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https://twitter.com/ulalaunch/status/1773410986264863024

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If you are just tuning in, the countdown is proceeding toward a liftoff of #DeltaIVHeavy at 2:45pmEDT (1845 UTC). We continue to have a green board with no issues being worked, just waiting on the weather. The launch webcast begins at 2:15pmEDT:  bit.ly/div_nrol70
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An "explanation" of the snow leopard ❄️ 🐆 in the ULA launch art:
Mar 28 13:12 EDT
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Advantage through knowledge.

The NROL-70 patch features the quiet but strong snow leopard to personify how NRO offers a distinctive advantage to our nation, partners, and allies in space.

Given past patch-ology for Orion launches, I would have preferred a cold drake, but as Number 2 said on The Prisoner,: "That would be telling."
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Quote from: OTV Booster link=topic=58288.msg2581416#msg2581416
There were earlier posts about small engine tests at MacGregor, but I've seen no details. Maybe RCS, maybe lunar landing engines. SX really prefers rolling their own but if they need a gas thruster right now to get through the current tests, plumbing shouldn't be all that much of a problem.
would anyone care to school me about gasses and pumps etc.?

my idea is:
- pump propellant gasses out of ullage into a pressurized tanks (COPV if I understand correctly), early in the flight
- later mix them and burn them in one central hot-pot. store the resulting hot gas in another COPV
- use that gas for RCS

or variously:
- use tiny rocket motors for each RCS, fed from the propellant COPVs
- forget the ridiculous ignition idea, just choose one propellant, pump ullage into a high pressure COPV early in the launch, use that high pressure gas post-boost for RCS. This addresses the perhaps non-existent issues of ullage-gas-less-reliable-and-or-not-ideal-in-free-fall

One system I have seen mentioned around here.
Pump liquid prop into higher pressure COPV.
Let warm and gasify, may have external heat applied.
Use higher pressure COPV gas in thrusters with electric igniter.

I believe JohnL sketched something similar.

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I envision one of the uses of rotating stations is to provide the living quarters for the zero-G workforce.
Living at one G and working at zero-G should prevent most of the problems encountered with the human body. So an easy way to transfer at shift change would be beneficial.
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Ben Cooper's Launch Photography Viewing Guide; updated March 28 before NROL-70 launch; my bold:
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The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Eutelsat 36D television satellite from pad 39A on March 30 at 5:52-8:00 p.m. EDT. A Falcon 9 will launch a Starlink batch from pad 40 on March 30 earliest at 6-10 p.m. EDT. A Falcon 9 will launch a Starlink batch from pad 40 on April 5 around 5-9 p.m. EDT. Upcoming launches include more Starlink batches. A Falcon 9 will launch the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission on  April 7.
Launch roughly contemporaneous with Bandwagon-1, on the other Florida pad?  Both ASDS would be available circa April 5, but Bandwagon-1 first stage landing will likely be at LZ-1?  Pads' turnarounds would determine NET launch date.
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Quote from: OTV Booster link=topic=58288.msg2581416#msg2581416
There were earlier posts about small engine tests at MacGregor, but I've seen no details. Maybe RCS, maybe lunar landing engines. SX really prefers rolling their own but if they need a gas thruster right now to get through the current tests, plumbing shouldn't be all that much of a problem.
would anyone care to school me about gasses and pumps etc.?

my idea is:
- pump propellant gasses out of ullage into a pressurized tanks (COPV if I understand correctly), early in the flight
- later mix them and burn them in one central hot-pot. store the resulting hot gas in another COPV
- use that gas for RCS

or variously:
- use tiny rocket motors for each RCS, fed from the propellant COPVs
- forget the ridiculous ignition idea, just choose one propellant, pump ullage into a high pressure COPV early in the launch, use that high pressure gas post-boost for RCS. This addresses the perhaps non-existent issues of ullage-gas-less-reliable-and-or-not-ideal-in-free-fall
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generally in ideal case it is probably equivalent but this is not ideal case and even if booster would be modified to be able to do that it would be still expendable one use only
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ISS Section / Re: Expedition 70 Thread
« Last post by Yellowstone10 on Today at 04:41 pm »
Moving Dextre into position for JEM airlock ops.
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Ben Cooper's Launch Photography Viewing Guide; updated March 28 before NROL-70 launch; my bold:
Quote
The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Eutelsat 36D television satellite from pad 39A on March 30 at 5:52-8:00 p.m. EDT. A Falcon 9 will launch a Starlink batch from pad 40 on March 30 earliest at 6-10 p.m. EDT. A Falcon 9 will launch a Starlink batch from pad 40 on April 5 around 5-9 p.m. EDT. Upcoming launches include more Starlink batches. A Falcon 9 will launch the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission on  April 7.
Is this back to the April 5 launch?
If so, = 5 April ~21:00 to 6 April ~01:00
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Ben Cooper's Launch Photography Viewing Guide; updated March 28 before NROL-70 launch; my bold:
Quote
The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Eutelsat 36D television satellite from pad 39A on March 30 at 5:52-8:00 p.m. EDT. A Falcon 9 will launch a Starlink batch from pad 40 on March 30 earliest at 6-10 p.m. EDT. A Falcon 9 will launch a Starlink batch from pad 40 on April 5 around 5-9 p.m. EDT. Upcoming launches include more Starlink batches. A Falcon 9 will launch the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission on April 7.
Noting the return of the April 7 launch date, but time not mentioned.  Launch time would change as Bandwagon does not launch to SSO.  Also, launch pad is not yet given.
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