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#720
by
meekGee
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:00
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Irene Klotz: Do you have other costumers that weren't as brave as SES that are now signed up? What is life-limiting factor?
Musk: NASA has been supportive. Commercial, SES has been most supportive. Next thing is how to achieve rapid reuse without major hardware changeouts. Aspirations of zero hardware changes and 24hrs reflight.
And how many pages of useless argument whether the goal is "24 hours reflight" or "24 hours done with refurb"?
People assuming that you can't refly in 24 hours because other processes today take too long - a classic "it can't be done since it isn't currently done".
I guess if the stage can be ready to go in 24 hours, other processes will have to catch up so they DON'T remain the bottleneck.
And even if they don't reach the "aspiration" and it becomes 48 hours or even 72 - still enables 1 flight per day with a set of three boosters.
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#721
by
ZachS09
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:00
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Fairing recovered!?! Woah!
There is no way that just happened.
I was expecting the fairings not to make it on the first try.
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#722
by
CameronD
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:00
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Marcia Dunn: Will you refly this booster? Next flight of reuse booster.
Musk: Several reflights scheduled for later this year. Might fly as many as 6 reflights this year. FH two side boosters are being reflown. That will be interesting mission on FH... hopefully in good direction. This core will have historic value. Seeing if Cape might like to have it as something to remember the moment. Present it as gift to cape
Looking forward to a F9 in the KSCVC Rocket Garden then... maybe! Certainly would look cool next to the Redstone, Titan, Saturn IB, et cetera.
But it would be the only rocket in the collection to have actually launched - and made it back. Technically, that would upstage the others don't you think? (pun intended)
I'm looking forward to a rocket boneyard somewhere.. where old boosters, flown too many times, go to die.
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#723
by
pstephens
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:00
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Musk: Upper stage reuse is next.
Hit the 2 minute "like" throttle.
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#724
by
TrevorMonty
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:03
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Thought they had shelved 2nd stage reuse for F9. Looks like is back on the todo list.
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#725
by
cppetrie
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:08
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Thought they had shelved 2nd stage reuse for F9. Looks like is back on the todo list.
We only have what has been posted by CG, and that doesn't indicate reusable 2nd stage for F9 but just that it is next on the list of capabilities to develop to achieve their ultimate goal.
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#726
by
inonepiece
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:12
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Musk: Upper stage reuse is next.
Hit the 2 minute "like" throttle.
Elon's press conferences are not designed for 2 minute like throttles.
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#727
by
Navier–Stokes
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:12
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Thought they had shelved 2nd stage reuse for F9. Looks like is back on the todo list.
We only have what has been posted by CG, and that doesn't indicate reusable 2nd stage for F9 but just that it is next on the list of capabilities to develop to achieve their ultimate goal.
Some more context in Jeff Foust's tweet:
Musk adds it might “fun to try a Hail Mary” and recover an upper stage.
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#728
by
AC in NC
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:15
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Have I lost perspective on time or are we at just over 15 months from 1st landing to Reuse and Landing?
Was it not April last year?
I was
referring to the Dec 21, 2015 LZ-1 1st Recovered Stage.
BR) 2015-12-21, Successful landing at LZ1[61]
BR) 2016-04-08, Successful landing at OCISLY [71]
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#729
by
CameronD
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:20
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Musk: New design coming for Grid Fin. Will be largest titanium forging in the world. Current Grid Fin is aluminum and gets so hot it lights on fire... which isn't good for reuse.
I'm a little surprised to hear they wouldn't 3D-Print it.. wouldn't that be cheaper??
http://3d-printing-titanium.com/
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#730
by
Kabloona
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:25
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Quote from presser:
Brendan Bryne (NPR): Anything you're worried about?
Musk: Looked a telemtry up and down. It all looks really good. Eyeballing it, other things to address to replace TPS on grid fins and base heat shield and repaint where needed.
