Here's another idea from left field, is it possible there are any optical telescope resources on the Go Searcher which could resolve the fairings during the end of their flight rather than the shore based systems which obviously cant resolve the fairings with much clarity once they are 300+ miles downrange?
Quote from: RDMM2081 on 05/17/2016 06:17 pmHere's another idea from left field, is it possible there are any optical telescope resources on the Go Searcher which could resolve the fairings during the end of their flight rather than the shore based systems which obviously cant resolve the fairings with much clarity once they are 300+ miles downrange?No, there is nothing on the boat, optical or RF.http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=39766.msg1526042#msg1526042
Thanks for clarifying that for me. Can/Should they look into adding that capability, or is it presumed that the shore based optics are sufficient for them to determine what is happening to the fairings after separation well enough to inform changes to their recovery strategies?
How much would a parachute, beacon, and a flotation bag add to the weight/cost? Also, how much would a recovery boat operational costs add. All that subtracted from the cost of the fairing?
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Spidertracks Satellite TrackingSpidertracks is more than just a tracking system: as well as knowing exactly where people and valuable assets are at any moment in time, it can also tell you how they are. If something goes wrong, and the website loses contact with the spider device, the system will automatically send text and email alerts to the right people, including rescue services, within minutes of the accident occurring. Because the alert is generated by the system, it doesn’t rely on the device surviving an accident, so it will always be sent, enabling rescue services to locate the site quickly based on the last transmitted position. With Spidertracks, no one needs to be lost at sea, on land, or in the air again.It combines a portable tracking unit, the Spider, with a web-based client interface, enabling users to access their flight following and tracking details from anywhere at any time via the internet. Powered by a 10 V – 32 V power source, it has no external antenna and can be moved between aircraft or vehicles, so it doesn’t require expensive installation or certification. Partnered with Iridium, it offers global coverage.Spidertracks also offers simple two-way global communication. Customers can send and receive texts with a compatible phone from anywhere on earth, via Iridium, through the Spidertracks website—ideal for anyone who needs to communicate from a remote region without GSM/cellphone coverage.The unit is portable, with the tracks accessed from any internet connected device, and it is AFF compliant, offering a cost-effective, simple and reliable tracking-based safety system for anyone working or traveling in remote locations or risky situations.
If all the following are true, then what has stopped them before?1) SpaceX are and have been interested in fairing recovery2) The fairing's are trackable via range radar3) One landed intact enough to float to shoreWas the Bahamas fairing making it to shore unclaimed a case where they were simply not interested in tracking it down and attempting recovery?
Quote from: RDMM2081 on 05/17/2016 03:44 pmIf all the following are true, then what has stopped them before?1) SpaceX are and have been interested in fairing recovery2) The fairing's are trackable via range radar3) One landed intact enough to float to shoreWas the Bahamas fairing making it to shore unclaimed a case where they were simply not interested in tracking it down and attempting recovery? What would be the point in recovering scrap?
Spidertracks here - We're happy to donate a Spider to see if this might work.
Quote from: Hobbes-22 on 05/18/2016 05:24 pmQuote from: RDMM2081 on 05/17/2016 03:44 pmIf all the following are true, then what has stopped them before?1) SpaceX are and have been interested in fairing recovery2) The fairing's are trackable via range radar3) One landed intact enough to float to shoreWas the Bahamas fairing making it to shore unclaimed a case where they were simply not interested in tracking it down and attempting recovery? What would be the point in recovering scrap?Identify weak points in the fairing design, either to strengthen those points of failure, or modify their recovery system to avoid creating loads which lead to that type of failure.
Sure, that has value when they start adding a recovery system to the fairing. I had the impression the Bahamas fairing (and all fairings before that) didn't have any recovery system, so the only thing they'd learn from recovering those would be the amount of damage an unbraked sea impact does. That has limited usefulness in my opinion, so to answer your question, that's what stopped them before.
Quote from: Hobbes-22 on 05/18/2016 06:49 pmSure, that has value when they start adding a recovery system to the fairing. I had the impression the Bahamas fairing (and all fairings before that) didn't have any recovery system, so the only thing they'd learn from recovering those would be the amount of damage an unbraked sea impact does. That has limited usefulness in my opinion, so to answer your question, that's what stopped them before. Here is the odd thing about that. They attached a Go-Pro to it. A very odd thing to do if you have zero chance of getting it back. I wonder if they where hoping on an off chance of getting one back someday. And now one has washes ashore they are going, hmmm.....I do think going from recovering a fairing to reflying it will be a stretch. You are going from a clean room environment to a swim and then have to clean it so it can again be used in a clean room. No saying it's impossible, but...
...Perhaps they hope to snatch the fairings before they reach the ocean with some type of mid-air retrieval, so no salt water contamination.
You are going from a clean room environment to a swim and then have to clean it so it can again be used in a clean room. No saying it's impossible, but...
Quote from: rickyramjet on 05/19/2016 04:01 am...Perhaps they hope to snatch the fairings before they reach the ocean with some type of mid-air retrieval, so no salt water contamination.This seems like the most reusability-friendly solution. Surviving re-entry is hard enough, no point in building it to survive impact with the ocean if they don't have to. A small chute, a long line, and a rather large helicopter should do. But first they have to get it down the lower atmosphere in one piece and track where it's going accurately enough to be there waiting.
Quote from: kevin-rf on 05/18/2016 07:13 pm You are going from a clean room environment to a swim and then have to clean it so it can again be used in a clean room. No saying it's impossible, but...The people who work in a clean room do exactly this every day. Plus people are harder to pressure-wash or steam clean than fairings.
Quote from: LouScheffer on 05/19/2016 07:15 pmQuote from: kevin-rf on 05/18/2016 07:13 pm You are going from a clean room environment to a swim and then have to clean it so it can again be used in a clean room. No saying it's impossible, but...The people who work in a clean room do exactly this every day. Plus people are harder to pressure-wash or steam clean than fairings.Never seen anyone pressure wash sound insulation like what is found inside a fairing... My point is that the fairing will be encasing something that has lived all it's life in a clean room. The inside of a fairing is not a solid hard surface that you can just apply some elbow grease to.
Quote from: envy887 on 05/19/2016 02:06 pmQuote from: rickyramjet on 05/19/2016 04:01 am...Perhaps they hope to snatch the fairings before they reach the ocean with some type of mid-air retrieval, so no salt water contamination.This seems like the most reusability-friendly solution. Surviving re-entry is hard enough, no point in building it to survive impact with the ocean if they don't have to. A small chute, a long line, and a rather large helicopter should do. But first they have to get it down the lower atmosphere in one piece and track where it's going accurately enough to be there waiting.I don't have the numbers to hand... what is the downrange impact distance of the fairing? A big helicopter has a working radius of aronud 200nm so might not be enough to reach the area. Would this need a ship-based helicopter?