SpaceX COTS Demo 1 Updates

[ugordan]

I didn't catch what she was saying about the 2nd stage nozzle?

Something about detecting something in the clouseout photos. Want to investigate, if no new nozzle is needed launch is NET Thursday. If a new nozzle is needed I heard a NET Friday or Saturday.

If they did lower the vehicle to check this out, I don't understand why they'd erect it back up as Jim observed if there needs to be work done. For the post-conference photo-op only?

[stockman]

[stockman]

[stockman]

[Robotbeat]

They see some porosity, perhaps some cracking, on a weld joint during final close-out.

[ugordan]

They see some porosity, perhaps some cracking, on a weld joint during final close-out.

...and the vehicle is now vertical because they're doing some TVC wiggle tests.

[KSC Engineer]

She said welding issues with the nozzle....if not Thursday then Friday or Saturday.

[joshcryer]

That's really really something you would have expected QC to catch, imho.

[baldusi]

Besides, does SpaceX meet all the standards you need to meet for animal testing? If you want a crash test dummy, send Elon up

I was thinking. If they want to make a human rated emergency capsule, couldn't they send up a test dummy with a normal supply capsule when supplying the ISS? If I'm not mistaken, a capsule human rated for down mass would be quite simpler than having it go up human rated. And it could be an interesting middle development.
Of course, if the price is right, a true test of the LAS inflight would be cooler. Like activating the self destruct, and letting the LAS detect the catastrophic failure and having a couple of test dummies in the capsule survive that. Can you imagine that?

[KSC Engineer]

anyone know what a "wiggle" test means?

[joshcryer]

anyone know what a "wiggle" test means?

Testing the whole vector space of the control rods on the nozzle. Basically what STS does every time it flies.

[Jim]

anyone know what a "wiggle" test means?

TVC test

[KSC Engineer]

anyone know what a "wiggle" test means?

TVC test

Thanks Jim.   Glad to hear that she said "SpaceX is very open, transparent and public about their missions.  We don't have a muzzle on our data."   Cool - I hope to see that going forward.

[Avron]

Bill... How much insight does nasa have on any other launch vendor..



Come on now.. you have no future vision...  show me some vision or sit back and support Made in USA...

[Jim]

Bill... How much insight does nasa have on any other launch vendor..



Come on now.. you have no future vision...  show me some vision or sit back and support Made in USA...

I don't understand this.

[kevin-rf]

I was thinking. If they want to make a human rated emergency capsule, couldn't they send up a test dummy with a normal supply capsule when supplying the ISS? If I'm not mistaken, a capsule human rated for down mass would be quite simpler than having it go up human rated. And it could be an interesting middle development.

It boils down to thermal management, A capsule with a biological in it requires more robust thermal management than cargo.

[joshcryer]

Thanks Jim.   Glad to hear that she said "SpaceX is very open, transparent and public about their missions.  We don't have a muzzle on our data."   Cool - I hope to see that going forward.

Only difference is that you have to be on their FaceBook page if you want to find stuff out, rather than being an insider. 

[KSC Engineer]

Is it common to get an inclination waiver from the FAA to fly over Europe on a test flight per an earlier discussion during the press conference?

[kevin-rf]

That's really really something you would have expected QC to catch, imho.

By the same token, it was missed on Delta III flight two, and the RL-10 has more flight history than all of SpaceX.

I look at it as a positive, QC found something and they are taking the time to go back to it.

[Robotbeat]

They're going to fly thousands of patches in the Dragon capsule for this flight.