Author Topic: SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon COTS Demo (C2+) GENERAL DISCUSSION (Read 510300 times)

clongton · « **Reply #400 on:** 05/19/2012 03:09 pm »

Quote from: brihath on 05/19/2012 03:06 pm

The female talking head on Fox News this morning said everyone at SpaceX was "depressed".

Fox (non)news is what is depressing, not SpaceX

renclod · « **Reply #401 on:** 05/19/2012 03:46 pm »

Quote from: brihath on 05/19/2012 03:06 pm

... "depressed". Really?? I got none of that from Gwen Shotwell this morning at the press conference. ...

Alan Lindenmoyer was definitely not happy.

Robotbeat · « **Reply #402 on:** 05/19/2012 03:50 pm »

Gwen Shotwell was very professional at the scrub press meeting.

rickl · « **Reply #403 on:** 05/19/2012 03:52 pm »

I quit watching TV news altogether a few years ago. It's done wonders for my mental health.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #404 on:** 05/19/2012 04:00 pm »

Quote from: rickl on 05/19/2012 03:52 pm

I quit watching TV news altogether a few years ago. It's done wonders for my mental health.

I'm with ya. I only occasionally watch the local news or serious breaking events now. And for launches I've got multiple apps (NASA TV, ESA iPad app, etc.).

Back to the launch: where is a chart of launch windows/times? Hoping they can go this week though that means I'd have to stay up late on a work night (or split my sleep, go to bed way early, wake up, watch the launch, then go back to bed).

Galactic Penguin SST · « **Reply #405 on:** 05/19/2012 04:01 pm »

Quote from: brihath on 05/19/2012 03:06 pm

Quote from: Chris-A on 05/19/2012 09:35 am
The media headlines don't seem to be too pleasing right now.

That coverage is probably by people who have no understanding of what is going on. The female talking head on Fox News this morning said everyone at SpaceX was "depressed". Really?? I got none of that from Gwen Shotwell this morning at the press conference. Now if they launched and lost the vehicle, it would probably be different.

As a matter of fact, one reporter mentioned failure and she came back and said it is not a failure. It is an abort. Everything worked the way it was supposed to and saved the vehicle.

I think that's just the effect of SpaceX being in limelight. I'm pretty sure no-one at Arianespace got depressed with this abort...

...or anyone at ULA with this Delta IV abort...

... or even on SpaceX's last launch abort!

cro-magnon gramps · « **Reply #406 on:** 05/19/2012 04:07 pm »

Now these guys had a BAD BAD DAY

just an indication of what COULD have gone wrong if there had been a lift off

plank · « **Reply #407 on:** 05/19/2012 04:51 pm »

Not trying to be redundant but when is the next launch happening again?

ugordan · « **Reply #408 on:** 05/19/2012 04:53 pm »

We don't know.

rdale · « **Reply #409 on:** 05/19/2012 05:42 pm »

Quote from: plank on 05/19/2012 04:51 pm

Not trying to be redundant

Just curious... Did you read the news story before asking?

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/05/spacex-falcon-9-send-dragon-to-iss/

Antares · « **Reply #410 on:** 05/19/2012 05:42 pm »

Quote from: renclod on 05/19/2012 03:46 pm

Quote from: brihath on 05/19/2012 03:06 pm
... "depressed". Really?? I got none of that from Gwen Shotwell this morning at the press conference. ...
Alan Lindenmoyer was definitely not happy.

I think he was extremely happy... that no one asked him a question

Antares · « **Reply #411 on:** 05/19/2012 06:10 pm »

Quote from: ugordan on 05/19/2012 01:54 pm

Do combustion chambers typically have temperature sensors or just pressure transducers?

