Author Topic: The CRS-3/SpX-3 - Dragon, Suit Up! - Party Thread (Read 282928 times)

CJ · « **Reply #520 on:** 04/24/2014 11:51 pm »

Looks to me like one of the pics from that post Chris moved to cryo-storage managed to leak...

I guess we now know what the "Easter surprise" they sent up was.

Stellvia · « **Reply #521 on:** 04/25/2014 12:08 am »

Quote from: Helodriver on 04/24/2014 10:27 pm

[Space X has just finished acquiring the Sea launch Odyssey Platform, will use it along with newly inked usage rights at Kourou, the (refurbished) San Marco Platform, Sriharikota, Woomera, and Johnston Atoll to establish a transglobal network of launch and landing sites for Falcon 9 rockets to leapfrog their way around the planet without ever having to lose performance due to RTLS limitations. Regularly scheduled thrice daily orbital payload service begins in 90 days, point to point passenger transport by 1st quarter 2015.

Given Elon's love of British cult TV, it will of course be named... the Magic Roundabout

RobW1 · « **Reply #522 on:** 04/25/2014 12:14 am »

Elon would make a superlative stage magician.

While he has very cleverly kept us all distracted with his shell game of "Guess Which Ship Has The Booster", the *real* most significant event of this flight has gone unnoticed.

The cheese from the COTS-1 flight has been sent into space again - but this time, it has returned under its own power.

It rode uphill mounted on the exterior of Dragon's common berthing mechanism - out of sight of the camera mounted on the top of the second stage - and was released soon after reaching orbit. After the Earth's rotation brought its ground track back to the vicinity of Florida, the cheese, now with an autonomous self-guiding capability, successfully started its sub-scale Mini Super Draco test thrusters to de-orbit itself. Once it had slowed to subsonic speeds, it deployed the attached landing legs and made a widely unnoticed powered landing several miles north of Cape Canaveral.

The landing went unnoticed for two main reasons:
- A rocket-propelled cheese just doesn't generate nearly as much fire and smoke as a full-scale Falcon 9;
- Most people simply weren't expecting SpaceX to demonstrate a fully-autonomous, self-guided reusable cheese this early in their development programme, so they weren't looking out for it.

AJW · « **Reply #523 on:** 04/25/2014 12:36 am »

The younger brother of the boy who flew to Hawaii in the wheel well tried to reach the ISS by hiding beneath one of the CRS-3 landing legs. He was recovered along with the first stage and SpaceX has now hired the two brothers to head up a team researching hibernation and how to apply it to Mars travel.

That's my theory and I'm sticking with it until Chris proves otherwise!

david1971 · « **Reply #524 on:** 04/25/2014 12:59 am »

Quote from: Rocket Science on 04/24/2014 11:15 pm

Quote from: Neuron on 04/24/2014 10:24 pm
Quote from: Lar on 04/24/2014 10:13 pm
Ok (and this is probably a bad idea but...)

Whoever posts the most outlandish but yet still physically possible suggestion will be gifted with a 10 USD credit at my BrickLink store... my judgment final and I'll PM the winner.

They successfully landed the second stage exactly on top of the previously recovered first stage.
After ISS resupply, Dragon will deorbit and land on top of the second stage... Job done!

You forgot to mention that the 3D printer on the second stage fabricated a new trunk in the meanwhile.

chalz · « **Reply #525 on:** 04/25/2014 01:42 am »

Quote from: Lar on 04/24/2014 10:13 pm

Ok (and this is probably a bad idea but...)

Whoever posts the most outlandish but yet still physically possible suggestion ...

Tricky…

Falcon Heavy is ready to launch next week?
F9 is ready to reuse next week?
BFR is ready to launch next week?
They can colourise the smoke plume for future F9 launches to make any image and will start selling it as ad space?
Through a legal loophole they are now collaborating with the Chinese space agency?
A new agreement with Virgin Galactic uses F9 first stage as a carrier vehicle so that SpaceShip Two only needs its decent mode?

or...

