Author Topic: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017  (Read 63018 times)

Offline mme

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #80 on: 12/13/2017 11:14 pm »
Just out of curiosity, at what point would it matter to you? 50 km? 25 km? 10 km? Lower yet?

I said, when it comes to tourism, the achieved height is secondary to the overall experience.

I had more joy flying with a motorized deltatrike just about 1 km above the surface, compared to a commercial airliner at 10 km above the Earth.

Same goes to suborbital spaceflight. I'll gladly fly in a BO spaceship close to the Karman line with huge windows even if it's 500 meters short to space, rather than in a similar vehicle with lesser luxuries.

I don't know man.  I think it would be pretty cool to officially be an astronaut.  I would not be happy to get up to 98 km.  Honestly if you going to go > 98% of the way there why not go all the way.
You are in luck.  Texas is in the US and in the US if you get higher than 80 km you are officially eligible for astronaut wings.
Space is not Highlander.  There can, and will, be more than one.

Offline Chris Bergin

Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #81 on: 12/13/2017 11:16 pm »
Let's not dilute a good thread with lazy posts. Small trim, could have gone further. This thread is about this event, not your personal ramblings about general space tourism and the (I agree) weak qualification of becoming an "astronaut" on this suborbital ride.

So let's focus on the thread, which is about the event.

Good day to you sir! ;D
« Last Edit: 12/13/2017 11:18 pm by Chris Bergin »
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Offline AlexP

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #82 on: 12/13/2017 11:48 pm »
Hope Chris B doesn't mind if I add a couple of facts to the earlier discussion - Blue advertise NS as going above 100km on their website - "Following a thrilling launch, you’ll soar over 100 km above Earth – beyond the internationally recognized edge of space." - so we can safely say they're planning on it. Secondly, the first launch of the second PM (the first one to land) got to 100.5km, whilst the third got to over 103. So there's a fairly decent chance they were taking it relatively easy on the first trip up for this booster and capsule, and plan to increase the height in subsequent tests.

Great to see it fly again, congrats to Blue and hopefully they can really up the flight right with this booster.

Offline rockets4life97

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #83 on: 12/14/2017 02:42 am »
Is this capsule ready to fly crew? Or is it still a prototype with missing systems?

Offline ZachS09

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #84 on: 12/14/2017 03:10 am »
Is this capsule ready to fly crew? Or is it still a prototype with missing systems?

No. This capsule is yet another testbed for manned suborbital spaceflights. The third model to be produced will be man-rated.
Liftoff for St. Jude's! Go Dragon, Go Falcon, Godspeed Inspiration4!

Offline meekGee

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #85 on: 12/14/2017 03:32 am »
Is this capsule ready to fly crew? Or is it still a prototype with missing systems?

No, if you're looking for direct "from drawing board to manned flight", that's here:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=39372.0

:)
ABCD - Always Be Counting Down

Offline Steven Pietrobon

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #86 on: 12/14/2017 03:58 am »
Quote
.@blueorigin #NewShepard Mission 7 (M7) with first flight of Crew Capsule 2.0 included 12 suborbital research payloads: Crew Capsule reached apogee of 98.27 km AGL/99.37 km MSL, next generation booster reached apogee of 98.16 km AGL/99.27 km MSL

https://twitter.com/ac_charania/status/940805217439965186

OK, surprised to see two altitudes given. One is AGL (Above Ground Level) or the height above the ground and MSL (Mean Sea Level). At the launch site AGL is 1.1 km above MSL. We have that the Karman Line is defined as 100 km above MSL. However, as the Earth is not spherical, being 21.385 km flatter at the poles, this means that the Karman line is also not a uniform sphere, since the MSL follows the Earth's surface. So, someone who launches 100 km above MSL at the equator, travels 21.385 km further into space then someone who launches 100 km above sea level from the poles, thanks to the Earth's equatorial bulge.
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline Comga

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #87 on: 12/14/2017 01:46 pm »
NEWS ADVISORY

Dec. 13, 2017

Two Embry-Riddle Research Payloads Traveled to Suborbital Space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard Rocket

Embry-Riddle experiments in space could help with cancer treatment
(snip)
 The payload of 12 tubes of T-cells, isolated from mice and grown in a laboratory, were exposed to microgravity, with different markers or cytokines added, for about 3.5 minutes. Cytokines are small proteins that are important in cell signaling.
(snip)

So 3.5 min of microgravity, about 210 sec

That's about a 55 km high arc, with the approximation that engine cutoff and atmospheric entry are about the same altitudes. 

Also, given the max speed of >1000 m/s, every second of hover they can do without, or take from reserves, and use for sustaining the boost, will gain them more than another kilometer of max altitude.  That says NS will make 100 km and all this "is it high enough" banter becomes moot.
« Last Edit: 12/14/2017 01:46 pm by Comga »
What kind of wastrels would dump a perfectly good booster in the ocean after just one use?