Yes, I noticed on the webcast that the grid fin on the right side was getting its TPS (almost?) entirely melted off and deposited on the camera lens near the end of the entry video. The grid fin/TPS appeared to be glowing as it ablated off. Extra crispy.
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#731
by
Robotbeat
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:28
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Musk: New design coming for Grid Fin. Will be largest titanium forging in the world. Current Grid Fin is aluminum and gets so hot it lights on fire... which isn't good for reuse.
I'm a little surprised to hear they wouldn't 3D-Print it.. wouldn't that be cheaper??
http://3d-printing-titanium.com/
Probably no titanium 3D printer big enough. Anyway, large metal 3D printing is expensive, has inferior surface finish, and produces lower strength than a forging. Forging is better especially if you'll be making several copies (SpaceX will make at least 100 of them).
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#732
by
CameronD
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:31
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Musk: New design coming for Grid Fin. Will be largest titanium forging in the world. Current Grid Fin is aluminum and gets so hot it lights on fire... which isn't good for reuse.
I'm a little surprised to hear they wouldn't 3D-Print it.. wouldn't that be cheaper??
http://3d-printing-titanium.com/
Probably no titanium 3D printer big enough. Anyway, large metal 3D printing is expensive, has inferior surface finish, and produces lower strength than a forging. Forging is better especially if you'll be making several copies (SpaceX will make at least 100 of them).
Interesting info.. thanks for the explanation.
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#733
by
meekGee
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:39
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Thought they had shelved 2nd stage reuse for F9. Looks like is back on the todo list.
There is little of free will in an Engineer.
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#734
by
toren
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:40
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The skeptics aren't the only ones who can move the goal posts...
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#735
by
Lars-J
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:41
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From the updates thread:
Musk: New design coming for Grid Fin. Will be largest titanium forging in the world. Current Grid Fin is aluminum and gets so hot it lights on fire... which isn't good for reuse.
Yeah, he's not kidding... The grid fin looked ready to melt!
(although that was likely just the outer layer)
EDIT: The stage must be re-entering at an angle to affect the grid fins so differently.
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#736
by
meekGee
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:49
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From the updates thread:
Musk: New design coming for Grid Fin. Will be largest titanium forging in the world. Current Grid Fin is aluminum and gets so hot it lights on fire... which isn't good for reuse.
Yeah, he's not kidding... The grid fin looked ready to melt! (although that was likely just the outer layer)
EDIT: The stage must be re-entering at an angle to affect the grid fins so differently.
Yes - at an angle to the velocity vector
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#737
by
Kabloona
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:51
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EDIT: The stage must be re-entering at an angle to affect the grid fins so differently.
Yes, we've seen that asymmetry on photos of recovered stages, where the white paint on the interstage above one of the grid fins has been blasted off by the TPS coming off the grid fin, but the white paint remains intact on the opposite side of the interstage.
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#738
by
CameronD
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:52
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Hafta admit, it was very cool watching it smoulder gently away in the sunlight... looked a bit like toasting a breakfast waffle with a blowtorch.
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#739
by
Herb Schaltegger
on 31 Mar, 2017 00:53
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From the updates thread:
Musk: New design coming for Grid Fin. Will be largest titanium forging in the world. Current Grid Fin is aluminum and gets so hot it lights on fire... which isn't good for reuse.
Yeah, he's not kidding... The grid fin looked ready to melt! (although that was likely just the outer layer)
EDIT: The stage must be re-entering at an angle to affect the grid fins so differently.
Yes - at an angle to the velocity vector
Indeed. As someone has calculated pretty well in other threads, an F9 stage has a fairly decent L/D ratio, given adequate attitude control to modulate angle of attack. With the use of grid fins, it's even better. Not only do they provide excellent control authority all the way from hypersonic to high subsonic flight regimes, they also contribute a good deal to the overall lift of the vehicle.
(although that was likely just the outer layer)