Author Topic: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3  (Read 300624 times)

Offline Llian Rhydderch

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #280 on: 10/13/2015 12:39 pm »
A few spy pictures from there: https://www.flickr.com/photos/71660327@N05/sets/72157659486448822

Quite a noticeable change from last June...

Okay, being as this is NSF, and the NSF video reconstruction army has been short of work lately, who is going to put together a gif of the two images, with annotated frame-by-frame analysis of the changes?   ;)
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Offline dmc6960

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #281 on: 10/14/2015 07:28 pm »
A few spy pictures from there: https://www.flickr.com/photos/71660327@N05/sets/72157659486448822

Quite a noticeable change from last June...

Okay, being as this is NSF, and the NSF video reconstruction army has been short of work lately, who is going to put together a gif of the two images, with annotated frame-by-frame analysis of the changes?   ;)

There are no major changes.  The two photos are from different angles.
-Jim

Offline mvpel

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #282 on: 10/14/2015 09:03 pm »
There are no major changes.  The two photos are from different angles.
I was noting the two new large tanks to the left of the Merlin test stand, and the facilities for the new booster test stand between the Merlin stand and the tanks on the right in the background, and that they apparently have removed a number of trees. Not "major," but certainly "noticeable" as I put it.
"Ugly programs are like ugly suspension bridges: they're much more liable to collapse than pretty ones, because the way humans (especially engineer-humans) perceive beauty is intimately related to our ability to process and understand complexity. A language that makes it hard to write elegant code makes it hard to write good code." - Eric S. Raymond

Offline pospa

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #283 on: 10/15/2015 09:02 am »
A few spy pictures from there: https://www.flickr.com/photos/71660327@N05/sets/72157659486448822
Quite a noticeable change from last June...
Okay, being as this is NSF, and the NSF video reconstruction army has been short of work lately, who is going to put together a gif of the two images, with annotated frame-by-frame analysis of the changes?   ;)
There are no major changes.  The two photos are from different angles.

Just for your reference I took the majority of those pictures from the South gate = right orange dot on the map and the final seven photos were taken from the bend of 311 = left orange dot.
« Last Edit: 10/15/2015 09:08 am by pospa »

Offline dorkmo

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #284 on: 10/16/2015 03:17 am »
feels like im playing that game in first grade, find the differences

Offline Nomadd

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #285 on: 10/21/2015 04:48 am »
 Somehow, I've managed to neglect to find McGregor on a map all these years. Now, sitting in a hotel room in Waco, I find out it's about 12 miles away. I guess I'll need to go poke around tomorrow. If I'm caught, I'll just tell them I'm from Reddit.
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Offline meekGee

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #286 on: 10/21/2015 04:56 am »
Somehow, I've managed to neglect to find McGregor on a map all these years. Now, sitting in a hotel room in Waco, I find out it's about 12 miles away. I guess I'll need to go poke around tomorrow. If I'm caught, I'll just tell them I'm from Reddit.

From one post up, I thought you're already lounging at your beach front property with a Margarita at hand...
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Offline rpapo

That's a fair drive, according to Google Maps.  It estimated nearly seven hours to drive from Boca Chica to McGregor, and since I've seen first-hand that Google Maps underestimates things, I would probably guess it was really eight to nine hours driving.  Texas is a big place.

Unless you can get JimNTexas to fly you up...
« Last Edit: 10/21/2015 10:29 am by rpapo »
Following the space program since before Apollo 8.

Offline mvpel

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #288 on: 10/21/2015 02:28 pm »
Somehow, I've managed to neglect to find McGregor on a map all these years. Now, sitting in a hotel room in Waco, I find out it's about 12 miles away. I guess I'll need to go poke around tomorrow. If I'm caught, I'll just tell them I'm from Reddit.

I'll be interested to hear if the Atria hotel is still cheekily touting itself as the "Best Hotel in McGregor" on the sign out front. It's technically true, since they're the only hotel in McGregor.
"Ugly programs are like ugly suspension bridges: they're much more liable to collapse than pretty ones, because the way humans (especially engineer-humans) perceive beauty is intimately related to our ability to process and understand complexity. A language that makes it hard to write elegant code makes it hard to write good code." - Eric S. Raymond

Offline Nomadd

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #289 on: 10/22/2015 01:54 am »
 Well, it was kind of hazy and half way through my circumnavigation of the site, something came up that's calling me to Michigan. But I did get one fair shot.
« Last Edit: 10/25/2015 01:39 am by Nomadd »
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.

Offline darkenfast

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #290 on: 10/22/2015 06:05 am »
Somehow, I've managed to neglect to find McGregor on a map all these years. Now, sitting in a hotel room in Waco, I find out it's about 12 miles away. I guess I'll need to go poke around tomorrow. If I'm caught, I'll just tell them I'm from Reddit.