They have a quiet mode for F9 so it can't be heard more than 10 meters away?
The next F9 will be made from lego bricks?
Against expectation Elon is actually the real life Nick Fury. He has applied grasshopper tech to an old USNavy Carrier and will fly around on it wearing an eye patch and full black leather.

cuddihy · « **Reply #526 on:** 04/25/2014 01:45 am »

First stage landed & was trashed by waves. Second stage landed softly in the ocean after a controlled descent.

Prober · « **Reply #527 on:** 04/25/2014 02:02 am »

they received their first Chinese space agency contract.

rst · « **Reply #528 on:** 04/25/2014 02:12 am »

Oh, what the hell. Now that I've said it was impossible on another thread...

On the way down, CRS-3 demonstrated Merlin 1D throttling down to 20%. It is now possible to consider a hoverslam of the second stage with the main engine, dramatically simplifying second-stage recovery.

DanielW · « **Reply #529 on:** 04/25/2014 03:33 am »

Tesla has given up on the giga factory and are instead going to use the returned stage casing to build a giga-battery.

go4mars · « **Reply #530 on:** 04/25/2014 05:06 am »

1st stage landed, broadcast for 8 seconds as it fell over, then they re-started the middle engine ala Sea Bee. It exited the ocean mostly horizontal and impacted hard 1.6 km from its first landing spot. All caught by Kimbal riding shotgun in the SpaceX plane.

A while later, the second stage dropped most of its skirt to come in for a gentle ocean landing and recovery.

FH's second launch to place a sat in GTO then 2nd stage goes for free return trajectory around the moon with landing attempt at the launch pad. 2nd FH flight to use a raptor upper stage.

Louder than usual test next week is a FH at McGregor firing 27 1D's at the same time. Jurvetson puts the octocopter videos up on YouTube within 3 minutes. Simultaneous Grasshopper 2 flight casually occurring in the background.

Snipping a ribbon and digging the first shovel-full ceremony as dog-leg park construction officially begins Tuesday.

Is that 7 yet? Hmmm

SpaceX announces development program for engine that sounds exactly like successor to RD-180. Just to stir the pot.

Cargo resupply #5 1st stage, second stage, and dragon all land on land propulsively. Landing zone painted like dart board. bulls-eye achieved.

Gass challenges Musk to a boxing match. Musk counter-proposes chess-boxing. Gas counter-proposes Chess-boxing on roller-skates. Musk accepts. If Musk wins, ULA will hire SpaceX to develop RD 180 replacement. If Gass wins, Musk never again implies monopoly, or points out the billion dollar annual subsidy. Highest pay-per-view sales ever, not counting the higher-stakes re-match where they select each others costumes first.

MarsInMyLifetime · « **Reply #531 on:** 04/25/2014 05:37 am »

The world learns that Elon secretly used Kerbal Space Program to design the powered return profile for this flight. This gives rise to the suspicion that Elon really IS a secret Kerbal.

CJ · « **Reply #532 on:** 04/25/2014 05:41 am »

"Most outlandish but yet still physically possible suggestion." Hrmm...

The stage 2 retro burn was more than has been announced; it was part of a test program to achieve a controlled reentry and a reusable second stage. I do expect to see them try this soon, but doing it on this already first-packed mission would indeed be pushing the envelope. Stage 2 had a PicaX heat shield at the top end.

They subcooled the fuel on this mission, achieving a performance gain.

They recovered the first stage pretty much intact, and defeated nosy people like me watching on AIS by altering the vessel's name in the AIS ID field. (that wouldn't be illegal) They're taking it to McGreggor.

There's another cheese wheel aboard Dragon, making Dragon the record-holder for the spacecraft to orbit the most cheese wheels in its career, which has always been the prime metric for judging spacecraft...

Dragon will be landing rather than splashing down.

So my answer is... all of the above.

