective was to progress testing this new system for human spaceflight, we also achieved an exciting milestone with suborbital research in space by sending 12 commercial, research and education payloads under full FAA license for the first time. Payloads flying on New Shepard are doing important science and research onboard the 11-minute flight to space and back. During this flight, our customers get approximately three minutes in a high-quality microgravity environment, at an apogee around 100 kilometers, making New Shepard ideal for microgravity physics, gravitational biology, technology demonstrations, and educational programs.

The combination of high altitude and low-gravity exposure provides an environment for a wide range of payloads ranging from basic and applied microgravity sciences to Earth and space science. Each of these domains has the opportunity to engage users ranging from universities to corporations. The rapid timelines and low costs of flight are also increasingly attracting educators and students of all ages.

Below are a few highlights of investigations that were a part of the New Shepard M7 flight:

Zero-Gravity Glow Experiment (ZGGE)
Purdue University & Cumberland Elementary School (West Lafayette, Indiana) in partnership with Arete STEM

The Zero-Gravity Glow Experiment, or ZGGE for short, was inspired by a second grade classroom’s question: “Can fireflies light up in space?” The payload operates by mixing the appropriate chemicals during the weightless coast period of the vehicle’s mission and observing the response with a miniature video camera.

DCS Montessori Middle School (Castle Pines, Colorado)
In Partnership with DreamUp

This payload was a collaboration across nearly 500 K-8 students and consisted of two parts. The first included an Arduino Nano microcontroller with a sensor package, designed and programed by the students to learn more about the environment inside the Crew Capsule. The second part contained a school-wide art project that all DCS Montessori students participated in. Upon landing, the data from the experiment will be analyzed and the art will be returned to the students and shared with the community.

Cell Research Experiment in Microgravity (CRExIM)
Embry-Riddle University-Daytona Beach, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio & Medical University of South Carolina (Daytona Beach, Florida) in partnership with Arete STEM

The CRExIM (Cell Research Experiment In Microgravity) NanoLab was a multidisciplinary effort between students and faculty in Embry-Riddle’s Spaceflight Operations degree program and Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering departments, who partnered with other teams from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and the Medical University of South Carolina. The experiment studied how microgravity impacts the cellular processes of T-cells, which develop from stem cells in the bone marrow and are key to immune system function.

Expression of Genes in Tumor Growth
Embry-Riddle University-Daytona Beach, Grand Canyon University & Thermo Fisher Scientific (Daytona Beach, Florida) in partnership with Arete STEM

This payload focused on studying the effect of microgravity exposure on the expression of genes that play a role in tumor growth. Two modified flasks were seeded with osteosarcoma cells. Syringes containing RNAlater for cell fixation were attached to each flask and their contents were deployed just before the onset of microgravity (in the case of the experimental control flask) and just after its completion (in the case of the experimental test flask). Now that the mission is complete, the samples will be analyzed via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to determine how the expression of the genes has changed.

JANUS Research Platform
Johns Hopkins University-Applied Physics Laboratory (Baltimore, Maryland)

The JANUS integration and monitoring platform, about the size of a car battery, provides researchers with a look at suborbital flight conditions. While this flight deployed JANUS in the shirtsleeve environment of the New Shepard cabin, future iterations will also look at the environment outside the vehicle.

Evolved Medical Microgravity Suction Device
Orbital Medicine (Richmond, Virginia) with Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana), with funding from NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program

The Evolved Medical Microgravity Suction Device could assist in treatment of a collapsed lung where air and blood enter the pleural cavity. The payload – which included the device along with a hemothorax simulator – was constructed in collaboration with the Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The device is able to collect blood in microgravity, and still allows for the suction to continuously inflate the lung and allow it to heal. The payload marked Blue Origin’s first flight under NASA’s Flight Opportunities program.

Our frequent flight schedule will allow you to launch your experiment multiple times to iterate on findings, improve statistics, or rapidly collect data. As human flights begin, you’ll also be able to fly with your payloads for hands-on experimentation.

To learn more and fly your payload with us, please visit: https://www.blueorigin.com/payloads

Gradatim Ferociter!

https://www.blueorigin.com/news/news/first-commercial-payloads-onboard-new-shepard

Offline Pete

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #135 on: 12/30/2017 05:05 pm »
The 5G is during DESCENT. It has nothing to do with booster performance and trading propellant for accelration, since the capsule has separated by then.

If you drop straight down into the thicker atmosphere, you will decelerate hard. That’s why I mentioned the laws of physics. Entering with a significant horizontal velocity would help, but this is a straight up/down ride.


That is also the reason why any talk of a "higher hop" to facilitate several more minutes of zero-g is complete nonsense.
If a just-touching-space 105Km hop gives you 5G on the downslope, then a 250Km hop will result in 20g++, turning the occupants into jelly.

Offline Comga

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #136 on: 12/30/2017 07:05 pm »
The 5G is during DESCENT. It has nothing to do with booster performance and trading propellant for accelration, since the capsule has separated by then.

If you drop straight down into the thicker atmosphere, you will decelerate hard. That’s why I mentioned the laws of physics. Entering with a significant horizontal velocity would help, but this is a straight up/down ride.

Not necessarily
The New Shepard capsule could be equipped to do an entry burn.
But that would require a different engine
And Bezos would never use a Musk innovation. 😛
But maybe he could try to patent it. 😉
What kind of wastrels would dump a perfectly good booster in the ocean after just one use?

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #137 on: 12/30/2017 07:25 pm »
There was comment from Blue spokesman that parachutes were there near term high TRL solution which hinted at long term solution that didn't need parachutes. 

The down side of parachutes is the large unpredictable landing area. A controlled landing onto pad or runway would be safer.

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