SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon CRS SpX-1 MISSION GENERAL DISCUSSION

[thydusk666]

Continuing my question from the Updates thread. Anyone has any relevant information on this?

Orbcomm statement on upcoming launch.(Original 2011)

"The planned Falcon 9 launch will place ORBCOMM’s first two OG2 satellites
into a 52° inclined 350 by 750 km insertion orbit. The satellites’ onboard propulsion systems will then be used to circulize the orbit at 750 km".

http://www.orbcomm.com/Collateral/Documents/English-US/spacexlaunch.pdf

How do they plan to get to a 350x750km orbit?
Probably that 350km perigee is outdated, since ISS' current altitude is ~410km, and it wouldn't make sense to do a retro-burn just to follow the pdf., unless I'm missing something.
After unberthing from ISS, Dragon will probably make a burn to increase its orbit to 410x750km then will dispense the satellite. It would save some delta-v for Orbcomm. Following that, a retrograde burn at perigee to circularise at 410km or lower, then proceed with nominal re-entry steps.

Would that make sense?

The satellites are on the second stage, not on Dragon. After dropping Dragon off, the second stage will re-light and increase its apogee. (Further discussion should go to a discussion thread.)

[Jason1701]

Continuing my question from the Updates thread. Anyone has any relevant information on this?

Orbcomm statement on upcoming launch.(Original 2011)

"The planned Falcon 9 launch will place ORBCOMM’s first two OG2 satellites
into a 52° inclined 350 by 750 km insertion orbit. The satellites’ onboard propulsion systems will then be used to circulize the orbit at 750 km".

http://www.orbcomm.com/Collateral/Documents/English-US/spacexlaunch.pdf

How do they plan to get to a 350x750km orbit?
Probably that 350km perigee is outdated, since ISS' current altitude is ~410km, and it wouldn't make sense to do a retro-burn just to follow the pdf., unless I'm missing something.
After unberthing from ISS, Dragon will probably make a burn to increase its orbit to 410x750km then will dispense the satellite. It would save some delta-v for Orbcomm. Following that, a retrograde burn at perigee to circularise at 410km or lower, then proceed with nominal re-entry steps.

Would that make sense?

The satellites are on the second stage, not on Dragon. After dropping Dragon off, the second stage will re-light and increase its apogee. (Further discussion should go to a discussion thread.)

I am not aware of any sources that say Dragon will deploy secondary payloads from the trunk. They will always be on the upper stage.

[Comga]

With regards to the lack of logos on the CRS-1 Dragon, here is an image of COTS-1 Dragon with a big SpaceX logo.

[bocephus419]

Looks like the nose cone gets the Spacex logo.  Image from http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=225

[Comga]

Looks like the nose cone gets the Spacex logo.  Image from http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=225

Another logo that's jettisoned before approaching the ISS.

Any ideas about the pink poly (pink poly!) taped over the hatch with four days to go?

[Lars_J]

Looks like the nose cone gets the Spacex logo.  Image from http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=225

Another logo that's jettisoned before approaching the ISS.

Any ideas about the pink poly (pink poly!) taped over the hatch with four days to go?

Probably because the hatch hasn't been 100% sealed yet. I seem to recall reading that they are demonstrating late load capability on this flight.

[Zed_Noir]

Notice the launch and return cargo manifests posted on the spaceflightnow web site.

Stuff going up link:
http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/004/launchmanifest.html

Stuff coming down link:
http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/004/returnmanifest.html

So is the cargo going to the ISS relatively low density?

[douglas100]

Another logo that's jettisoned before approaching the ISS.

Looks like the suggestion that NASA doesn't want any visible commercial logos on the spacecraft while approaching the ISS might be correct.

[douglas100]

I seem to recall reading that they are demonstrating late load capability on this flight.

That seems likely. You can see the cabin used for late loading parked to the left of the hangar door.

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=62620

[Comga]

Notice the launch and return cargo manifests posted on the spaceflightnow web site.

