SpaceX Falcon 9 FT - ORBCOMM-2 - Dec. 21, 2015 (Return To Flight) DISCUSSION

[SmallKing]

Falcon 9 first stage already arrived at the Cape
so,where is the second stage？

[woods170]

Falcon 9 first stage already arrived at the Cape

Yeah, the arrival was earlier this morning.

[SmallKing]

Marc Eisenberg  @Marc944Marc
Stage 1 arrives at the cape.

[francesco nicoli]

Well, it looks like I was wrong. Or, better, my fears were wrong.

It's nice to be wrong!

[edkyle99]

I've stretched the contrast to see the stage and transporter a bit better.  Doesn't help much.

SpaceX has been accumulating an interesting set of ground transport equipment.

 - Ed Kyle

[Johnnyhinbos]

That's some truck! How long is what it's transporting (is the interstate already attached)? And how does it make turns. Would love to see a picture of the truck.

[guckyfan]

That's some truck! How long is what it's transporting (is the interstate already attached)? And how does it make turns. Would love to see a picture of the truck.

It is not a truck. It is a truck tractor in front and a set of wheels at the end. Inbetween it is only the stage.

[Lee Jay]

At least in the wind turbine industry, these are called "Schnabel trailers".

https://www.google.com/search?q=schnabel+trailer&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

[Lars-J]

That's some truck! How long is what it's transporting (is the interstate already attached)? And how does it make turns. Would love to see a picture of the truck.

At least in the wind turbine industry, these are called "Schnabel trailers".

https://www.google.com/search?q=schnabel+trailer&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

And here is an impressive cornering demonstration of such a setup!

[Herb Schaltegger]

So it looks like the stage is wrapped in some kind of tarp-like covering. Haven't stages been shipped "bare" prior to this? I seem to recall folks posting photos of stages sighted en route, complete with that pretty logo running down the side.

[ugordan]

Haven't stages been shipped "bare" prior to this?

Never across country. You might have seen one image of the DSCOVR booster being moved from one of the KSC hangars to the pad.

[cambrianera]

So it looks like the stage is wrapped in some kind of tarp-like covering. Haven't stages been shipped "bare" prior to this? I seem to recall folks posting photos of stages sighted en route, complete with that pretty logo running down the side.

Wrapping them is standard practice at the end of the production line in Hawthorne.

I guess it's the same in McGregor after testing.

[Mike_1179]

So would we expect the second stage to go through a long-duration burn at McGregor too?

[rower2000]

That's some truck! How long is what it's transporting (is the interstate already attached)?

If the Interstate was attached to the trailer, it wouldn't get all too far *duckandrun*.

[DatUser14]

So would we expect the second stage to go through a long-duration burn at McGregor too?

IIRc, the article says that the second stage did a full duration burn on Nov 5th.


also, what end of the stage is in the foreground of the tractor image? the top or the octaweb?

[rcoppola]

So would we expect the second stage to go through a long-duration burn at McGregor too?

IIRc, the article says that the second stage did a full duration burn on Nov 5th.


also, what end of the stage is in the foreground of the tractor image? the top or the octaweb?

The top, i.e. the interstage.

[Mike_1179]

So would we expect the second stage to go through a long-duration burn at McGregor too?

IIRc, the article says that the second stage did a full duration burn on Nov 5th

That was the Jason-3 second stage.

[laika_fr]

Marc Eisenberg @Marc944Marc
 we should know more next week.

may be weather related, placing a bet right now does not look easy

[TomH]

And how does it make turns.

I would not be surprised if the rear wheels articulate independently. Ever notice how a ladder (fire) truck has a second driver in the back to steer those wheels independently? Maybe these are computer controlled-kinda like this people transporters in the Disney World parking lots where one tractor pulls 20 or 30 cars. The train goes around a very sharp 180 degree U-turn at the end of the loading dock. The wheels track the car in front as well as railroad cars, but I believe computers are controlling the wheels on each car, making them turn precisely in relation to location and degrees of turn. I would guess that this rig has independently steerable rear wheels that are computer controlled.

[litton4]

In the case of the linked people cars, I don't think you need computer controls.
For 10's if not 100's of years, chains of parcel trolleys have been weaving their way around station platforms without running over the passengers......

When I was at school, we were once set a maths problem to find the relationship between axle length, distance between front and rear axles (wheelbase) and tow bar length in order for the connected trolleys to "follow the leader".

Obviously, an individual car will "cut the corner" between the front and rear wheels, but the short wheel base meant this was not a problem in practice.

Different proposition, though when the wheelbase is 100 feet or more........


(sorry for the off-topic post....)