Author Topic: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related  (Read 301515 times)

Online FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #340 on: 11/07/2019 10:33 am »
Video of Elon’s chat. Not sure how much us missing from start and sound quality is poor at times but does include Elon’s remarks on Starship (which are about 15 mins in).

« Last Edit: 11/07/2019 10:34 am by FutureSpaceTourist »

Offline Rondaz

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #341 on: 11/09/2019 11:53 pm »
"The situation in Germany is a challenge for rocket launches"

SpaceX chief engineer Hans Koenigsmann talks about the mistakes of the European space program and explains what he is arguing about with Elon Musk.

Nele Husmann 07.11.2019

Requires Translation..

https://www.handelsblatt.com/technik/forschung-innovation/spacex-chefingenieur-im-interview-die-lage-deutschlands-ist-eine-herausforderung-fuer-raketenstarts/25190580.html?ticket=ST-73671586-yEYjCpgs31f6aECALkfT-ap6
« Last Edit: 11/09/2019 11:53 pm by Rondaz »


Offline TorenAltair

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Offline scdavis

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #344 on: 11/10/2019 04:49 pm »
Google English:

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://www.handelsblatt.com/technik/forschung-innovation/spacex-chefingenieur-im-interview-die-lage-deutschlands-ist-eine-herausforderung-fuer-raketenstarts/25190580.html&prev=search

Tweaking Ariane’s nose:

“I've changed my strategy and, in principle, given up trying to convince Ariane executives of reusability. When I say that Ariane should continue like before, I seem to make more people think. Although the project to continue to build a disposable rocket is about the same as developing a good analog phone now.”

Online FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #345 on: 11/10/2019 07:56 pm »
Video of Elon’s chat. Not sure how much us missing from start and sound quality is poor at times but does include Elon’s remarks on Starship (which are about 15 mins in).

youtube.com/watch?v=77bJEJawMAQ

Heres the complete chat:

« Last Edit: 11/10/2019 07:56 pm by FutureSpaceTourist »

Offline RedLineTrain

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #346 on: 12/11/2019 02:34 pm »
Musk to keynote Satellite 2020 on Monday, March 9 at 4:00 p.m. EST at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C.

https://www.satellitetoday.com/launch/2019/12/10/spacexs-elon-musk-to-keynote-satellite-2020/

Offline matthewkantar

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #347 on: 12/11/2019 04:07 pm »
Video of Elon’s chat. Not sure how much us missing from start and sound quality is poor at times but does include Elon’s remarks on Starship (which are about 15 mins in).

youtube.com/watch?v=77bJEJawMAQ

Heres the complete chat:



Don't know who this guy is, but he is the best Elon interviewer ever. Asks good questions, waits patiently until Elon formulates his answer and spits it out, listens and understands answers, and bases next question on that understanding. 

Online FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #348 on: 01/07/2020 02:39 am »
Quote
Elon Musk to Keynote Air Force Association's Air Warfare Symposium
Press Release From: Air Force Association
Posted: Monday, January 6, 2020

Elon Musk,  SpaceX’s Chief Engineer, will participate in a fireside chat with Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, Chief of Space Operations, during the Air Force Association’s 2020 Air Warfare Symposium, Feb. 26 – 28.

“We are honored to welcome Mr. Musk, a brilliant entrepreneur and engineer to speak at one of the premier Air Force leadership events for defense and aerospace professionals around the world,” said AFA President Lt. Gen. Bruce “Orville” Wright, USAF (Ret).

This year’s symposium theme, “Multi-Domain Operations: Vision to Reality” will be held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando. Distinguished speakers will present more than 12 panels and sessions, including major addresses by Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett, Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein, and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright.

Learn more and register for the 2020 Air Warfare Symposium.