After the newspaper article and this site, they probably already have a file on you!  Hopefully, it says something like "harmless rocket-spotter"!
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Offline Beittil

Somehow, I've managed to neglect to find McGregor on a map all these years. Now, sitting in a hotel room in Waco, I find out it's about 12 miles away. I guess I'll need to go poke around tomorrow. If I'm caught, I'll just tell them I'm from Reddit.

After the newspaper article and this site, they probably already have a file on you!  Hopefully, it says something like "harmless rocket-spotter"!
Since his house buying stint it probably has been revised to 'mostly harmless rocket-spotter' ;)

Offline Ben the Space Brit

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #292 on: 10/22/2015 11:04 am »
Well, it was kind of hazy and half way trough my circumnavigation of the site, something came up that's calling me to Michigan. But I did get one fair shot.

Is that the OG-2 core or is it F9r vehicle 2?
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Offline Nomadd

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #293 on: 10/22/2015 01:13 pm »
Well, it was kind of hazy and half way trough my circumnavigation of the site, something came up that's calling me to Michigan. But I did get one fair shot.

Is that the OG-2 core or is it F9r vehicle 2?
The F9R wouldn't have the interstage, would it?
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.

Offline woods170

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #294 on: 10/22/2015 02:38 pm »
Well, it was kind of hazy and half way trough my circumnavigation of the site, something came up that's calling me to Michigan. But I did get one fair shot.

Is that the OG-2 core or is it F9r vehicle 2?
The F9R wouldn't have the interstage, would it?
In fact it would since the interstage is home to the grid fins and associated hardware.

Offline mvpel

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #295 on: 10/22/2015 02:48 pm »
Well, it was kind of hazy and half way trough my circumnavigation of the site, something came up that's calling me to Michigan. But I did get one fair shot.
Interesting... they seem to have put guy lines to the top of the rocket. Has anyone seen them do that before?  I don't recall seeing lines on the last batch of test-stand photos, and when F9R-Dev1 was up on blocks out at the test pad, it was just sitting there, occasionally with the crane hooked to it and nothing else. I expect they'd want to reduce the loads on the mounting hardware in the test stand. Maybe it was shimmying a bit in the wind while they were working to install the engines?
"Ugly programs are like ugly suspension bridges: they're much more liable to collapse than pretty ones, because the way humans (especially engineer-humans) perceive beauty is intimately related to our ability to process and understand complexity. A language that makes it hard to write elegant code makes it hard to write good code." - Eric S. Raymond

Offline Lars-J

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #296 on: 10/22/2015 03:47 pm »
Well, it was kind of hazy and half way trough my circumnavigation of the site, something came up that's calling me to Michigan. But I did get one fair shot.
Interesting... they seem to have put guy lines to the top of the rocket. Has anyone seen them do that before?  I don't recall seeing lines on the last batch of test-stand photos, and when F9R-Dev1 was up on blocks out at the test pad, it was just sitting there, occasionally with the crane hooked to it and nothing else. I expect they'd want to reduce the loads on the mounting hardware in the test stand. Maybe it was shimmying a bit in the wind while they were working to install the engines?

Yes, the 4 lines were there in the night time video of the first FT test. If you look VERY carefully at 1080p quality, you can see one of the lines (to the left of the rocket near the light):
« Last Edit: 10/22/2015 03:50 pm by Lars-J »

Offline douglas100

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #297 on: 10/22/2015 04:06 pm »
Well, it was kind of hazy and half way trough my circumnavigation of the site, something came up that's calling me to Michigan. But I did get one fair shot.

Is that the OG-2 core or is it F9r vehicle 2?

Is there actually going to be an F9R vehicle 2? I thought the plan now was to re-fly successfully recovered stages in New Mexico.
Douglas Clark

Offline abaddon

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #298 on: 10/22/2015 04:43 pm »
Well, it was kind of hazy and half way trough my circumnavigation of the site, something came up that's calling me to Michigan. But I did get one fair shot.

Is that the OG-2 core or is it F9r vehicle 2?

Is there actually going to be an F9R vehicle 2? I thought the plan now was to re-fly successfully recovered stages in New Mexico.
My recollection is that you are correct, and the core that was slated to become the F9r Dev2 vehicle was re-purposed to be the in-flight abort core, and was last seen conducting tanking tests at SLC-4.

Offline itzdanielp

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Re: SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion Thread 3
« Reply #299 on: 10/22/2015 05:23 pm »
Well, it was kind of hazy and half way trough my circumnavigation of the site, something came up that's calling me to Michigan. But I did get one fair shot.

Is that the OG-2 core or is it F9r vehicle 2?

Is there actually going to be an F9R vehicle 2? I thought the plan now was to re-fly successfully recovered stages in New Mexico.
My recollection is that you are correct, and the core that was slated to become the F9r Dev2 vehicle was re-purposed to be the in-flight abort core, and was last seen conducting tanking tests at SLC-4.

That's what I seem to recall as well.

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