Spotted at a truck stop near Phoenix yesterday. Says flown hardware. CRS5?
Hmm I thought it should have arrived in McGregor many days ago. Is the COTS-2 Dragon still in KSC? If not maybe it's being transported back to Hawthrone.
Looks like I need to eat my words because I have checked the KSC Visitors Center and they said it was on display till February 16. There's no way it could have appeared in Phoenix a day later...
Could it have been the CRS-6 Dragon though? Given its April launch date it should be heading to the Cape around now....
Could it have been the CRS-6 Dragon though? Given its April launch date it should be heading to the Cape around now....
No, flight article Dragons are shipped to the cape in a large rectangular containers.
All circumstantial evidence (location, timing, "flown hardware" label) points towards the one in black wrap to be CRS-5 on the way to McGregor.
Dragon looks a little worn after it's stay at the ISS. I see a new opportunity for a paint company to look into space based paint that can wear the elements better.
So the pigment in the SPAM is not entirely UV stable. No big deal for something that will be up there for less than three months. The white MLI blankets on some parts of the MIR space station discolored in the same fashion. That never posed any problem in it's 15 year run in orbit.
Spotted at a truck stop near Phoenix yesterday. Says flown hardware. CRS5?
WHOA!! I expected a lot better carrier for a priceless object than an open flat bed, heavy mill black plastic and TAPE!!! Get on wid ya!! yer pullin' me 'eg laddie... 
Why did you expect that?
It would seem to have more value to me, than it does to those that own it... weird...
Spotted at a truck stop near Phoenix yesterday. Says flown hardware. CRS5?
WHOA!! I expected a lot better carrier for a priceless object than an open flat bed, heavy mill black plastic and TAPE!!! Get on wid ya!! yer pullin' me 'eg laddie...
Why did you expect that?
It would seem to have more value to me, than it does to those that own it... weird...
But doesn't heavy mill black plastic and tape do the job?
Spotted at a truck stop near Phoenix yesterday. Says flown hardware. CRS5?
WHOA!! I expected a lot better carrier for a priceless object than an open flat bed, heavy mill black plastic and TAPE!!! Get on wid ya!! yer pullin' me 'eg laddie...
Why did you expect that?
It would seem to have more value to me, than it does to those that own it... weird...
But doesn't heavy mill black plastic and tape do the job?
There also may be access requirements that prevent more permanent structures as part of transport.