// end //

http://spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=55072

Offline jpo234

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #349 on: 01/07/2020 12:56 pm »
Don't know who this guy is, but he is the best Elon interviewer ever. Asks good questions, waits patiently until Elon formulates his answer and spits it out, listens and understands answers, and bases next question on that understanding.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John Thompson, Commander, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
« Last Edit: 01/13/2020 12:13 pm by jpo234 »
You want to be inspired by things. You want to wake up in the morning and think the future is going to be great. That's what being a spacefaring civilization is all about. It's about believing in the future and believing the future will be better than the past. And I can't think of anything more exciting than being out there among the stars.

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #350 on: 01/16/2020 08:42 am »
Elon will have a Keynote talk at SatShow (SATELLITE) 2020. March 9 at 4 PM local, 8PM UTC (DST just kicked in the day before!).

https://www.satshow.com/elon-musk/

Offline TorenAltair

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #351 on: 01/17/2020 11:29 pm »
Nearly 3 hour interview with Hans Koenigsmann in German
https://raumzeit-podcast.de/2020/01/17/rz083-spacex/
Not sure if anybody would be interested in a translation or if Raumzeit would approve this..

Offline Kang54

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #352 on: 01/18/2020 08:17 pm »
Nearly 3 hour interview with Hans Koenigsmann in German
https://raumzeit-podcast.de/2020/01/17/rz083-spacex/
Not sure if anybody would be interested in a translation or if Raumzeit would approve this..
Reddit user Ti-Z has translated the main points of the interview here. There are some interesting notes, but most of it is known.

Offline Mandella

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #353 on: 01/19/2020 02:03 am »
Nearly 3 hour interview with Hans Koenigsmann in German
https://raumzeit-podcast.de/2020/01/17/rz083-spacex/
Not sure if anybody would be interested in a translation or if Raumzeit would approve this..
Reddit user Ti-Z has translated the main points of the interview here. There are some interesting notes, but most of it is known.

While most might be known, I found it really informative to have it all talked about in one sitting. Plus some of the interesting notes were *very* interesting.

Would it be bad form to copy that summery here for prosperity's posterity's sake?
« Last Edit: 01/19/2020 08:21 pm by Mandella »

Offline AC in NC

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #354 on: 01/19/2020 12:46 pm »
Nearly 3 hour interview with Hans Koenigsmann in German
https://raumzeit-podcast.de/2020/01/17/rz083-spacex/
Not sure if anybody would be interested in a translation or if Raumzeit would approve this..
Reddit user Ti-Z has translated the main points of the interview here. There are some interesting notes, but most of it is known.

While most might be known, I found it really informative to have it all talked about in one sitting. Plus some of the interesting notes were *very* interesting.

Would it be bad form to copy that summery here for prosperity's sake?

AIUI that should be welcomed with appropriate link and citation of source for crediting.  But do it for posterity, not prosperity.   ;)

Offline Mandella

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #355 on: 01/19/2020 08:29 pm »
Summery translation of the Raumzeit podcast by Reddit member Ti-Z, original thread here.

I have left in Ti-Z's opening summery.

[spoiler]
I think it is very worthwhile to listen to Hans speaking here if one understands German. The discussion seems to be aimed at an audience with technical knowledge, but which is not necessarily familiar with SpaceX or rocket science in general. Host seems to pretend to have almost no knowledge, but from the discussions it is clear that he certainly is familiar with the topic and is well-prepared. Which I think is a good way to ensure that the discussion remains understandable to non-experts throughout.

I tried to write down all pieces of information which are beyond a certain threshold of technical detail, i.e., I left out parts explaining very basic things like what a two-stage vehicle is and that you would want to encapsulate your satellite in a fairing. I don't think that any of the information shared is entirely new.

Translating and summarising at the same time in addition to Hans attempts to formulate technical details in a commonly understandable way might have lead to misleading items below. If your are particularly interested in a specific point please let me know and I (or someone else) might be able to provide an accurate translation of the corresponding passage.

