SpaceX Falcon 9 : GovSat-1 (SES-16) : Jan 31. 2018 - Discussion

[StuffOfInterest]

It looks like the mouth of the interstage is completely out of the water or very close to it.  That would make towing a lot easier.  Should be easy (and safe) to hook up a line to the same points used to lift the stage with a crane when removing it from the ASDS.  With the mouth out of the water it won't act like a scoop when being towed.  Perhaps put a float bag under the end just to provide a little extra margin.  Towing speed should be reasonable in this configuration and not stress the rocket too badly.

[Pete]

It looks like the mouth of the interstage is completely out of the water or very close to it. 

Actually everything from halfway on the oxygen tank is out of the water.
That there ship is VERY stern-heavy

[Lee Jay]

Going by the cadence of the callouts from burn to legs to splashdown, I'm going with the 3 engine suicide burn.  Have they ever landed one of those, yet?  I remember SES-9 punching a nice hole in OCISLY when they tried it then.

AFAIK, they never performed a complete landing using a 3 engine burn, it was at most 3 engines for a portion of the landing burn and then a switch to the "normal", single-engine landing.

I can see clear evidence of three burning just a few meters from the deck.  I can also see clear evidence that the outer two shut down first, but not exactly when that happened.

[TrueBlueWitt]

It looks like the mouth of the interstage is completely out of the water or very close to it. 

Actually everything from halfway on the oxygen tank is out of the water.
That there ship is VERY stern-heavy

As you tow it faster the landing legs will start to lift the tail end and you could bury the nose. Going to be tricky.

On the flip side, if you could get a raft under the interstage you might be able to plane it out on the legs and make good speed.

[fthomassy]

Here's a cropped, enlarged and enhanced image of the first stage in the ocean.

I wonder if they'll need to do anything with the legs to keep the stage from rotating while towed. Sure the design is symmetric but one can imagine a small twist could produce a large moment. I can think of lots of crazy options but its not worth debating! Just something to look for when it comes to port.

[Lar]

All actual explosives are installed at the launch site, including the det cord, shape charges and initiators.

For a landed core, are they removed during the refurb process, and then reinstalled again shortly before launch?

If so, this is an area for potential reduction of effort (on the way to gas-n-go) I would think?

[aleponcin]

There is a great story posted on the 45th's website about the GovSat-1 launch and the 60th anniversary of launching Explorer I. It's based on Dr. John Meisenheimer who was the  Launch Weather Officer 60 years ago and one more time 60 years later. 

Here are a couple of paragraphs from the story:

Launching With A Legacy -- Weather pioneer returns 60 years after historic mission

After suffering three humbling launch setbacks, the U.S. finally had an answer to Sputnik and that answer, nestled atop a Juno rocket, was Explorer I.

The launch business was different back then, everything was being done for the first time like when the pioneers headed out west. But this time, the pioneers were headed north – way north. One of those pioneers was a young Air Force lieutenant, launch weather officer, John Meisenheimer

Fast forward to 60 years later...

Meiseheimer thought he was just getting a launch day tour, but the wing had other plans. They planned to put him to work and gave him an opportunity to call it in one more time on launch day.

Dr. Meisenheimer was handed a headset and given the green light to take over as the mission’s LWO, and give the “go” for weather during the final launch poll for GovSat-1.

Sitting back in the chair, with the 45th Space Wing weather team and his family around him, Dr. Meisenheimer, LWO for America’s first successful satellite mission, said, “LWO has you loud and clear.”

The poll came around and Meiseheimer gave the range a “go” for weather one more time, bringing that day 60 years ago, full circle with this day in 2018.

“Today was a good day,” concluded Meisenheimer.

http://www.patrick.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1430590/launching-with-a-legacy-weather-pioneer-returns-60-years-after-historic-mission/

[AncientU]

They routinely haul boosters across the country somewhat pressurized, although I'm not sure to what level.  So a pressurized booster can't be that dangerous.