Jarnis · « **Reply #533 on:** 04/25/2014 11:03 am »

Quote from: chalz on 04/25/2014 01:42 am

A new agreement with Virgin Galactic uses F9 first stage as a carrier vehicle so that SpaceShip Two only needs its decent mode?

That would be hilarious. I now have this picture stuck in my mind of SS2 going "whooooooooooo" on top of a F9R first stage, accelerating like nuts...

I doubt SS2 could take the ride in one piece, plus even with the stage reused, it would probably be outside the price range of VG based on their ticket prices. On the other hand, I bet they would find more paying customers for THAT epic ride

(and yes, I'm aware, it makes no sense whatsoever, but I could not resist...)

su27k · « **Reply #534 on:** 04/25/2014 11:26 am »

https://twitter.com/TheLurioReport/status/459597517911752704

Quote

Elon Musk will make an important SpaceX announcement today, Friday, April 25th at 1:00PM ET at ...DC

Related to the mysteries news we're waiting or just a coincidence?

Kabloona · « **Reply #535 on:** 04/25/2014 12:01 pm »

Quote from: su27k on 04/25/2014 11:26 am

https://twitter.com/TheLurioReport/status/459597517911752704
Quote
Elon Musk will make an important SpaceX announcement today, Friday, April 25th at 1:00PM ET at ...DC

Related to the mysteries news we're waiting or just a coincidence?

Gotta be related. Elon going to DC to make an important announcement? It's big. Note that it's timed perfectly to hit the front page on Monday morning newspapers. So what's in DC? hmmm...FAA headquarters?

My first guess would be that FAA has issued a permit for stage 1 RTLS on the Orbcomm flight and Elon will announce an upcoming attempt of the first ever boostback and soft landing of a stage, at the Cape.

Not quite as imaginitive as some of the other guesses here, but that would still be pretty big news.

Edit: Elon is apparently in DC to speak at the Ex-Im Bank annual conference, so that would explain why he's not back on the left coast: http://www.exim.gov/newsandevents/events/annualconference/2014/. His session is scheduled for 11:15-11:45 this morning.

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #536 on:** 04/25/2014 12:04 pm »

Quote from: su27k on 04/25/2014 11:26 am

https://twitter.com/TheLurioReport/status/459597517911752704
Quote
Elon Musk will make an important SpaceX announcement today, Friday, April 25th at 1:00PM ET at ...DC

Related to the mysteries news we're waiting or just a coincidence?

Could be. It'd explain why SpaceX haven't rushed to give me quotes.....totally get that if the boss is about to announce and we'll respect that.

Webcast?

su27k · « **Reply #537 on:** 04/25/2014 12:31 pm »

Quote from: Chris Bergin on 04/25/2014 12:04 pm

Could be. It'd explain why SpaceX haven't rushed to give me quotes.....totally get that if the boss is about to announce and we'll respect that.

Webcast?

No idea on webcast, I think the exact location of the event is still undetermined. Is it strange to announce something like this on the same day, just hours before?

Edit: Location seems to be National Press Club

Kabloona · « **Reply #538 on:** 04/25/2014 12:37 pm »

Quote from: su27k on 04/25/2014 12:31 pm

Quote from: Chris Bergin on 04/25/2014 12:04 pm

Could be. It'd explain why SpaceX haven't rushed to give me quotes.....totally get that if the boss is about to announce and we'll respect that.

Webcast?

No idea on webcast, I think the exact location of the event is still undetermined. Is it strange to announce something like this on the same day, just hours before?

My guess on the timing is that they want to make sure it gets into the Monday morning newspapers, hence the midday Friday announcement.

Mongo62 · « **Reply #539 on:** 04/25/2014 12:38 pm »

I expect that the news of the impending public disclosure by NSF of a LOT of what SpaceX is planning to do, has hit SpaceX like a bombshell. They have no doubt spent the past day scrambling to prepare an appropriate media release, that includes everything that was briefly posted here on Wednesday (and possibly additional related information), and it's entirely possible that this short-notice announcement by Elon Musk himself is part of that.