The combustion gas is too hot to reliably measure it directly. All engines with cooling jackets have temperature sensors downstream of the jacket to take the temperature of the fuel after the jacket.

cro-magnon gramps · « **Reply #412 on:** 05/19/2012 06:14 pm »

just re-watched the opening remarks from the panel for post abort;
George and Gwynne seem the most relaxed and ok with what happened; Alan though, did not look happy to there; just kept nodding his head; when asked for comment from George, he seemed surprised/startled to say the least, that he was being asked; as it was his comment was instructive; not only do they have 22, 23, as backup, but they have a few more days perhaps;

but back to Alan, I suspect he is wondering what HQ is going to be asking him on Monday, and further up the pipe, how Congress and the WH is going to react; has anyone heard from those guys??

of course the press are going to be all negative, as that sells papers / advertising ;( the more negative they can be the better; there has been some research recently that has backed up why that is, based on our hunter gather development; seems related to survival mechanisms; can't blame it all on the news guys

MP99 · « **Reply #413 on:** 05/19/2012 06:24 pm »

Quote from: renclod on 05/19/2012 03:46 pm

Quote from: brihath on 05/19/2012 03:06 pm
... "depressed". Really?? I got none of that from Gwen Shotwell this morning at the press conference. ...

Alan Lindenmoyer was definitely not happy.

He looked shocked, to me.

cheers, Martin

RocketJack · « **Reply #414 on:** 05/19/2012 06:29 pm »

Quote from: Jim on 05/19/2012 11:47 am

Quote from: AJA on 05/19/2012 08:36 am
Also, while I'm at bugging people; can anyone clarify how instantaneous the instantaneous launch window is? And is it because Falcon/Dragon carries lesser propellant for delta-v's than the shuttle?

Instantaneous is one second. It is because Spacex wants to have as much spacecraft propellant onboard as possible. Which means launch vehicle performance needs to be as high as possible and it can't use propellant yaw steering for non optimal launch times.

One of the reporter types on this forum should ask them directly if they have first or second stage yaw steering software. With all of the trajectory software issues related earlier, i would be surprised if they have planar steering capability.
I suspect the larger concern is that they do not know what the second stage engine performance is in vacuum. Do not believe it has been fired in a vacuum with a complete engine bell.
FWIW

ugordan · « **Reply #415 on:** 05/19/2012 06:31 pm »

Quote from: RocketJack on 05/19/2012 06:29 pm

Do not believe it has been fired in a vacuum with a complete engine bell.

Flight 1?

ugordan · « **Reply #416 on:** 05/19/2012 06:47 pm »

Quote from: Antares on 05/19/2012 06:10 pm

Quote from: ugordan on 05/19/2012 01:54 pm
Do combustion chambers typically have temperature sensors or just pressure transducers?

The combustion gas is too hot to reliably measure it directly. All engines with cooling jackets have temperature sensors downstream of the jacket to take the temperature of the fuel after the jacket.

Got it, thanks.

One more question: is the engine controller typically in charge of initiating shutdown in the event of redlines/imminent failure or does it just inform the flight computer which then commands a shutdown?

RocketJack · « **Reply #417 on:** 05/19/2012 07:01 pm »

Quote from: ugordan on 05/19/2012 06:31 pm

Quote from: RocketJack on 05/19/2012 06:29 pm
Do not believe it has been fired in a vacuum with a complete engine bell.

Flight 1?

Hard to determine determine performance on flight 1 due to roll issues - no idea how much was left in the tank at cutoff. Maybe they did a reconstruction...

AFAIK there isn't a vacuum chamber used to test the 1C, so performance would have to be determined from flight 1 with roll issues and flight 2, with shortened bell.
Don't know, but it would be worth a question as well as whether planar steering software exists.
Everyone is assuming "save prop" - haven't heard about options

gladiator1332 · « **Reply #418 on:** 05/19/2012 07:06 pm »

Quote from: rickl on 05/19/2012 03:52 pm

I quit watching TV news altogether a few years ago. It's done wonders for my mental health.

I gave up when CNN got rid of Miles O'Brien.

david1971 · « **Reply #419 on:** 05/19/2012 07:11 pm »

Most of my friends are big baseball fans. They are understanding the "this isn't a loss, it's more like a rain delay" line of explanation.