Quote from: sewebster on 01/27/2016 12:26 amQuote from: matthewkantar on 01/27/2016 12:19 amMan that really gives the stage a good shove. Is the pusher pushing against the inside of the combustion chamber? I assume the push rod thingy retracts back into the interstage for the ride home.I doubt it would go through the throat?The small size of it in the test video seems to imply that it does. The pusher tip seems to small to lift by the nozzle.
Quote from: matthewkantar on 01/27/2016 12:19 amMan that really gives the stage a good shove. Is the pusher pushing against the inside of the combustion chamber? I assume the push rod thingy retracts back into the interstage for the ride home.I doubt it would go through the throat?
Man that really gives the stage a good shove. Is the pusher pushing against the inside of the combustion chamber? I assume the push rod thingy retracts back into the interstage for the ride home.
Quote from: mlindner on 01/26/2016 09:33 pmDid anyone manage to grab a mirror? It's now private and non-viewable.I wonder if this video was intended for employees only?EDIT: Yes, according to people on Reddit this was apparently only intended for internal/employee consumption.
Did anyone manage to grab a mirror? It's now private and non-viewable.
Quote from: Lars-J on 01/26/2016 09:45 pmQuote from: mlindner on 01/26/2016 09:33 pmDid anyone manage to grab a mirror? It's now private and non-viewable.I wonder if this video was intended for employees only?EDIT: Yes, according to people on Reddit this was apparently only intended for internal/employee consumption.i wonder if "cool stuff" is code for employees only
With the way Dragonfly looked in that video it's easy to imagine it flying un-tethered before too long. The video of those tests is going to blow minds.
Quote from: wannamoonbase on 01/27/2016 03:02 amWith the way Dragonfly looked in that video it's easy to imagine it flying un-tethered before too long. The video of those tests is going to blow minds... so 2009.
Quote from: QuantumG on 01/27/2016 03:18 amQuote from: wannamoonbase on 01/27/2016 03:02 amWith the way Dragonfly looked in that video it's easy to imagine it flying un-tethered before too long. The video of those tests is going to blow minds... so 2009.Hey, I miss the excitement of all the different new VTVL vehicles back then!
R*ddit user "hartparr" posted photos of a flyover of McGreggor that was done yesterday - 01/30/16. Some interesting detailshttp://pictures.jtbuice.com/SpaceX-2/McGregor-Flyover-1-30-2016/
Quote from: Johnnyhinbos on 01/31/2016 11:37 pmR*ddit user "hartparr" posted photos of a flyover of McGreggor that was done yesterday - 01/30/16. Some interesting detailshttp://pictures.jtbuice.com/SpaceX-2/McGregor-Flyover-1-30-2016/Now that gives a nice sense of scale for the new test stand. Does anyone know why they seem to be suspending those tanks?
Self explanatory.Adapted from Google Earth with thanks.
I don't know what the blue structures are, but to me they look more like the stage-separation test fixtures than propellant storage tanks. If I were to guess, I'd say they were test fixtures for the tank portion of the stage which Raptor will be attached to. Don't know why they need two, except maybe for testing throughput.
Quote from: cscott on 02/01/2016 02:09 amI don't know what the blue structures are, but to me they look more like the stage-separation test fixtures than propellant storage tanks. If I were to guess, I'd say they were test fixtures for the tank portion of the stage which Raptor will be attached to. Don't know why they need two, except maybe for testing throughput.My guess is those are in fact propellant run tanks in the blue vertical frames. They're right next to the concrete test cell walls, with the engine test stands presumably on the other side. So you have two test cells, each with its own run tank(s).My other guess is the tanks are suspended at a single point at the top from the pyramid trusses, possibly with a load cell so that the amount of propellant burned in each run can be precisely weighed for accurate Isp measurement.
My other guess is the tanks are suspended at a single point at the top from the pyramid trusses, possibly with a load cell so that the amount of propellant burned in each run can be precisely weighed for accurate Isp measurement.
Quote from: Kabloona on 02/01/2016 02:38 amMy other guess is the tanks are suspended at a single point at the top from the pyramid trusses, possibly with a load cell so that the amount of propellant burned in each run can be precisely weighed for accurate Isp measurement.That is a very astute observation!