SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : Feb 6, 2018 : Discussion Thread 2

[toruonu]

How often do they send up weather balloons? Every 15 min?

They are a couple hours apart

That doesn't look like enough granularity to be able to shift the launch window in current increments. And I somehow remember from a prior upper level winds scrub that they were sending them more often and were waiting for latest data to come in.

[ZachF]

Two hours is becoming the new six months... 

[Flying Beaver]

Now we'll see whether they go within T-2hours.

Could be a good sign if they do.

[JBF]

16 UTC sounding shows pronounced @upperlevelwinds wind shift at 12km. Likely what is worrying the launch team. #flwx #FalconHeavy #FH

https://twitter.com/wxscrub/status/960935556527030272

Does anyone have a link to a tutorial on how to read wind charts.  My Googlefu is failing me.

[The_Ronin]

WTF is shifting T-0 for “clock management?”

[Jim]

How often do they send up weather balloons? Every 15 min?

They are a couple hours apart

That doesn't look like enough granularity to be able to shift the launch window in current increments. And I somehow remember from a prior upper level winds scrub that they were sending them more often and were waiting for latest data to come in.

It takes a good portion of an hour for the balloon to climb

[rockets4life97]

WTF is shifting T-0 for “clock management?”

My guess is that someone needed to do something at -2:00 hours and was expecting another slip and didn't do that thing in time.

[haywoodfloyd]

Launch is now NET 3:05 pm?

[Flying Beaver]

Now we'll see whether they go within T-2hours.

Could be a good sign if they do.

Holding at T-2 hours currently. 45 minutes remaining in the window.

[Rhyshaelkan]

clocks are unmanageable unruly things, and must be brought to order. 

[toruonu]

How often do they send up weather balloons? Every 15 min?

They are a couple hours apart

That doesn't look like enough granularity to be able to shift the launch window in current increments. And I somehow remember from a prior upper level winds scrub that they were sending them more often and were waiting for latest data to come in.

It takes a good portion of an hour for the balloon to climb

Yes, but I would assume they let them go every 15-30 minutes and get incremental data as the balloons reach upper atmosphere levels.

[rockets4life97]

I would think they would at least try for the end of the window. You might get lucky with the winds.

[StuffOfInterest]

I doubt they would begin fueling on just a hope of making it at the end of the window.  More likely, they are going to scrub for the day if it doesn't look like the winds are going to clear up.

[JoerTex]

How often do they send up weather balloons? Every 15 min?

They are a couple hours apart

That doesn't look like enough granularity to be able to shift the launch window in current increments. And I somehow remember from a prior upper level winds scrub that they were sending them more often and were waiting for latest data to come in.

It takes a good portion of an hour for the balloon to climb

Yes, but I would assume they let them go every 15-30 minutes and get incremental data as the balloons reach upper atmosphere levels.

Consider the terminal velocity of the balloons, it takes a long time to get to altitude.

But, the sondes are feeding high resolution models that have time intervals much shorter than the input period.

[OnWithTheShow]

Curious how the LTE coverage is around the cape today. I was there a few years ago for a launch (the wayward boat launch that got scrubbed) and the service was really bad right around T-0 when everyone was trying to figure out what was going on.

It has been fine over in the Port.

[M.E.T.]

Question on behalf of young newbies (just shy of 40) like myself.

Were space launches always this finicky when it comes to wind and other mild weather phenomena, even in the mighty Apollo days?

[docmordrid]

Yes!

[The_Ronin]

Shuttle days, for sure.  Apollo... well, look at the infamous Apollo 12 lightning strikes.

[the_other_Doug]

No updates for a half hour, about.  Not sounding good.

I imagine that, if they start to fuel the beast, that means a minimum of a 48-hour turnaround from a scrub?  As opposed to a 24-hour turnaround if they scrub prior to fueling?

[t3kboi]

They have previously fueled, de-tanked, and re-fuled falcon 9 and falcon heavy during static fire, and WDR timeframes.