We have another meeting with them in March. This is still a 2018 shot. The Mars windows are the foundation of the timing. The priority they placed on this mission when we first met with them was huge. I saw one of the big suit NASA managers in L2 stressing that when he first posted about it months before anyone even thought NASA and SpaceX would go for this cooperation on a 2018 Mars mission. Of course if they can make the schedule is another matter and it's a safe bet they can't, so I'm sure that's where the comment came from, a safe bet to cash in next year via natural delays. But they are trying. SpaceX has not wiped it off the table. They are also working the 2020 Dragon, but that's not going to be a repeat, that's a whole new mission and one home run statement of intent.
And, is the rear bogie steerable?
Quote from: woods170 on 02/08/2017 01:54 pmQuote from: matthewkantar on 02/08/2017 01:49 pmQuote from: Proponent on 02/08/2017 08:23 amI wonder whether SpaceX might worry that a circumlunar Dragon flight, cool though it would be, if it's possible, would embarrass NASA. Not a good idea to embarrass your largest customer.SpaceX is planning to send the same spacecraft all the way to Mars three years from now next year, with help from NASA. Why would there be any embarrassment about a lunar flyby?MatthewThere, fixed that for ya. I've been informed that 2018 is off the table. Remember, 2018 was only a NET.Is your source reliable or close to the program? We have heard nothing about this until just now.
Quote from: matthewkantar on 02/08/2017 01:49 pmQuote from: Proponent on 02/08/2017 08:23 amI wonder whether SpaceX might worry that a circumlunar Dragon flight, cool though it would be, if it's possible, would embarrass NASA. Not a good idea to embarrass your largest customer.SpaceX is planning to send the same spacecraft all the way to Mars three years from now next year, with help from NASA. Why would there be any embarrassment about a lunar flyby?MatthewThere, fixed that for ya. I've been informed that 2018 is off the table. Remember, 2018 was only a NET.
Quote from: Proponent on 02/08/2017 08:23 amI wonder whether SpaceX might worry that a circumlunar Dragon flight, cool though it would be, if it's possible, would embarrass NASA. Not a good idea to embarrass your largest customer.SpaceX is planning to send the same spacecraft all the way to Mars three years from now next year, with help from NASA. Why would there be any embarrassment about a lunar flyby?Matthew
I wonder whether SpaceX might worry that a circumlunar Dragon flight, cool though it would be, if it's possible, would embarrass NASA. Not a good idea to embarrass your largest customer.
Quote from: RemoveBeforeFlight on 02/08/2017 09:21 pmQuote from: woods170 on 02/08/2017 01:54 pmQuote from: matthewkantar on 02/08/2017 01:49 pmQuote from: Proponent on 02/08/2017 08:23 amI wonder whether SpaceX might worry that a circumlunar Dragon flight, cool though it would be, if it's possible, would embarrass NASA. Not a good idea to embarrass your largest customer.SpaceX is planning to send the same spacecraft all the way to Mars three years from now next year, with help from NASA. Why would there be any embarrassment about a lunar flyby?MatthewThere, fixed that for ya. I've been informed that 2018 is off the table. Remember, 2018 was only a NET.Is your source reliable or close to the program? We have heard nothing about this until just now. Sources close to the program. It's off the table. Too much to do in too little time. It will be made "official" later.
Is it off the table in the sense that NASA and its partners will not be able to get payloads ready in time (was always a worry), or that SpaceX do not think they will have even a non-crew-rated Dragon 2 ready to mate to a Falcon Heavy in time?
Quote from: edzieba on 02/09/2017 12:33 pmIs it off the table in the sense that NASA and its partners will not be able to get payloads ready in time (was always a worry), or that SpaceX do not think they will have even a non-crew-rated Dragon 2 ready to mate to a Falcon Heavy in time?NASA had already stated previously they would not be sending in payloads on the first Red Dragon. They want to see a successful landing first.
So, can we finally dispense with the paper rocket nonsense?
Quote from: AncientU on 02/08/2017 08:44 pmSo, can we finally dispense with the paper rocket nonsense?It is paper rocket until second when it successfully completes maiden mission.As far I am concerned it is in "always 6 months away" limbo until proven otherwise.
Paper rockets, by NASA.
Quote from: Negan on 02/09/2017 02:37 pmQuote from: edzieba on 02/09/2017 12:33 pmIs it off the table in the sense that NASA and its partners will not be able to get payloads ready in time (was always a worry), or that SpaceX do not think they will have even a non-crew-rated Dragon 2 ready to mate to a Falcon Heavy in time?NASA had already stated previously they would not be sending in payloads on the first Red Dragon. They want to see a successful landing first.And mystified why the OP's instinct was to first of all point the finger at NASA for any delay.
As usual, SpaceX managed to under-estimate the amount of work to be done.
Quote from: Mader Levap on 02/09/2017 06:01 pmQuote from: AncientU on 02/08/2017 08:44 pmSo, can we finally dispense with the paper rocket nonsense?It is paper rocket until second when it successfully completes maiden mission.As far I am concerned it is in "always 6 months away" limbo until proven otherwise.This definition is self-contradicting: How could one possibly launch a paper rocket? How could one possibly complete a mission without a launch?A flight-ready hardware assembly is a real rocket. This one even more so, since it's already flown a successful mission as a real rocket.
