SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 - Dragon - CRS-5/SpX-5 -Jan. 10, 2015 - DISCUSSION

[Robotbeat]

Masten Space Systems achieved 7.5 inch average accuracy using vertical take-off, vertical landing and GPS.

[enzo]

Sorry if this has been asked. Does anyone know if the landing will be on webcast? I presume the barge is all wired up for live video, if they wanted. Cons of a barge near-miss (or explosion) being broadcast on NASA TV? (Yes, I saw Antares boom live)

I think headlines and fallout would not be as bad as Antares, assuming primary mission success. Nonetheless, if SpaceX were to NOT broadcast it, yet release hi-rez photos/video very soon after, they still get the positive press. Their excuse is to say that the barge is not yet video capable. So broadcasting it would be an unnecessary risk, done in a we're-all-in-this-together sort of way.

[M_Puckett]

Remember guys, months ago, I predicted that the party thread for the first barge landing would be entitled the "Party Barge Thread"!!!

Now, somebody.......

[Kabloona]

Sorry if this has been asked. Does anyone know if the landing will be on webcast? I presume the barge is all wired up for live video, if they wanted.

There's no upside for SpaceX to webcast a live landing attempt. If it's successful, we'll probably see a video soon after. If it's not, we won't.

[gongora]

Masten Space Systems achieved 7.5 inch average accuracy using vertical take-off, vertical landing and GPS.

Weren't those vehicles a small fraction of the size of Falcon 9 moving at a small fraction of the speed of Falcon 9 from a height that is a small fraction of what Falcon 9 will be reaching?

[Kaputnik]

Sorry if this has been asked. Does anyone know if the landing will be on webcast? I presume the barge is all wired up for live video, if they wanted. Cons of a barge near-miss (or explosion) being broadcast on NASA TV? (Yes, I saw Antares boom live)

I think headlines and fallout would not be as bad as Antares, assuming primary mission success. Nonetheless, if SpaceX were to NOT broadcast it, yet release hi-rez photos/video very soon after, they still get the positive press. Their excuse is to say that the barge is not yet video capable. So broadcasting it would be an unnecessary risk, done in a we're-all-in-this-together sort of way.

Bandwidth for sending live FMV is pretty big, the barge might not be equipped for it.

[macpacheco]

The interesting question is how far from land (and how far from the launchpad) the barge will be.

Another point is the video could be streamed to an aereal platform nearby (Musk Jet) in real time. Or if the barge is close enough to land, a hexacopter might have good line of sight to stream the video to land in real time. Many options.

But as far as SpaceX streaming the landing video in real time, that's a bad risk X reward for SpaceX first attempt. If it fails SpaceX enemies will use the footage to spread FUD about SpaceX ambitions.

[Jarnis]

The interesting question is how far from land (and how far from the launchpad) the barge will be.

Another point is the video could be streamed to an aereal platform nearby (Musk Jet) in real time. Or if the barge is close enough to land, a hexacopter might have good line of sight to stream the video to land in real time. Many options.

But as far as SpaceX streaming the landing video in real time, that's a bad risk X reward for SpaceX first attempt. If it fails SpaceX enemies will use the footage to spread FUD about SpaceX ambitions.

FCC license for the transmitters give rough location

https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/els/reports/STA_Print.cfm?mode=current&application_seq=62792

Offshore of Jacksonville, Florida within 20nm of North 30 49 54, West 78 6 29 (this is for the boat that will probably be within visual range of the barge)

Edit: About here;

(Please post short link).

Definitely closer to cape than CRS-4 hazard areas, so that would imply a partial boostback burn.

[hopalong]

Sorry if this has been asked. Does anyone know if the landing will be on webcast? I presume the barge is all wired up for live video, if they wanted.

There's no upside for SpaceX to webcast a live landing attempt. If it's successful, we'll probably see a video soon after. If it's not, we won't.

Likewise, I doubt we will see live video for a number of reasons, bandwidth being one of them. Once the 1st stage has separated, job done, it ceases to be in the public domain - that is a part of a NASA programme. So SpaceX, as a private company, do not need to give out any information about it.
If it works, the video will be out in short order, if it does not, SpaceX will say 'well it was a 50/50 shot, but we have lots of good data etc. If you don't succeed, try try again'

Best of luck to them, I hope it works as it will be a game changer.

