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#420
by
ugordan
on 20 Dec, 2017 19:45
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The left side booster also appears to contain the number 8 in the expected location, considering the two cores are 180 deg apart.
Actually the two side boosters are not 180 degrees apart. I noticed the feed line that runs down the side of the boosters are installed so that they are on the same side of the center stage.
What precisely do you mean by feed lines? To the best that my eye can see, they are identical cores, one simply rotated 180 degrees. Like Atlas V HLV would have done and unlike Delta IV Heavy.
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#421
by
Lars-J
on 20 Dec, 2017 19:47
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The left side booster also appears to contain the number 8 in the expected location, considering the two cores are 180 deg apart.
Actually the two side boosters are not 180 degrees apart. I noticed the feed line that runs down the side of the boosters are installed so that they are on the same side of the center stage.
Speculation: Having both on one side provides consistent lift characteristics? For instance, if the "bottom" of the stage in flight is the side with the feed lines, then the flat area of the feed lines may provide some level of aerodynamic lift when compared with a side that does not have feed lines.
Are you seeing some other image than we are??
It is clear that one side booster is matches the rotation of the core, but the other one is rotated 180 degrees. Just look at the big racetrack piping on the right core.
You can also see the rotation in the engine view, by noting the color of the propellant attachments. Blue or Red. (for LOX or RP1)
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#422
by
docmordrid
on 20 Dec, 2017 20:22
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#423
by
sevenperforce
on 20 Dec, 2017 20:36
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They are hinged at the attachment point on the core and fold up. If you look very closely, you can see that the slightly angled rods/arms above the cross-struts (attached to them at the center) have a narrow section and a wide section; those are hydraulic pistons that will retract, pulling the cross-struts up against the core, where they latch into the attachment manifold right above the flag.
Are you talking about the yellow saddle piece? Because i'm wondering where it and the struts it's attached to go.
No, I'm talking about the white connector arms that are just barely angled and are attached at the center of those struts.
The piston is pulled into the sheath via hydraulics, which rotates the strut up.
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#424
by
cscott
on 20 Dec, 2017 20:58
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Yellow saddle piece is part of the pusher mechanism to separate the boosters, I think. (Although I agree that the yellow piece itself will probably not fly.)
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#425
by
cscott
on 20 Dec, 2017 21:00
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Someone on reddit pointed out what might be stitching errors or some kind of intentional editing.
https://i.imgur.com/PQSPi2z.png
These details along the raceway are lined up in one image, but not in the other. I'm guessing someone was just not paying attention when it came time to stitch, or left it to automated software and it got confused.
Yes, discussed earlier. On the right on the uncropped version you can see the guy holding the yellow cable to trigger the camera... twice. Consensus here was that there are three images stitched together; you can actually see the yellow command cord a third time at the bottom, but the photographer themself has been stitched away.
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#426
by
IanThePineapple
on 20 Dec, 2017 21:05
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Someone on reddit pointed out what might be stitching errors or some kind of intentional editing.
https://i.imgur.com/PQSPi2z.png
These details along the raceway are lined up in one image, but not in the other. I'm guessing someone was just not paying attention when it came time to stitch, or left it to automated software and it got confused.
Yes, discussed earlier. On the right on the uncropped version you can see the guy holding the yellow cable to trigger the camera... twice. Consensus here was that there are three images stitched together; you can actually see the yellow command cord a third time at the bottom, but the photographer themself has been stitched away.
The sep nodes for the second stage on the interstage are missing too
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#427
by
sevenperforce
on 20 Dec, 2017 21:59
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Max thrust at lift-off is 5.1 million pounds or 2300 metric tons. First mission will run at 92%.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/943590152181448704
Falcon Heavy launching from same @NASA pad as the Saturn V Apollo 11 moon rocket. It was 50% higher thrust with five F-1 engines at 7.5M lb-F. I love that rocket so much.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/943592480926076928
Just add one core to the front of the core, another to the back, rotate 45 degrees, and redo the launch mount/reaction frame? 
Nine Merlin 1Ds have just 12% more thrust than a single F1.
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#428
by
Zed_Noir
on 20 Dec, 2017 22:09
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Max thrust at lift-off is 5.1 million pounds or 2300 metric tons. First mission will run at 92%.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/943590152181448704
Falcon Heavy launching from same @NASA pad as the Saturn V Apollo 11 moon rocket. It was 50% higher thrust with five F-1 engines at 7.5M lb-F. I love that rocket so much.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/943592480926076928
Just add one core to the front of the core, another to the back, rotate 45 degrees, and redo the launch mount/reaction frame?
Yes, but think it will be easier to assemble you quint core LV on a new customized MLP inside the VAB and launch from LC_39B.
Of course that requires a new reinforced center core that can handle the stress of 4 strapped-on booster cores.
The Falcon Heavy should go with a new Raptor upper stage for increase performance instead of more cores. It will take less money and time.
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#429
by
Rocket Science
on 20 Dec, 2017 22:46
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Well, there it is, in all its glory. From Elon's Twitter.
Welcome to the forum and spectacular first post!!
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#430
by
Rocket Science
on 20 Dec, 2017 22:49
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Can I just say how beautiful FH is?
Looks like titanium grid fins on the side boosters but aluminium on the central core.
Lol, ninja'd. Yes and lots of pusher hardware on display.
It seems odd to be using such old hardware on a maiden flight. It's so incongruous to how space flight normally works, that my mind struggles with it.
I like to use the word "proven" instead of "old" hardware...
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#431
by
MATTBLAK
on 21 Dec, 2017 01:26
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Possibly belongs in a cheerleading thread; but I reckon there's only one piece of music to dub to first (successful) flight footage of this monster...
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#432
by
TripD
on 21 Dec, 2017 01:42
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Tweaked to bring out more details.
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#433
by
sevenperforce
on 21 Dec, 2017 01:50
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I wonder if the fairing will come off after booster sep but before core staging.
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#434
by
deruch
on 21 Dec, 2017 01:54
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#435
by
ZachS09
on 21 Dec, 2017 01:59
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I wonder if the fairing will come off after booster sep but before core staging.
That's a possibility, but then again, fairing sep could occur after second stage engine start; just like the Delta IV Heavy.
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#436
by
envy887
on 21 Dec, 2017 02:12
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A video with a view from the outside looking into the hangar (though unfortunately with bad window glare).
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc7fyjWFPjB/
The Zuma booster and upper stage are still on the transporter in the HIF, and the RSS legs are still up in that video so it's at least a day or two old.
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#437
by
vaporcobra
on 21 Dec, 2017 03:22
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A video with a view from the outside looking into the hangar (though unfortunately with bad window glare).
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc7fyjWFPjB/
It's probably obvious to anyone who clicks on the link, but fair warning that this video is from last Friday, just before 1043 was moved.
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#438
by
Rangertech1
on 21 Dec, 2017 05:03
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#439
by
MATTBLAK
on 21 Dec, 2017 11:03
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Possibly belongs in a cheerleading thread; but I reckon there's only one piece of music to dub to first (successful) flight footage of this monster...
Heh; I did a dub of the music onto the standard SpaceX animation. I think it almost works...
It is clear that one side booster is matches the rotation of the core, but the other one is rotated 180 degrees. Just look at the big racetrack piping on the right core.
