Author Topic: SpaceX: Falcon 9 Hotfire Attempt 2 Updates (Read 138680 times)

Avron · « **Reply #220 on:** 03/14/2010 03:52 pm »

Quote from: corrodedNut on 03/14/2010 04:09 am

Its part of the feedline/cable trunk, but I can't say what its for.

If you look hard enough, you can see the cork squares, or rather, the grid pattern made by the gaps between them.

is that not the flight termination system attached to the stage, minus the controller?

stockman · « **Reply #221 on:** 03/14/2010 04:08 pm »

Quote from: grakenverb on 03/14/2010 03:38 pm

Hopefully they will be as transparent as NASA has been when it comes to coverage. After all, the American taxpayer is going to be the customer, and we should be able to see where our money (borrowed from China) goes.

Sorry, Like dealing with ANY OTHER private company you are entitled to get the service you paid for (meaning the taxpayer)... there is no implied requirement for openness or full disclosure of a private companies strategy or marketing - unless there is suspicion of a law being broken.. what and how things are released is up to SpaceX... Besides this is a company demonstration flight - nothing really to do with the taxpayer on this one...

wannamoonbase · « **Reply #222 on:** 03/14/2010 04:27 pm »

Quote from: grakenverb on 03/14/2010 03:38 pm

Hopefully they will be as transparent as NASA has been when it comes to coverage. After all, the American taxpayer is going to be the customer, and we should be able to see where our money (borrowed from China) goes.

If I was SpaceX I wouldn't share very much. The day to day problem solving process that engineers go through can look confusing and disorganized to most of the public. Sharing is great for us amazing peoples. But not always the best idea from a business perspective.

Frankly, if they are successful in flight I don't care how they get there.

Avron · « **Reply #223 on:** 03/14/2010 05:05 pm »

Nice Test Spacex... and many thanks for sharing .. History in the making..

stockman · « **Reply #224 on:** 03/14/2010 05:11 pm »

Quote from: Avron on 03/14/2010 05:05 pm

Nice Test Spacex... and many thanks for sharing .. History in the making..

Seconded!!! and btw I wish equal luck and good wishes to all other participants who are trying to do this... I hope for success for everyone...

WHAP · « **Reply #225 on:** 03/14/2010 05:46 pm »

Quote from: ugordan on 03/14/2010 10:17 am

Quote from: robertross on 03/14/2010 04:23 am

EDIT TO ADD: Also note you don't see ANY evidence of this type of 'blowout' anywhere else on the vehicle's exterior. So to say it's just ice falling is incorrect, there is more to it.

Ever watched an Atlas launch? It's ice with water vapor mixed in. In fact, in the 2nd image Chris posted you can actually see the vapor "skin" giving the LOX tank a rough surface.

You're right, it's not just ice. It's ice + vapor.

That dark material (maybe just ice in the shadow of the vehicle) doesn't look like an Atlas launch. That photo in stockman's post gives the impression of the dark material being pushed out laterally, not falling and drifting in the wind, as it does on an Atlas launch. There's vapor in the SpaceX pictures, but I'm with Robertross on this one - it sure looks like the material is being propelled outward, not just shaking free. The second photo on the hobbyspace link shows a lot of material pretty far away from the vehicle - not consistent with wind effects when looking at the vapor on the ground or at the plume. While there may be a vent valve near that location, it would be unusual to be venting the tank while your engine was firing. That doesn't mean anything is wrong, it just appears different.

Anyone know how much of the tank they actually filled?

ugordan · « **Reply #226 on:** 03/14/2010 06:17 pm »

Quote from: WHAP on 03/14/2010 05:46 pm

That dark material (maybe just ice in the shadow of the vehicle) doesn't look like an Atlas launch. That photo in stockman's post gives the impression of the dark material being pushed out laterally, not falling and drifting in the wind, as it does on an Atlas launch.

OK, I'm now going to have to ask for visual cues about this "dark material" you're talking about.

There is a blob of ice being shaken off the tank, and it's actually visible in one of the images as a slight darkening in the LOX tank texture and there are ice+vapor particles being carried by the wind next to the black rectangular box at the top of RP-1 tank. What other dark material pushed out?

corrodedNut · « **Reply #227 on:** 03/14/2010 07:38 pm »

The video is up!

http://spacex.com/multimedia/videos.php

stockman · « **Reply #228 on:** 03/14/2010 07:50 pm »

Quote from: corrodedNut on 03/14/2010 07:38 pm

The video is up!

http://spacex.com/multimedia/videos.php

thank you again CorrodedNut...

corrodedNut · « **Reply #229 on:** 03/14/2010 07:54 pm »

Here are the specific links to both, close-up and wide:

http://spacex.com/multimedia/videos.php?id=48

http://spacex.com/multimedia/videos.php?id=47

Higher rez versions also available for download.

psloss · « **Reply #230 on:** 03/14/2010 07:57 pm »

Quote from: corrodedNut on 03/14/2010 07:54 pm

Here are the specific links to both, close-up and wide:

http://spacex.com/multimedia/videos.php?id=48

http://spacex.com/multimedia/videos.php?id=47

Higher rez versions also available for download.

Thanks.

stockman · « **Reply #231 on:** 03/14/2010 07:58 pm »

looked like a great test in the video... I pulled two snaps from the 5 or 6 second mark showing AGAIN the ice that was liberated.. Looks perfectly nominal to my un-engineering eyes - I point them out for observations purposes only ...

ugordan · « **Reply #232 on:** 03/14/2010 08:00 pm »

Quote from: corrodedNut on 03/14/2010 07:54 pm

http://spacex.com/multimedia/videos.php?id=47

Yep, looks like that black box near the cable trunk is a helium depressurization valve, among other things.

Oh, and, they need better microphones! To feel that bass.

stockman · « **Reply #233 on:** 03/14/2010 08:06 pm »

Another Observation only - probably perfectly nominal but what I find interesting in the video ... whatever the black item is in the picture (see red arrows) you can really see it get deflected upwards at the point of ignition... again,, JUST an observation because that is what I do... lol ...

ugordan · « **Reply #234 on:** 03/14/2010 08:11 pm »

Quote from: stockman on 03/14/2010 08:06 pm

whatever the black item is in the picture (see red arrows) you can really see it get deflected upwards at the point of ignition...

Nice catch. That's where the steam from below billowed up next to the building. Could that be the other SRMU hole of the Titan that was closed? The position looks about right. Might not have been an adequate job at closing it.

stockman · « **Reply #235 on:** 03/14/2010 08:11 pm »

from the second video.. here are some general snapshots for everyone from the Close up video.

stockman · « **Reply #236 on:** 03/14/2010 08:11 pm »

stockman · « **Reply #237 on:** 03/14/2010 08:13 pm »

Finally - for ANY spaceX personnel that may read this forum... THANK YOU for the quick turnaround on pictures and video.

I can't wait for the launch and hopefully, the live webcast from the rocketcam

Borderline · « **Reply #238 on:** 03/14/2010 08:19 pm »

Quote from: stockman on 03/14/2010 08:13 pm

Finally - for ANY spaceX personnel that may read this forum... THANK YOU for the quick turnaround on pictures and video.

I can't wait for the launch and hopefully, the live webcast from the rocketcam

concur

Robert

HammerD · « **Reply #239 on:** 03/14/2010 08:24 pm »

Quote from: corrodedNut on 03/14/2010 07:38 pm

The video is up!

http://spacex.com/multimedia/videos.php

Nice video, looks good. Is it just me, or is the engine noise sounding kind of "tinny" ? It doesn't really have a deep throaty sound like I would have expected...