With that out of the way, the podcast in chronological order:

4th engineer when joined in May 2002

since then the 3rd left, so he considers himself the 3rd now
met Elon together with Gwynne (she was his boss back then) in early 2002

at an amateur rocket launch meet-up
two months later, Elon contacted Hans and asked whether he would join a new company
Elon moved from Silicon valley to LA for SpaceX (since talent is there)
Elon from the beginning hat his philosophy of making life multiplanetary

first task: build a rocket one can build with a small number of people
make most of the key components in-house
solve the most difficult problems first (i.e. first the engines)
1st Falcon-1 start was really expected to succeed

some weld in/near the engine failed and things burned
company culture (from the beginning)

communication really important
the best idea is supposed to win in a discussion regardless of rank
much freedom for engineers (e.g. to buy stuff)
time is money, but not just that; hence work as fast as possible
-> Elon used his personal plane to carry employees between LA and McGregor to save time
-> have extremely ambitious timelines, since projects take longer in any case
development

what is physically necessary?
what is there in the space industry and what of it actually makes sense?
also taking inspiration from other industries (e.g. cars)
engine was developed rather independently
-> Merlin initially had 25 valves, which got significantly reduced since then
-> Merlin was initially optimised to be built in-house, later optimised for performance
software & electronics

use modern equipment, but test for radiation-resistance
launch software rather easy, landing software was/is a challenge
-> initially 1-2 software engineers for Falcon-9
Linux-based operating system (own SpaceX-Version), much OpenSource used
company culture (as the company grows)

initially aimed at as few people as possible due to increasing complexity
communication between specialists tends to be difficult
1st Falcon-1: about 250 employees
4th Falcon-1: about 300 employees
weekly meetings with Elon and VPs to ensure communication (technical meetings)
reuseability

despite quick success of SpaceX, failures were present
-> efforts to recover Falcon-1 via parachutes was seen internally as a failure
-> likewise early landing tests of Falcon-9 were seen internally as failures
learning recoverability while having successful primary missions was useful
sat-dish on ADAS causes loss-of-signal
learning from failures (e.g. landings) can take weeks or months
fairing recovery
-> large area and low mass, thus theoretically easy to reenter
-> in practice: took some time to get this properly done
Falcon-1 and transition to Falcon-9

initially thought that there is a market for it (intended to keep it)
-> eventually realised that the market is just to small
-> started Falcon-9 development prior to 4th Falcon-1 launch
Falcon-9 to actually make money
-> satellite market
-> dragon
each Merlin of Falcon-9 has its own computer (ethernet connection to main computer)
Falcon-1 launch site (Kwajalein, Marshall Islands)
-> because clearance for AirForce bases (Vandy,Cape) was difficult to get
-> in hindsight: convenient that failures were not that publicly visible
moved to the Cape due to the airport of Kwajalein being unable to handle the weights of satellites
Falcon-9

frequent iterations did indeed happen, but main changes in the block-changes
subsequent block-5 boosters nowadays sometimes do not feature changes
how does a launch of Falcon-9 play out?

choice of launch pad due to inclination
-> does not mention polar orbits from the cape
-> can change launch pads for a mission if known sufficiently far in advance
once static fire is completed, mission timeline is stringent
-> fleet has to depart in advance
upper level wind shear
-> if wind direction changes rapidly, rocket has to correct which causes stress on the vehicle and could potentially break up
launch hazard area
-> works well with planes (pilots can loose license if entering)
-> works less well with ships (USAF will send helicopters if ships are in exclusion zone, first just hover over them, but if they don't leave drop a bottle with a message "please leave")
start-up fully automated days in advance
-> press a button a few days prior to launch to initiate and then monitor
-> GSE first, Falcon-9 joins later
ignition 2-3 seconds prior to liftoff
-> Hans did not know that ArianeSpace uses L-0s for ignition and thinks it is strange (should liftoff at 0s, obviously)
dragon-1 is close to the edge between return-to-launch-site and ASDS (which type of landing is used depends on the mission mass)
pneumatic separation between the stages
how does a landing of Falcon-9 play out?

