SpaceX Falcon Heavy : Arabsat 6A : LC-39A : April 11, 2019 - DISCUSSION

[sitharus]

Elon just tweeted that they've recovered both fairing halves. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1116514068393680896

I know Mr Steven wasn't at sea, is this a change in recovery tactic?

[emerrill]

Elon tweeted in a reply "Recovered from water, but undamaged", so it looks like they have decided they can reuse them after splashing down, at least in some cases.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1116514534557016064

[Alexphysics]

If I looked at it right I think B1052 landed on LZ-1 and B1053 landed on LZ-2. Saying it here for those of us that like to track these things and where they land and all that stuff

As a bonus: This landing setting has been the opposite from the FH Demo mission. On that mission the rocket rolled during ascent with the +Z axis pointing down and on this mission it rolled during ascent on the other direction pointing the +Z axis up so the landing was performed basically the opposite way as on the demo mission. Quite interesting.

[Mongo62]

Take a look at the LZ campus.  It looks as if there have been a lot of improvements (landscaping and infrustructure) done since I last looked in.  Do we know about this or is this new?  And what about the graphics on the concrete pads.  I can't make out an X or a circle, they look like purple ink blots.  What do you see in the ink blot?

When I stretch the image, I see the SpaceX swash surrounded by blue splotches. Perhaps water puddles reflecting a blue sky?

[ZachS09]

1 44186U 19021A   19102.02912470 -.00000769  00000-0  00000+0 0  9996
2 44186  22.9623  12.6558 8697825 179.4741  18.6070  0.74408419    03

327 km Perigee
89815 km Apogee
22.96 degrees inclination

Using https://gtocalc.github.io/, the delta-v to GTO is about 1,508 m/s.

[ZachF]

Elon just tweeted that they've recovered both fairing halves. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1116514068393680896

I know Mr Steven wasn't at sea, is this a change in recovery tactic?

So that means this FH expended ~4,000kg of upper stage to deliver 6,465kg of payload to GTO-1500, that has to be a record in terms of expended mass to delivered mass! 

[Celestar]

Not entirely sure, but I think the propellants need to be counted towards the "expended mass".

Celestar

Sent from my G8441 using Tapatalk

[lonestriker]

I liked the SpaceX webcast overlay layout for T-/+ and speed.  Seemed to be good placement since the rest of the screen was so busy with 4 views.  Though I do miss the events timeline as John needed to call out all of the milestones as they went along.  Not sure how you could do the timeline justice for a FH launch though unless they went to 4K or multiple streams.

Congrats to SpaceX for making this all look easy!  I was on the edge of my seat until S2 separation.

[envy887]

Not entirely sure, but I think the propellants need to be counted towards the "expended mass".

Celestar

Sent from my G8441 using Tapatalk

Hardware costs ~10,000 times more than fuel. So count with a multiplier 😁

[Lar]

Not entirely sure, but I think the propellants need to be counted towards the "expended mass".

Celestar

Sent from my G8441 using Tapatalk

Hardware costs ~10,000 times more than fuel. So count with a multiplier 😁

They're working on that

[Lee Jay]

Elon tweeted in a reply "Recovered from water, but undamaged", so it looks like they have decided they can reuse them after splashing down, at least in some cases.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1116514534557016064

I'll bet they feel a little silly for the attempted catches, now that they know they are basically boat hulls.

Fun launch to watch!

[Lars-J]

Elon tweeted in a reply "Recovered from water, but undamaged", so it looks like they have decided they can reuse them after splashing down, at least in some cases.

I'll bet they feel a little silly for the attempted catches, now that they know they are basically boat hulls.

Fun launch to watch!

Sometimes you have to try something to know that it doesn't work. (if this is indeed the new way)

'Analysis paralysis' is not something they know at SpaceX. If there is a chance something will work, they will try it. And realize that another way just might be better.

[Ultrafamicom]

1 44186U 19021A   19102.02912470 -.00000769  00000-0  00000+0 0  9996
2 44186  22.9623  12.6558 8697825 179.4741  18.6070  0.74408419    03

327 km Perigee
89815 km Apogee
22.96 degrees inclination

Using https://gtocalc.github.io/, the delta-v to GTO is about 1,508 m/s.

Looks like a shutdown by instruction, maybe several hundred kg more if burn to depletion?

[wannamoonbase]

Elon tweeted in a reply "Recovered from water, but undamaged", so it looks like they have decided they can reuse them after splashing down, at least in some cases.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1116514534557016064

I'll bet they feel a little silly for the attempted catches, now that they know they are basically boat hulls.

Fun launch to watch!

ASDS and fairings will both be subject to rough seas.  Catching them would still be nice so you don’t have to go fishing and worry about that.  But nice to see it’s easier than they planned. 

I’m going to be processing for awhile that you can use a FH and only expend the upper stage.

That just seems to much to believe.

[mme]

Sorry if it has been discussed already, but went back and watched the landings again, noticed the booster landing at LZ-2 is leaning by a pretty large margin post-landing, not sure if its the camera angle, or if its actually leaning.

It's the lens. Check out this footage.

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1116553298176118784

[Pete]

It's the lens. Check out this footage.

That clears it.
*definitely* leaning.  (almost towards this camera angle, slightly to the right of it)

[ThePonjaX]

I know the SS/SR is a far superior vehiche but sometimes I'd like the "Superheavy" fly at least a couple of times. You can imagine a 5 rockets landing? Too cool.

[Ben the Space Brit]

Good to see all three booster cores down safely and to hear that the fairings are down intact and in reusable condition.

If nothing else, Elon Musk can rightfully claim to have changed the face of rocketry. What was previously considered to be so high-concept that only NASA or some other state space agency could possibly attempt it has been achieved by SpaceX instead: Mostly-reusable launch vehicles with loss of hardware pulled down to a bare minimum.

The paradigm has changed; ULA, Arianespace and all the other developers and manufactures of launch vehicles now have to accept and follow the path SpaceX and Blue Origin are treading. Any launch vehicle that does not include reusable boosters is going to have a hard time surviving the bean-counters' scrutiny.

[Vettedrmr]

I was getting some rough times for the re-entry burns.  Looks like the side boosters had burns that were around 10-12 seconds; center core boost was around 15 seconds when video cut away.  Does anyone have any idea how long the center core re-entry burn was supposed to be?

ISTM that the "toastiness" of a given stage should be able to be managed by the duration of the re-entry burn (assuming you have the propellant to burn).  If that's the case, then where do the comments about variable levels of "toastiness" come from?

What am I missing?

Have a good one,
Mike

[ZachS09]

I was getting some rough times for the re-entry burns.  Looks like the side boosters had burns that were around 10-12 seconds; center core boost was around 15 seconds when video cut away.  Does anyone have any idea how long the center core re-entry burn was supposed to be?

ISTM that the "toastiness" of a given stage should be able to be managed by the duration of the re-entry burn (assuming you have the propellant to burn).  If that's the case, then where do the comments about variable levels of "toastiness" come from?

What am I missing?

Have a good one,
Mike

In my humble opinion, since most GTO missions’ entry burns last between 20 to 23 seconds, I would guess 22 seconds.