The Moon is always half in daylight...
Note: the linked article on space.com was written by someone who was banned from this forum for "having an agenda" with regards to SpaceX.
some of the last comments about the window got me thinking. Won't they try and line up the window so that a large amount of the moon is in daylight as they swing by? It would suck to go all that way if you can not see much.
Quote from: Bynaus on 05/18/2017 05:06 pmThe Moon is always half in daylight...Nit picking: not during a Lunar eclipse.
From the new GAO report http://www.gao.gov/assets/690/684626.pdf we learn that SpaceX plans to certify the commercial crew vehicles in Q3/2018 (see page 47). This is awfully close to the proposed date for the Grey/Silver Dragon mission.Is CCP certification on the critical path for Grey Dragon? Could SpaceX launch Grey Dragon before CCP certification?
Quote from: clongton on 05/18/2017 03:38 pmQuote from: abaddon on 05/18/2017 01:38 pmThere is no hard window here, so it is virtually certain they will slide the mission to the right until the required boxes are checked off (crewed flight, certification, confidence in FH as a launcher).It's pretty hard to use "there is no hard window here" and "they will slide the mission to the right" in the same sentence. Aren't the 2 statements mutually exclusive?Hard window as in "launch window to Mars". If you miss the original date, you can pick another one without having to wait long for "the stars to align".
Quote from: abaddon on 05/18/2017 01:38 pmThere is no hard window here, so it is virtually certain they will slide the mission to the right until the required boxes are checked off (crewed flight, certification, confidence in FH as a launcher).It's pretty hard to use "there is no hard window here" and "they will slide the mission to the right" in the same sentence. Aren't the 2 statements mutually exclusive?
There is no hard window here, so it is virtually certain they will slide the mission to the right until the required boxes are checked off (crewed flight, certification, confidence in FH as a launcher).
Quote from: jak Kennedy on 05/18/2017 05:00 pmsome of the last comments about the window got me thinking. Won't they try and line up the window so that a large amount of the moon is in daylight as they swing by? It would suck to go all that way if you can not see much.I understand what you mean here but you have a good window at least once a month, compared to a much larger interval for a Mars mission... if there is a delay, just go a month later no?
But, from a business standpoint, I think yes. I would be very surprised to learn that they hadn't sold the mission as being flown on a capsule certified by NASA
I normally wouldn't, but since you nit picked, I'll reverse nit:The idiom is "waiting for planets to align", and for a reason....
Quote from: Bynaus on 05/18/2017 05:06 pmThe Moon is always half in daylight...Your tag line states that you are a planetary scientist??? Luna is not always half in daylight! Can you say...........lunar eclipse?
There's a rumour in industry that RSC Energia have a pool of paying customers for Moon flyover, and two of them switched to SpaceX recently.
2) Dragon 2 demonstrates on-orbit operation with ECLSS/consumables for the length of the free return flight.
Quote from: Space Ghost 1962 on 05/20/2017 04:10 pm2) Dragon 2 demonstrates on-orbit operation with ECLSS/consumables for the length of the free return flight.I could see a failure of such a demonstration pose some serious questions with regard to NASA's certification process.