Author Topic: SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon CRS SpX-2 PROCESSING/Pre-LAUNCH UPDATES (Read 126794 times)

IRobot · « **Reply #20 on:** 01/21/2013 10:59 pm »

You have cleaner environment in a small SMD electronics assembly company...

kirghizstan · « **Reply #21 on:** 01/21/2013 11:18 pm »

Quote from: Ben the Space Brit on 01/21/2013 07:36 pm

Quote from: tigerade on 01/21/2013 05:48 pm
Dragon being loaded onto it's trunk for the March 1st flight:

Clean suits and dust sheets up! I'm sure Jim will be pleased as punch to see the SpaceX crew looking so much more 'professional' (i.e. NASA-like) than usual.

Do my eyes deceive me or are the solar array bays open and uncovered? Does SpaceX carry out condition checks on the solar arrays during final integration?

Looks like the open them up to access somtng they cover needed for joining the dragon to its tail

Lars_J · « **Reply #22 on:** 01/21/2013 11:49 pm »

Quote from: Ben the Space Brit on 01/21/2013 07:36 pm

Do my eyes deceive me or are the solar array bays open and uncovered? Does SpaceX carry out condition checks on the solar arrays during final integration?

No, the arrays still seem to be in their protective (plastic?) cover, unopened. There appears to be some other black things hanging in the background on the left side that only makes it look like the array is opened.

pippin · « **Reply #23 on:** 01/22/2013 12:06 am »

What are these red, circular items on the heat shield? Never noticed this for the other Dragons.

Lars_J · « **Reply #24 on:** 01/22/2013 12:07 am »

Quote from: pippin on 01/22/2013 12:06 am

What are these red, circular items on the heat shield? Never noticed this for the other Dragons.

Where the capsule attaches to the trunk.

pippin · « **Reply #25 on:** 01/22/2013 01:02 am »

Ah. Thanks. So there are like power connections there? Didn't notice they have these going through the heat shield.
Are they somehow covered during reentry?
Do we have images of this after reentry here (didn't find any)

pippin · « **Reply #26 on:** 01/22/2013 01:10 am »

OK, I get the point....
http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/f9-3-c2.jpg

Still: how does this look after reentry and are there powerlines there, too?

Jason1701 · « **Reply #27 on:** 01/22/2013 02:14 am »

Too small to tell for sure, but it looks like the red circles could be remove-before-flight covers.

Jim · « **Reply #28 on:** 01/22/2013 02:20 am »

Quote from: pippin on 01/22/2013 01:02 am

Ah. Thanks. So there are like power connections there?

No, it is on the side like Apollo

Lars_J · « **Reply #29 on:** 01/22/2013 02:33 am »

Quote from: pippin on 01/22/2013 01:02 am

Ah. Thanks. So there are like power connections there? Didn't notice they have these going through the heat shield.

No, those six points are just for structural attachment. The power and cooling lines do NOT go through the heat shield - they are connected by a "claw" arm that attaches to the outside base of the capsule. See the image in this post: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=28920.msg903997#msg903997

Quote from: pippin on 01/22/2013 01:02 am

Are they somehow covered during reentry?
Do we have images of this after reentry here (didn't find any)

No, those six points are not covered during re-entry, they are made of some sturdy alloy.

oiorionsbelt · « **Reply #30 on:** 01/22/2013 02:38 am »

I asked sometime back about those attachment points and what material they were made from as they aren't PICAX and yet are right in the heat of the plasma flow during reentry. I don't think I received a definitive answer. Anyone?

pippin · « **Reply #31 on:** 01/22/2013 03:49 am »

Quote from: Lars_J on 01/22/2013 02:33 am

No, those six points are just for structural attachment. The power and cooling lines do NOT go through the heat shield - they are connected by a "claw" arm that attaches to the outside base of the capsule. See the image in this post: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=28920.msg903997#msg903997

Thanks!
Starts to make sense to me....

Still kind of surprised about the hard attachment points.
Sturdy alloy or not they have to create some sort of heat transfer, at least if they are made of metal which I would assume is a bigger issue than getting them to survive themselves.
And if they are not, I'd be kind of surprised that they hold the whole thing, after all, Dragon is fully exposed so at MaxQ these 6 attachment points will have to carry quite some loads.

Are they maybe simply far enough out of the plasma flow to keep the temperature at bay simply by being deep enough behind the "plane" of the heat shield?

Or can you make stuff like that out of carbon-fiber/ceramics composites (like breaks) these days? But these would still have quite some thermal conductivity.

beancounter · « **Reply #32 on:** 01/22/2013 04:43 am »

Quote from: pippin on 01/22/2013 03:49 am

Quote from: Lars_J on 01/22/2013 02:33 am
No, those six points are just for structural attachment. The power and cooling lines do NOT go through the heat shield - they are connected by a "claw" arm that attaches to the outside base of the capsule. See the image in this post: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=28920.msg903997#msg903997
Thanks!
Starts to make sense to me....

Still kind of surprised about the hard attachment points.
Sturdy alloy or not they have to create some sort of heat transfer, at least if they are made of metal which I would assume is a bigger issue than getting them to survive themselves.
And if they are not, I'd be kind of surprised that they hold the whole thing, after all, Dragon is fully exposed so at MaxQ these 6 attachment points will have to carry quite some loads.

Are they maybe simply far enough out of the plasma flow to keep the temperature at bay simply by being deep enough behind the "plane" of the heat shield?

Or can you make stuff like that out of carbon-fiber/ceramics composites (like breaks) these days? But these would still have quite some thermal conductivity.

I remember reading an article some time back which demonstrated the flow of heat on the heatshield. Think it was originally for Orion?! Anyway, it seems that the design of the cavity directs the flow of heat partially into the cavity but not all the way and hence protects the hard spot from the extreme temperatures the rest of the heat shield experiences. Cavity design is the key apparently, not necessarily great cavity depth.
Not well described - sorry, but hopefully you get the picture.
Cheers.

Edit: sorry, forgot was an update thread.

Ben the Space Brit · « **Reply #33 on:** 01/22/2013 10:29 am »

Quote from: oiorionsbelt on 01/22/2013 02:38 am

I asked sometime back about those attachment points and what material they were made from as they aren't PICAX and yet are right in the heat of the plasma flow during reentry. I don't think I received a definitive answer. Anyone?

I think they're probably painted onto the PICA-X.

FWIW, I understand that the attach points are on top of the where the Dragonrider landing pads will be located.

Lars_J · « **Reply #34 on:** 01/22/2013 04:01 pm »

Quote from: Ben the Space Brit on 01/22/2013 10:29 am

Quote from: oiorionsbelt on 01/22/2013 02:38 am
I asked sometime back about those attachment points and what material they were made from as they aren't PICAX and yet are right in the heat of the plasma flow during reentry. I don't think I received a definitive answer. Anyone?

I think they're probably painted onto the PICA-X.

What?!? Are you seriously suggesting that the capsule is structurally supported by something "painted on the PICA-X". Even when told otherwise by several people?