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#180
by
yg1968
on 21 Jan, 2011 00:21
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I'll start recording it about 2105 UTC or so.
Jim
Great. Will you be uploading the webcast on filefront.com?
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#181
by
kq6ea
on 21 Jan, 2011 00:40
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WELL.....I was going to capture it with DownloadHelper, but it couldn't grab the stream, so no joy.
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#182
by
Chris Bergin
on 21 Jan, 2011 00:42
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I guess this is when we find out if the legends about the shock waves bouncing back from that nearby hill are true.
Was only because of the Shuttle's SRBs.
Would have been amazing if there had been shuttle launches from both KSC and VAFB.
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#183
by
GoForTLI
on 21 Jan, 2011 00:59
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Would have been amazing if there had been shuttle launches from both KSC and VAFB.
Just caught the YouTube of today's Delta IV Heavy launch. I was imagining hearing GLS milestones during the countdown, with the hills in the background.
Someone said "majestic" earlier, and I can't improve on that description of a Heavy rising from the pad. Wow!
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#184
by
MrTim
on 21 Jan, 2011 01:05
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For those who are curious, here is what it looked like about 200mi south of the launch. Completely horizontal trail, but obviously much faster than a jet.
Easily visible with the naked eye, about equivalent to 4" long object at arm's length.
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#185
by
TitanFan
on 21 Jan, 2011 01:07
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A few shots from Surf Beach. The sun couldn't have picked a worse spot in the sky to be at T-0...
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#186
by
JosephB
on 21 Jan, 2011 01:44
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#187
by
Chris Bergin
on 21 Jan, 2011 01:59
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Nice, very nice!
Vandenberg AFB, Calif., (Jan. 21, 2011) - A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy launches with a National Reconnaissance Office payload at Space Launch Complex-6 at 1:10 p.m. PST. The Delta IV Heavy is the largest rocket ever launched from the west coast of the U.S. standing 235 feet tall and producing nearly 2 millions pounds of thrust at liftoff. The Delta IV Heavy is America’s most powerful liquid fueled rocket. This was the fifth launch of a Delta IV heavy in program history. Photo by Pat Corkery, United Launch Alliance.
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#188
by
dks13827
on 21 Jan, 2011 02:47
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Looks like a great manned booster to me ! Lets get on with it... in 6 months we will have.... nothing !!!!
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#189
by
Lee Jay
on 21 Jan, 2011 02:49
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Wow...is the insulation actually on fire in that wide shot?
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#190
by
Downix
on 21 Jan, 2011 02:59
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Looks like a great manned booster to me ! Lets get on with it... in 6 months we will have.... nothing !!!!
And we'd still have nothing with Delta IV. ULA says a man-rated Delta would take 5-6 years. Atlas would be 3 years.
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#191
by
hartspace
on 21 Jan, 2011 03:03
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Wow...is the insulation actually on fire in that wide shot?
I was about to post a similar enlargement. With the flame on the nearest strap-on and the black smoke coming off it, it certainly looks like the insulation on that booster is burning. I don't recall seeing that on the other Delta IV launches, just the normal H2 ignition scorching. It would be interesting to see the other photos in that sequence to see how long it was burning.
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#192
by
jimvela
on 21 Jan, 2011 03:20
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Wow...is the insulation actually on fire in that wide shot?
I suppose that's one way to shed a few Kg...
To my eyes, the left hand booster as seen in the image is burning and trailing smoke in a "U" shape along the body of the booster as well as the active flame between that booster and the core.
I can't believe they intended or want the vehicle in flames like that... ignition fireball not withstanding.
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#193
by
kq6ea
on 21 Jan, 2011 03:25
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YOUCH!
Man, that's *scary*!
Is the big "burp" of flame at the engine ignition normal with a Delta-IV Heavy?
Jim
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#194
by
Lee Jay
on 21 Jan, 2011 03:29
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YOUCH!
Man, that's *scary*!
Is the big "burp" of flame at the engine ignition normal with a Delta-IV Heavy?
Jim
It's normal with an RS-68. What I don't understand is why the ROFIs don't keep it under control at the bottom of the booster.
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#195
by
Danderman
on 21 Jan, 2011 03:33
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Wow...is the insulation actually on fire in that wide shot?
I suppose that's one way to shed a few Kg...
To my eyes, the left hand booster as seen in the image is burning and trailing smoke in a "U" shape along the body of the booster as well as the active flame between that booster and the core.
I can't believe they intended or want the vehicle in flames like that... ignition fireball not withstanding.
This reminds me of one of the technical issues with SLC-6 back in the Shuttle days, the accumulation of hydrogen gas at the base of the pad. They installed a turbine near the pad to help vent the gas, but its possible that the turbine is either gone, or not 100% effective.
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#196
by
kq6ea
on 21 Jan, 2011 03:48
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OK....I'm a real rookie here when it comes to launching a Delta-IV Heavy at VAFB, so bear with me!
Isn't there a water deluge system, or is that what "ROFI" stands for? Is this related to the "Hydrogen Build Up" that they were so worried about when launching a Shuttle from SLC-6?
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#197
by
jimvela
on 21 Jan, 2011 03:58
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This reminds me of one of the technical issues with SLC-6 back in the Shuttle days, the accumulation of hydrogen gas at the base of the pad. They installed a turbine near the pad to help vent the gas, but its possible that the turbine is either gone, or not 100% effective.
I thought that the turbine engine was long gone, and that only ROFI was used for Delta IV (plus beefing up the aft end of the vehicle)
(ROFI is the radially outward flame ignitor- AKA the "Sparklers")
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#198
by
Nick L.
on 21 Jan, 2011 04:43
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YOUCH!
Man, that's *scary*!
Is the big "burp" of flame at the engine ignition normal with a Delta-IV Heavy?
Jim
It's normal with an RS-68. What I don't understand is why the ROFIs don't keep it under control at the bottom of the booster.
The ROFIs actually did their job here, which was to burn off the excess hydrogen (producing the fireball). Otherwise it would have built up and exploded when the engines ignited. Probably the pad layout caused the hydrogen to collect closer to the vehicle than it does at the Cape resulting in the scorching.
The first Heavy was almost as badly burned when it launched. I think they made some modifications to reduce the charring but the differences between the pads probably negated those.
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#199
by
marsavian
on 21 Jan, 2011 05:39
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Insider's view from NASA Mission Director Center (MDC) on south Vandenberg