Stuff going up link:
http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/004/launchmanifest.html

Stuff coming down link:
http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/004/returnmanifest.html

So is the cargo going to the ISS relatively low density?

This I find curious:
Up cargo: Cabin fan for ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle
Down cargo: Cabin filter and ATV cabin fan for ESA.

Notice how many of the items have masses like 8.8 lbs, coincidently 4.0 kg.  NASA and the units issue....

[Ben the Space Brit]

This I find curious:
Up cargo: Cabin fan for ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle
Down cargo: Cabin filter and ATV cabin fan for ESA.

IIRC, it was on ATV-2 that there was an issue with a faulty circulation fan that made it initially difficult and somewhat hazardous to access the cargo module of the spacecraft.  They may now carry a spare as standard and had to remove a defective one from ATV-3.

[Thunderbird5]

This I find curious:
Up cargo: Cabin fan for ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle
Down cargo: Cabin filter and ATV cabin fan for ESA.

IIRC, it was on ATV-2 that there was an issue with a faulty circulation fan that made it initially difficult and somewhat hazardous to access the cargo module of the spacecraft.  They may now carry a spare as standard and had to remove a defective one from ATV-3.

Which now (or once again), they have the option to return for proper diagnosis rather than just have it burn-up as junk and then have to surmise why it failed.

Obvious, I know, but still very cool! 

[Comga]

...here's the Press Kit for this mission:
http://www.spacex.com/downloads/spacex-crs-1presskit.pdf

Thermal Protection System
• Primary heat shield: Tiled phenolic impregnated carbon ablator (PICA-X), fabricated in-house.
• Backshell: SpaceX Proprietary Ablative Material (SPAM).

SPAM *on* a can!  :-O

[Comga]

Courtesy of Space Pete in the Live: JAXA deploys cubesats from the ISS thread

Video from today's ISS update discusses CRS-1 starting around 3:56.



edit:grammar

[dcporter]

Thanks for the link! The video says ISS Commander Williams tested CUCU; then there's a lot of summary-and-overview talk.

[Ben the Space Brit]

• Backshell: SpaceX Proprietary Ablative Material (SPAM).

I can hear Elon giggling like a teenager having conducted a successful prank when he signed that into the patent application.

[krytek]

• Backshell: SpaceX Proprietary Ablative Material (SPAM).

I can hear Elon giggling like a teenager having conducted a successful prank when he signed that into the patent application.

Except Elon said they prefer not to do patents at SpaceX.
They do have a talent for cool names though.

[Space Pete]

This I find curious:
Up cargo: Cabin fan for ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle
Down cargo: Cabin filter and ATV cabin fan for ESA.

IIRC, it was on ATV-2 that there was an issue with a faulty circulation fan that made it initially difficult and somewhat hazardous to access the cargo module of the spacecraft.  They may now carry a spare as standard and had to remove a defective one from ATV-3.

Yes, that's correct.

The cabin fans failed on both the ATV-2 and ATV-3 missions, and so they will now keep one good spare aboard the ISS to guard against a failure on ATV-4, and return an already failed unit to Earth to try to determine why they're failing so much.

[Comga]

• Backshell: SpaceX Proprietary Ablative Material (SPAM).

I can hear Elon giggling like a teenager having conducted a successful prank when he signed that into the patent application.

Except Elon said they prefer not to do patents at SpaceX.
They do have a talent for cool names though.

But I did!  Once I got a patent partly because of the cool acronym, a variant of Gadfly.  :-)

[Prober]

• Backshell: SpaceX Proprietary Ablative Material (SPAM).

I can hear Elon giggling like a teenager having conducted a successful prank when he signed that into the patent application.

Except Elon said they prefer not to do patents at SpaceX.
They do have a talent for cool names though.

But I did!  Once I got a patent partly because of the cool acronym, a variant of Gadfly.  :-)

a patent? you mean a trademark.