OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!

[rickl]

Well, then the "engine hot test" not worked as advertised, the bugs just keep surfacing  .   What if the engine need to be replaced, will they launch this year?

How do you planning a mission (commercial or HSF) with so many scrubs? If I were a customer, I would consider another provider after the 10th delay...

Well, it's only the third launch for the Falcon 9.  Don't despair.  They'll get things smoothed out.

I well remember the snarky remarks of some media commentators over repeated scrubs of the STS-51L launch.

[A_M_Swallow]

After this launch SpaceX probably needs to do a through review of all its timeouts and permitted parameter ranges.  With 3 launches and 9 engines they should have 27 readings; more with the hot fire tests.  That should allow them to calculate the mean, standard deviation and mean +/- 3 standard deviations.

[Mader Levap]

With these all overy conservative constraints, FH will only get worse...

[rickl]

Systems worked actually really well, I was pleased with what I saw. First time I have seen the launch computer on this vehicle abort an actual launch (as opposed to a hot fire test), and it worked exactly as intended. Engine 5 was off nominal so it terminated the launch.


Shows that we have a really good and reliable vehicle here. That's what I am taking away from this.

If I recall correctly, the first Falcon 9 test launch had an ignition abort, then they recycled the count and launched successfully a couple hours later.

I remember being very impressed by that.  I had never heard of that happening before with any other rocket.*  I remember Gemini 6 and one of the Shuttles aborting after ignition, and they didn't fly the same day.

*Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong about that.

[Antares]

Best was George Diller: "Aaand, lift... off?"

[sanman]

Do all the engines have the same tolerance limits?
Does the fact that Engine 5 is in the center make it more vulnerable?

Will the v1.1 with Merlin-1D help to alleviate this kind of problem?

[Chris Bergin]

Best was George Diller: "Aaand, lift... off?"

Beat the previous record!

"2, 1, and..."

[Kabloona]

Do all the engines have the same tolerance limits?
Does the fact that Engine 5 is in the center make it more vulnerable?

Will the v1.1 with Merlin-1D help to alleviate this kind of problem?

What will help the problem is more flight experience, gradually adjusting the LCC envelope. Elon's twitter immediately after abort saying that the limits will be adjusted for the next attempt says to me that it's not so much a "real" problem as trying to sneak up on the proper abort limits, one launch at a time.

[sanman]

Interesting - and yet this particular tolerance limit never posed any particular problem on previous launch attempts?

Could anything like this ever happen for an upper stage engine? Or is it that once you're in flight, there won't be any shutdowns?

[Kabloona]

Interesting - and yet this particular tolerance limit never posed any particular problem on previous launch attempts?

Could anything like this ever happen for an upper stage engine? Or is it that once you're in flight, there won't be any shutdowns?

I don't remember exactly, but I think this is the third F9 abort due to chamber pressure out of limits...

No, S2 would not be shut down for this type problem because a shutdown of S2 would guarantee loss of mission. You just light S2 and hope for the best.

[Mapperuo]

Best was George Diller: "Aaand, lift... off?"

I had to laugh at that aye. 

[AlexCam]

Best was George Diller: "Aaand, lift... off?"

I had to laugh at that aye. 

I would have loved him saying "aaaaaaand... cutoff!"

[MP99]

NasaTV HD on laptop
NSF on main computer

I have NASA channel on the TV with NSF & SpaceX webcast on the laptop.

I'm ready for anything!!!!

Were you ready for a power cut, like I had?

NTV (Ustream) on TV via desktop. SpaceX stream / countdown on laptop, checking NSF via tablet. Only the tablet stayed up when the power went, and even that lost internet because the router was off.

Thankfully it was off for less than 30 secs, but I was praying it wouldn't happen again near T-0.

Time to put battery back in the laptop, and add some cash to the PAYG mobile internet dongle.

cheers, Martin

PS neat tip - was able to pause the SpaceX stream via the "PVR" function, then watch that back from the start with sound after the NTV broadcast was complete.

[Orbiter]

Just got back from KSC..

I'd thought they'd be higher at MECO.

Orbiter

[rickl]

I'd thought they'd be higher at MECO.

[daver]

Never a dull moment at a SpaceX launch.  Hope its minor and they launch soon.  Webcast was great.   Go SpaceX!

[BrightLight]

It appears that Spacex is having a problem getting into the "battle rhythm" of well defined, continuous launch rates.  I have little doubt they will get there but I can't help but think that this will incur higher costs, possibly translating into higher costs per launch.  I wonder if ULA will drop their costs when Spacex starts to launch on a regular schedule?

[majormajor42]

Got to work at 4am. Had NASA TV playing on my car stereo from my Droid on the way in. Got to my desk and fired up the computer to watch. Was also ready to run up to the roof to maybe catch a glimpse of it flying over the Atlantic past NY. Worth a shot.

Very dramatic abort.

Just now catching up on all the posts from this morning.

Tuesday I have the day off so I guess I will be able to watch there and also follow these threads at the same time. Kinda reminds me of that someecard of a father pointing at a computer "...and this Son is the gameday thread, where we comment on the game while the game is on. I'm sorry your mother has left us."

Ironically Muse Uprising just came on the radio. See you Tuesday!

[ugordan]

See you Tuesday!

Don't mark your calendar yet. Noone committed to a Tuesday launch. They still have to find out what went wrong.

[oiorionsbelt]

Chris, just wanted to thank you for the Party thread.
The laughs, mixed with the anticipation of launch, late on a Friday night was a wonderful mix.