Quote from: Pete on 12/05/2017 06:33 amLifting the apoapse out of the inner solar system is a lot easier, and even that will take multiple fortuitous gravity encounters, most likely with earth.I am trying to imagine, without much success, where periapsis and apoapsis would be, if (I believe) the Earth-Mars trip is only a short arc of a much longer heliocentric orbit.
Lifting the apoapse out of the inner solar system is a lot easier, and even that will take multiple fortuitous gravity encounters, most likely with earth.
A guy from work was telling me the boosters would not be recovered on this flight. I thought they were. Has there been a change of plans due to the Mars orbit they want to go to?
Quote from: Steve D on 12/05/2017 07:05 pmA guy from work was telling me the boosters would not be recovered on this flight. I thought they were. Has there been a change of plans due to the Mars orbit they want to go to?An early version of an article mistakenly said that and was later changed. I haven't seen any other information saying the boosters will be expended.
Quote from: gongora on 12/05/2017 07:06 pmQuote from: Steve D on 12/05/2017 07:05 pmA guy from work was telling me the boosters would not be recovered on this flight. I thought they were. Has there been a change of plans due to the Mars orbit they want to go to?An early version of an article mistakenly said that and was later changed. I haven't seen any other information saying the boosters will be expended.They will be recovered (that is: SpaceX will attempt recovery). Sources at KSC have spotted all three cores in the HIF sporting landing legs. SpaceX doesn't put landing legs on cores they intend to expend.
Quote from: woods170 on 12/05/2017 07:14 pmQuote from: gongora on 12/05/2017 07:06 pmQuote from: Steve D on 12/05/2017 07:05 pmA guy from work was telling me the boosters would not be recovered on this flight. I thought they were. Has there been a change of plans due to the Mars orbit they want to go to?An early version of an article mistakenly said that and was later changed. I haven't seen any other information saying the boosters will be expended.They will be recovered (that is: SpaceX will attempt recovery). Sources at KSC have spotted all three cores in the HIF sporting landing legs. SpaceX doesn't put landing legs on cores they intend to expend.Cool. That didn't sound right to me but we also thought this was just an LEO flight. Going for escape velocity I wasn't sure if they would have to expend the boosters or not.
If this isn't already known, the TEL has been on the pad for at least two days now in the 'post-launch' configuration. They have the two F9 side hold-down clamps removed and sitting at the east edge of the pad complete with the white supporting structure beneath them partially covered in soot. Of course, in my infinite wisdom, I drove 1,500 miles and forgot to bring the cable to transfer pictures from my DSLR.
It's a bit difficult to tell through all of the other pad structure getting in the way, but it looks like all 6 hold downs are now in place. I'll admit I'm not 100% sure what to look for as in TSM's so I can't help much there.I also forgot to mention, this morning and into the early afternoon the south HIF door was raised about 15 feet for a fork lift to move in and out. I snapped some pictures through the moving bus window but my camera didn't do a stellar job. It may get a lot better with some editing, but you can clearly see the top ends of the FH center core, a side booster with nose cone, and another F9 core.Edit: FH S2 may have been present but blocked from view by a large white crate sitting in the doorway. It was definitely not attached to the center core.
All 6? I assume he knows that there will be *8* (eight) hold downs for FH.
Quote from: Steve D on 12/05/2017 07:25 pmQuote from: woods170 on 12/05/2017 07:14 pmQuote from: gongora on 12/05/2017 07:06 pmQuote from: Steve D on 12/05/2017 07:05 pmA guy from work was telling me the boosters would not be recovered on this flight. I thought they were. Has there been a change of plans due to the Mars orbit they want to go to?An early version of an article mistakenly said that and was later changed. I haven't seen any other information saying the boosters will be expended.They will be recovered (that is: SpaceX will attempt recovery). Sources at KSC have spotted all three cores in the HIF sporting landing legs. SpaceX doesn't put landing legs on cores they intend to expend.Cool. That didn't sound right to me but we also thought this was just an LEO flight. Going for escape velocity I wasn't sure if they would have to expend the boosters or not.An expendable Falcon Heavy could launch about 13 Roadsters to Mars transfer. No problems going with recovery for this light payload.
Quote from: envy887 on 12/05/2017 08:23 pmQuote from: Steve D on 12/05/2017 07:25 pmQuote from: woods170 on 12/05/2017 07:14 pmQuote from: gongora on 12/05/2017 07:06 pmQuote from: Steve D on 12/05/2017 07:05 pmA guy from work was telling me the boosters would not be recovered on this flight. I thought they were. Has there been a change of plans due to the Mars orbit they want to go to?An early version of an article mistakenly said that and was later changed. I haven't seen any other information saying the boosters will be expended.They will be recovered (that is: SpaceX will attempt recovery). Sources at KSC have spotted all three cores in the HIF sporting landing legs. SpaceX doesn't put landing legs on cores they intend to expend.Cool. That didn't sound right to me but we also thought this was just an LEO flight. Going for escape velocity I wasn't sure if they would have to expend the boosters or not.An expendable Falcon Heavy could launch about 13 Roadsters to Mars transfer. No problems going with recovery for this light payload.You are assuming that the roadster is the only payload. What about the Hail Mary, try to land second stage clue?The roadster could be the '(midnight) cherry on top' of a more ambitious payload.
What about the Hail Mary, try to land second stage clue?
Quote from: AncientU on 12/06/2017 12:47 pmWhat about the Hail Mary, try to land second stage clue?I'd like to see them make this stage come back after injecting itself and the roadster into an Earth escape trajectory...
Quote from: ugordan on 12/06/2017 12:59 pmQuote from: AncientU on 12/06/2017 12:47 pmWhat about the Hail Mary, try to land second stage clue?I'd like to see them make this stage come back after injecting itself and the roadster into an Earth escape trajectory...It's not beyond the laws of physics for the payload to be separated immediately after TMI, and for the US to promptly rotate and make another burn to bring the apogee back down again. You'd then need to wait a whole orbit (with one more burn at apogee) before starting entry. The limit is likely to be stage lifetime rather than propellant.
I don't see how that is still possible, given that the stage will be on an escape trajectory - unless the Roadster has its own propulsion system attached for the last bit of dV to leave earth orbit.
Quote from: lrk on 12/06/2017 12:57 pmI don't see how that is still possible, given that the stage will be on an escape trajectory - unless the Roadster has its own propulsion system attached for the last bit of dV to leave earth orbit. Which raises a question - is there a nearish term goal for such a kick stage for a few million newton-seconds that might appeal to spacex.Something broadly similar to a STAR48, perhaps. A simple tank with two superdracos and three tons or so of propellant would almost be a no-brainer.Almost, not counting the hypergolic nature of the superdracos.[snip]