flip of Falcon-9 is such that the rotation is canceld by the Merlin, not the thrusters (thus ignition needs to be quite precise)
4-6g of acceleration if using 3 Merlins on empty stage
first stage has almost identical navigation hardware
-> gyroscopes (fibre-optical) & accelerometers
-> GPS (exemption from the hight-limit)
-> GPS primary, gyroscopes & accelerometers secondary (will diverge after approximately 1 minute due to measurement error)
-> flight computer
entry burn at about 30 km (just prior to reentry)
grid fins could also have been normal fins, but grid fins more compact and easier to retract
from grid fin movement one can deduce how hard Falcon-9 has to work (slow, smooth movement indicates that rocket is on course)
landing development
-> Grasshopper was managed by ~20 people
-> F9R did not get high enough to properly test grid fins, but could test on actual missions
boostback does not have to be so precise (~100m), entry burn more precise (~10m), finally landing burn (~1m)
landing sequence
-> needs GPS for position and uses radar to determine high
-> shutdown during hoverslam for has to precise (~0.1 seconds)
-> usual landing accuracy of ~3-4 meters (determined by GPS and wind)
droneship landing

ASDS landing very worth it indeed (ships may be expensive to operate but the most expensive thing by far is the rocket)
names for ASDS were Elon's idea (names for fairing catchers might have been suggested by others)
first landing

NatGeo asked whether they could film the first land landing, and Hans thinks that they did a great job
Elon went to see the landing, Hans & control room monitored the second stage
falcon heavy

no added difficulty for landing, the side boosters just do their own thing ignoring the other
STP-2 mission was a very demanding mission
several FH missions in manifest
reuseability

have a lot of first stages lying around everywhere
building one rocket instead of ten which is very worth it
refurbishment has a learning curve (which parts have to be very closely inspected, which can just briefly be checked)
mass production vs reuseability (host notes that reusing rockets means loosing mass production benefits)
-> mass production only beneficial at ~10000 units, thus only minor benefits there
-> reusing rockets, however, has large benefit
-> added value of being able to inspect the rocket after flight
-> if there is something strange found at inspection (e.g. leak), put a camera (GoPro) there (a few per flight at varying locations in addition to ~10 cameras on board which send video to ground during flight)
-> Hans would really like to have the same option for the 2nd stage (currently problems found on 1st stage are sometimes applied to 2nd stage, too, if systems are similar)
customers initially were sceptical using flight-proven rockets, but now some even prefer once-flown rockets
Hans hopes/believes that rockets will become much safer due to the possibility of inspection after flight
2nd stage recovery

would need heat shield which is difficult and heavy
there where experiments with 2nd stage reentries which proved that point
2nd stage is more than 10% of cost of the vehicle (more redundancy, main flight computer) [note: host suggests 10% because 1 of 10 engines, and Hans says "well it is certainly more than that"]
innovations by SpaceX / things SpaceX learned over time

sub-cooled propellant
many small things (e.g. size of dampers in landing legs)
GSE changes
Mars

does Elon want to got to Mars personally? Yes, Hans thinks so
why steel?
-> steel becomes stronger when cold
-> steel can handle high temperatures during reentry
Starship & Super-Heavy
-> hight of Starship 68m, Super-Heavy ~100m
-> development cannot compared to - say - SLS where there is billions of $$$, which SpaceX does not have (Starship is self-financed); thus scrappy
Hans is sure that when Starship flies to Mars, there will be scientific payload on board
plan is to prove the concept now; once that is done, search for customers
refilling at orbit makes the architecture cheap (due to reuseability)
manned mission to Mars "will take a while", there will certainly be a cargo flight first
preparation for Mars missions
-> there is active work at SpaceX regarding radiation protection, etc.
-> likewise, work is being done to develop propellant production and Mars logistics
-> main focus is building Starship, since in other areas partners can help
~10 Raptors built so far [podcast was recorded 18.11.2019]
-> transition period from development engines to production engines
-> has been 2 years of raptor development
-> less soot should help with reuseabilty compared to Merlin
first manned mission
-> propellant production has to be prepared by cargo mission
-> navigation might be a challenge, manned mission needs to land near previous cargo mission
Hans expects delays in the program
-> SpaceX needs to find partners in the final stages (nations, agencies, e.g. NASA, ...)
SpaceX vs other organisations ("SpaceX diplomacy")