Offline envy887

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #88 on: 12/14/2017 02:38 pm »
Quote
.@blueorigin #NewShepard Mission 7 (M7) with first flight of Crew Capsule 2.0 included 12 suborbital research payloads: Crew Capsule reached apogee of 98.27 km AGL/99.37 km MSL, next generation booster reached apogee of 98.16 km AGL/99.27 km MSL

https://twitter.com/ac_charania/status/940805217439965186

OK, surprised to see two altitudes given. One is AGL (Above Ground Level) or the height above the ground and MSL (Mean Sea Level). At the launch site AGL is 1.1 km above MSL. We have that the Karman Line is defined as 100 km above MSL. However, as the Earth is not spherical, being 21.385 km flatter at the poles, this means that the Karman line is also not a uniform sphere, since the MSL follows the Earth's surface. So, someone who launches 100 km above MSL at the equator, travels 21.385 km further into space then someone who launches 100 km above sea level from the poles, thanks to the Earth's equatorial bulge.

I presume you meant "fatter", not "flatter". Generally speaking, the Earth is flatter at the poles and more curved at the equator.

Offline Lars-J

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #89 on: 12/14/2017 11:40 pm »
Here is the video with inside view:  8)  8)  8)


https://twitter.com/JeffBezos/status/941465587049406464
Quote
Jeff Bezos @JeffBezos
Full video of Mannequin Skywalker’s ride to space. Unlike him, you’ll be able to get out of your seat during the zero gee part of the flight. And ignore the pinging sound – it’s just from one of the experiments on this flight. #NewShepard @blueorigin 



This makes me want to go right now - Looks amazing.
« Last Edit: 12/14/2017 11:42 pm by Lars-J »

Offline Rocket Science

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #90 on: 12/15/2017 01:23 am »
Nice catch Lars, well done!
"The laws of physics are unforgiving"
~Rob: Physics instructor, Aviator

Offline Comga

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #91 on: 12/15/2017 01:34 am »
Nice
Reminiscent of this summer’s eclipse. About the same duration for “main event”, the free fall part.
Deep dark skies, a very different perspective on the world. Then back to “normal”
Looks extremely stable and smooth but with the camera bolted solidly there isn’t much visible to show disturbances.
A few things floating around until about 5:20 when they begin to settle gently. Their quiescent floating indicates high quality microgravity.
I still think they should Have had a few ping pong balls to float around.
What kind of wastrels would dump a perfectly good booster in the ocean after just one use?

Offline GWH

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #92 on: 12/15/2017 03:58 am »
Also their landing pad bot "Blue2D2".

https://twitter.com/JeffBezos/status/941467037905272833

This additional media release is much better! Agreed about that view, incredible.

Online FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #93 on: 12/15/2017 06:38 am »
Also their landing pad bot "Blue2D2".

https://twitter.com/JeffBezos/status/941467037905272833

This additional media release is much better! Agreed about that view, incredible.

 Video attached

Online FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #94 on: 12/15/2017 06:50 am »
So at touchdown at about 10:05 in the inside view video I didn’t detect any retro firing to cushion the landing. Was this landing just on parachutes? Or maybe my hearing’s not too good ...

Online Svetoslav

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #95 on: 12/15/2017 06:54 am »
Can I sign up for free? I'll gladly be the test dummy in the capsule next time.

Offline Lars-J

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #96 on: 12/15/2017 07:38 am »
So at touchdown at about 10:05 in the inside view video I didn’t detect any retro firing to cushion the landing. Was this landing just on parachutes? Or maybe my hearing’s not too good ...

Oh there certainly was retro fire (that’s what primarily kicks up the dust), otherwise it would have been a rough impact. But it appears to be tuned very well.

Offline EgorBotts

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Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #97 on: 12/15/2017 08:06 am »
So at touchdown at about 10:05 in the inside view video I didn’t detect any retro firing to cushion the landing. Was this landing just on parachutes? Or maybe my hearing’s not too good ...

Oh there certainly was retro fire (that’s what primarily kicks up the dust), otherwise it would have been a rough impact. But it appears to be tuned very well.



Oh yes there was a retro fire. We can see the dust flying around while landing seems like on a cushion. Above is the video including a Soyuz landing. Certainly looks a lot more rough...

Offline rpapo

Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #98 on: 12/15/2017 09:25 am »
https://twitter.com/JeffBezos/status/941465587049406464
Quote
Jeff Bezos @JeffBezos
Full video of Mannequin Skywalker’s ride to space. Unlike him, you’ll be able to get out of your seat during the zero gee part of the flight. And ignore the pinging sound – it’s just from one of the experiments on this flight. #NewShepard @blueorigin 
Needs the following, at least:

(1) Better FOD cleaning beforehand.  While it was good (for this video) to see flakes of stuff floating around in the air in zero-G, I wouldn't want that stuff going up my nose.

(2) An altimeter and a velocimeter visible to the passenger.

« Last Edit: 12/15/2017 09:27 am by rpapo »
Following the space program since before Apollo 8.

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: New Shepard - 7th test flight - December 12, 2017
« Reply #99 on: 12/15/2017 10:35 am »
Given industrial looking interior I guessing this capsule is only for experiments. No3 capsule is likely to be crew capsule with nice interior.

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