This booster has a lot of liquids and gases (and explosives) that wouldn't be in the boosters getting trucked around the country.

That's interesting. The transport trailers have devices that I beleive keep the stage tanks partially pressurised with inert gas (nitrogen or atmosphere?) so no liquids or gases but I always assumed that the plastic explosive zipcord was put on in Hatwthorne[1], not at the launch pad... so it WOULD have explosives on it during transport. Wrong?

1 - and stayed on forever, across reuses, even?

All actual explosives are installed at the launch site, including the det cord, shape charges and initiators.

Does the F9 still use detonators?  Once AFTS was installed, I thought core 'dispersed' fuel/oxidizer by depressurizing one of the tanks and failing the common bulkhead (like done a McGregor for Dev vehicle).

[Jim]

Does the F9 still use detonators?  Once AFTS was installed, I thought core 'dispersed' fuel/oxidizer by depressurizing one of the tanks and failing the common bulkhead (like done a McGregor for Dev vehicle).

Yep.  AFTS just is a different way to initiate the explosives.

[mulp]

Dealing with the floating booster is easily outsourced.

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I found news of the floating booster in Marine news sites, so I'm sure SpaceX has had multiple calls offering salvage services beyond those they have used to help build their existing vessels. And if SpaceX doesn't have them, salvage companies have flotation bags.

Amronintl.com

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===

And SpaceX can't abandon it to be salvaged by China or Russian trawlers which would violate ITAR.

I'm guessing a bunch of people are trying to keep Elon out of dealing with this to prevent him from deciding to start a marine salvage company, maybe using used Merlin engines to power a sky crane to pull ships from the ocean and fly them to land, ie reversing the Mars landing method.

[Lar]

There is a great story posted on the 45th's website about the GovSat-1 launch and the 60th anniversary of launching Explorer I. It's based on Dr. John Meisenheimer who was the  Launch Weather Officer 60 years ago and one more time 60 years later.   

http://www.patrick.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1430590/launching-with-a-legacy-weather-pioneer-returns-60-years-after-historic-mission/

I seem to have gotten some onions in my eyes or something. What a great story and a wonderful, thougtful thing to do. The 45th are not your average "sharks"...

[Perchlorate]

Only sorry I couldn't click the "Like" button 60 times and have them all register....

[xtc]

Any eyes on ship locations? I'm very interested in traveling to Jetty Pier to document this regardless of arrival time.

[Norm38]

If the interstage had a nosecone like the boosters, it could be kept watertight maybe.

Is that useful to FH?  If the boosters did a soft water landing and got towed in?  If everything is made of inconel etc,is salt water as much of a problem?

[Kabloona]

Any eyes on ship locations? I'm very interested in traveling to Jetty Pier to document this regardless of arrival time.

You might want to keep an eye on this twitter account.

https://twitter.com/julia_bergeron/status/959624880269479936

[John Alan]

Only boat not accounted for at this time is GO Searcher... 
Anyone with a Marine Traffic satellite account care to comment on it's location, course, and speed?
Thanks... 

[Req]

Only boat not accounted for at this time is GO Searcher... 
Anyone with a Marine Traffic satellite account care to comment on it's location, course, and speed?
Thanks... 

[–]robbak
 3 points 2 hours ago*
Go Searcher is still hanging around the area where B0132.2 splashed down, not making any moves toward shore as of the last update. Go Quest is approaching port - just now identified by shore-based AIS - but at far too high a speed for one towing anything.

[John Alan]

Thank You!! @Req

My take on that news is the Stage is still afloat and GO Searcher is just doing "guard duty"...

I wonder what sort of plan SpaceX is hatching to recover the stage?... 

[speedevil]

I wonder what sort of plan SpaceX is hatching to recover the stage?... 

'We'll think about it once FH recovery is done' ?

[hamerad]

I wonder what sort of plan SpaceX is hatching to recover the stage?... 

'We'll think about it once FH recovery is done' ?

Wait until after FH and tow two in for the price of one 😉