SpaceX is a close partner of NASA
-> NASA helped SpaceX at a critical point for the company (F9 development)
-> SpaceX helpes NASA to return human launch capability to the US
-> 2020-21 SpaceX wants to approach NASA regarding Mars missions and coordinate with them
-> SpaceX wants to participate in Artemis programme
NASA and USAF contracts were helpful, but also much own development by SpaceX (e.g. FH)
other organisations/agencies
-> mainly competition
-> there is a trend by nations to use their rockets for their payloads
dragon

dragon-1 is reusable (so far up to three times)
dragon-2 improvements
-> electronics & avionics
-> solar panels on trunk sufficient
-> docking instead of berthing (Hans jokes: what happens if CanadaArm breaks?)
Starlink

Hans does not know whether the first two Starlink satellites are still in orbit
maximal size of constellation 30k satellites
-> want to make sure that the upper bound is high enough to never encounter problems with it
-> first 700 satellites should be sufficient for basic coverage at certain latitudes
Hans is not really involved in Starlink and claims to have no detailed knowledge
Starlink is a new kind of project due to having millions of customers
-> want to learn from Tesla & SolarCity
upper stages rotates for Starlink satellite deployment making use of centrifugal force to make sure that satellites separate
few weeks for the satellites to reach final orbit
can reuse dragon ground stations for Starlink
if Starlink were to use higher frequencies in the future, receiver might become smaller
Hans does not think that Starlink satellites will cause trouble for astronomy
-> solar panel faces the sun thus most of the surface of the satellites reflects light back to the sun and hence causes no trouble
-> initial Starlink train is misleadingly well visible and thus not representative
-> there should only be half a dozen satellites visible at any time
Hans would like more companies to develop more things themselves and be innovative in the space industry

Hans does not want to fly to Moon or Mars (but maybe to the ISS?)

[/spoiler]

Offline jpo234

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #356 on: 02/02/2020 08:38 am »
You want to be inspired by things. You want to wake up in the morning and think the future is going to be great. That's what being a spacefaring civilization is all about. It's about believing in the future and believing the future will be better than the past. And I can't think of anything more exciting than being out there among the stars.

Offline Johnnyhinbos

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #357 on: 02/02/2020 01:44 pm »
Great presentation - but who is presenting? The user who posted YouTube video gave no credit.


Could someone please give this guy credit?


Thanks,
John
« Last Edit: 02/02/2020 02:03 pm by gongora »
John Hanzl. Author, action / adventure www.johnhanzl.com

Offline Cheapchips

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #358 on: 02/02/2020 01:54 pm »
And context.  Who was he addressing?
« Last Edit: 02/02/2020 02:03 pm by gongora »

Offline jpo234

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Re: Upcoming Talks - SpaceX Related
« Reply #359 on: 02/02/2020 02:33 pm »
And context.  Who was he addressing?

Must have been a general event. At 5:01 he mentions a previous presentation from Colonel Henderson which is probably Scott Henderson, previously SpaceX's director of Mission Assurance and Integration and now Orbital Launch Director at Blue Origin.
Time frame must have been between 01/20 (after the IFA) and before 01/26 (before Starlink 3 slipped to 1/29).
« Last Edit: 02/02/2020 02:40 pm by jpo234 »
You want to be inspired by things. You want to wake up in the morning and think the future is going to be great. That's what being a spacefaring civilization is all about. It's about believing in the future and believing the future will be better than the past. And I can't think of anything more exciting than being out there among the stars.

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