SpaceX F9 : Bangabandhu-1 : KSC 39A : May 11, 2018 : Discussion

[jaufgang]

Did anyone else notice that immediately post-entry burn, the first stage camera view looked perfectly clear until the condensation started just before the video signal was lost?

In previous launches, the entry burn would leave the camera lens or housing window covered in soot which would leave the view somewhat obscured during landing. 

On this launch, the soot seemed to be accumulating on the glass during the reentry burn, but then immediately afterwards, as soon as the burn ended, the view was completely clear. 

Perhaps all or part of the camera housing got blown away?  Might that have something to do with the condensation and vibration?

[Ben the Space Brit]

Is there a new expansion nozzle material? I've never seen it radiate purple like that before!

[rpapo]

Is there a new expansion nozzle material? I've never seen it radiate purple like that before!

It seemed to me they had new cameras all around.  The color balance was different, and they seemed to vibrate more than usual.

[Star One]

Wauw, that was really a quite ...unique video from the Bangladeshi side.... Interesting insight into how that country works.

I like their ground station very modern looking.

[Lars-J]

Is there a new expansion nozzle material? I've never seen it radiate purple like that before!

Just an artifact of the new cameras, which they may want to correct. But they could also be tweaked on purpose to show more infrared.

[Grandpa to Two]

I noticed immediatly after the landing burn cut off a rcs valve pulsed the longest pulse I’ve ever seen (pulsing to screen left). That was cool. Such a great launch from the block 5. Can’t wait to see the Dragon 2 on top with crew.

[sanman]

Bangabandhu-1 satellite deployed!

Joy Bangla! Congrats SpaceX!

[ClayJar]

Is there a new expansion nozzle material? I've never seen it radiate purple like that before!

That's what it looks like when you shoot digital without an IR filter.  (Usually there's one on the sensor itself, but on some cameras like Canon's astronomy models, it's left off and you have to use an external IR filter or it looks like that.)

[deruch]

Wauw, that was really a quite ...unique video from the Bangladeshi side.... Interesting insight into how that country works.

Go back and watch the address from the Turkmensat launch from a couple years ago.

[Star One]

Is the second stage deorbiting on this mission?

[sanman]

Looks like Elon himself was on hand to supervise

[akfish]

Starting from T+7:10, something came loose. Looks like a ring or a wire. This was just prior to LOS.

[ZachS09]

Is the second stage deorbiting on this mission?

In my opinion, Stage 2 will stay in this GTO.

[Ben the Space Brit]

Starting from T+7:10, something came loose. Looks like a ring or a wire. This was just prior to LOS.

No, that was just what a drop of condensation rolling across the lens shield looks like from a few millimetres away!

[lrk]

Looks like Elon himself was on hand to supervise

Wow, he was tweeting about Tesla from mission control 2 minutes before launch 
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/995033832796577792

[deruch]

Hmmm.   They called out good orbit during the broadcast, but the dashboard display was showing less than 35,000km/h for speed.  IIRC, for their GTO launches it is usually around 36,000km/h or even above.  So, maybe this GTO is going to be closer to GEO-1800m/s end of GTOs or even an undershoot?  Perigee might be a bit higher than usual though, so that might be affecting it.

[LouScheffer]

Not a super-synchronous GTO.  It cut off at 34832 k/hr = 9676 m/s.  Add in about 400 m/s (Earth rotation) to get 10076 m/s. compared to the normal GTO speed at this altitude of 10148 m/s.  Assuming this is due to inclination reduction, the change in inclination would be about cos^-1(10076/10148), or about 6.5 degrees.

So I'd expect a GTO orbit something like 300x36000, inclination 21^o. If so about 1670 m/s to GEO.

[Steven Pietrobon]

Congratulations to SpaceX and Bangladesh for the successful launch!

[Mader Levap]

Maybe it was the lighting, but it seemed like the on-board cameras were providing much-better-than-usual video quality.  New cams to go with Block 5, maybe?  Loved the drone view of the launch as well.  And, as noted above, they probably need to tighten the bracket holding the 1st stage camera.  Otherwise, everything looked great so far.

I had exactly opposite impression. Quality of camera on stage and barge was abysmal.

[ChrisC]

Starting from T+7:10, something came loose. Looks like a ring or a wire. This was just prior to LOS.

No, that was just what a drop of condensation rolling across the lens shield looks like from a few millimetres away!

That's what the commentator suggested, using prepared remarks, but I think we will find out that it was indeed a damaged camera, as discussed above.

It's like the Falcon Heavy launch camera mixup.  The commentator was pointing out how the cameras from the two returning boosters were showing what looked like identical views, but he assured us that it was actually two different cameras from two different rockets.  But veterans here could clearly see that it was precisely the same video feed -- the RCS cold gas bursts wouldn't be THAT synchronized.  And this was proven when the two booster cameras seeme dot show the two boosters returning to the same LZ pad   As it turned out, SpaceX screwed up the video routing during the live event, and it WAS the same camera shown twice.  Don't pay too much attention to the live commentary, especially if you've been here a while and already know all of the basic ways that the video feeds can get degraded.  They're just providing the "usual" reason off a script.