[Steven Pietrobon]

I'm pretty sure SpaceX Hawthorne will be getting live video of the landing. That's one thing that I think Elon and the rest of the SpaceX engineers will want to see happening live. They might webcast it with a few seconds delay, with the thumb on the cutoff button in case something went wrong, like they did for the first Falcon I launches.

[Ben the Space Brit]

I'm pretty sure SpaceX Hawthorne will be getting live video of the landing. That's one thing that I think Elon and the rest of the SpaceX engineers will want to see happening live. They might webcast it with a few seconds delay, with the thumb on the cutoff button in case something went wrong, like they did for the first Falcon I launches.

Personally, at least for this first attempt, I prefer the 'release whole video after "four pads down and stable"' proposal. We've seen from the F1 flight 1 that even partial video can be torn apart by Internet experts for details of what went wrong. I think that SpaceX wants to keep this sort of information to themselves.

[ugordan]

I'm pretty sure SpaceX Hawthorne will be getting live video of the landing.

Even that is not a given. Once the stage drops beyond the horizon as seen from the range tracking sites, bandwidth becomes an issue. I'd wager that the only live thing they'll have is voice comm from the recovery area.

[Darga]

I'm pretty sure SpaceX Hawthorne will be getting live video of the landing.

Even that is not a given. Once the stage drops beyond the horizon as seen from the range tracking sites, bandwidth becomes an issue. I'd wager that the only live thing they'll have is voice comm from the recovery area.

The FCC license shows a bunch of transmitters on the barge and at the cape so you would think it would be capable of receiving telemetry and sending it back, right?

[ugordan]

The FCC license shows a bunch of transmitters on the barge and at the cape so you would think it would be capable of receiving telemetry and sending it back, right?

The stage has transmitters as well. Doesn't matter much when the stage is below the horizon. Again, video is bandwidth-expensive and inconvenient to transmit from way out at sea. I have no doubt telemetry will be recorded on site for later playback and analysis.

[Jimmy Murdok]

The stage has transmitters as well. Doesn't matter much when the stage is below the horizon. Again, video is bandwidth-expensive and inconvenient to transmit from way out at sea. I have no doubt telemetry will be recorded on site for later playback and analysis.

I don't agree, flat-rate V-Sat in Ku-Band & C-Band are quite inexpensive or a simple portable Inmarsat Bgan for 5 USD/MB is peanuts for SpaceX.

[Jim]

The stage has transmitters as well. Doesn't matter much when the stage is below the horizon. Again, video is bandwidth-expensive and inconvenient to transmit from way out at sea. I have no doubt telemetry will be recorded on site for later playback and analysis.

I don't agree, flat-rate V-Sat in Ku-Band & C-Band are quite inexpensive or a simple portable Inmarsat Bgan for 5 USD/MB is peanuts for SpaceX.

There is no direct line of sight and there is no reason to do a relay.

[MTom]

While any footage about this event will have real media interest, it is likely that somebody will make footage about the landing and sell it for the media.
Time and place is known, the barge will pointing to the exact location, weather will be ok.
IMHO only some courage is needed.

[Jim]

While any footage about this event will have real media interest, it is likely that somebody will make footage about the landing and sell it for the media.
Time and place is known, the barge will pointing to the exact location, weather will be ok.
IMHO only some courage is needed.

no it isn't likely at all, the launch won't happen if people are near

[averagespacejoe]

So the launch date went from Tuesday a day I have off to Friday morning Alaska time right in the middle of our morning staff meeting at work. Well better a successful mission I don't watch than a failed one I do. Last CRS mission I watched an explosion :p

[AJW]

Here's the announcement:

"The fifth SpaceX cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract now is scheduled to launch no earlier than 1:20 p.m. EST Friday, Dec. 19, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NASA Television coverage of the launch begins at 12:15 p.m."

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/december/nasa-spacex-update-launch-of-resupply-mission-to-the-space-station/#.VIoEaIvX6zI