SpaceX team has completed 13 successful tests in a row of upgraded Mark 3 parachutes for Crew Dragon. Most recent test demonstrated the parachute system’s ability to land the spacecraft safely in the unlikely event that one of the four main parachutes fails.
I think it is important to add this article with further comments from SpaceX. It basically says that from those 13 drop tests only that one was a drop test of the complete system (but simulating a failiure of one chute, obviously). The other 12 drop tests were of single parachute tests and some were not successful but that is helping on the Mk3 parachute final design so that's good. https://spacenews.com/spacex-trumpets-progress-on-commercial-crew-parachute-testing/
Great work by SpaceX Dragon team & Airborne! To be clear, we’ve only done 1 multi-parachute test of Mk3 design, so 9 more left to reach 10 successful tests in a row.
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1191067348914098176QuoteSpaceX team has completed 13 successful tests in a row of upgraded Mark 3 parachutes for Crew Dragon. Most recent test demonstrated the parachute system’s ability to land the spacecraft safely in the unlikely event that one of the four main parachutes fails.
*cough*sub-contractor*cough*
Quote from: QuantumG on 11/06/2019 12:30 am*cough*sub-contractor*cough*SpaceX has plenty of sub-contractors. If you want to name them all, you're going to have a sore throat by the time you're done coughing.
(Is Boeing also using chutes from Airborne?)
Quote from: abaddon on 11/06/2019 02:55 pmQuote from: QuantumG on 11/06/2019 12:30 am*cough*sub-contractor*cough*SpaceX has plenty of sub-contractors. If you want to name them all, you're going to have a sore throat by the time you're done coughing.I don’t think you understand QG’s point. It is a well known practice of some organizations, like JPL, to mention vendors and subcontractors only when major, potentially fatal, problems arise. However, as shocked as my friends would be to hear me say this, QG may have been TOO cynical.IMO only Musk did not name them until after a successful te-test. It may even have been after the CST-100 pad abort test “success” which may have removed or reduced parachute performance as a discriminator. (Is Boeing also using chutes from Airborne?)
We had to reallocate some resources to speed this up & received great support from Airborne, our parachute supplier. I was at their Irvine factory with the SpaceX team on Sat and Sun. We’re focusing on the advanced Mk3 chute, which provides highest safety factor for astronauts.
The three main parachutes, designed and manufactured by Airborne Systems, are particularly large—each measuring 116 feet in diameter when fully deployed.
For those asking, NASA tells me it does not plan to livestream the Crew Dragon static fire "as it is part of the prep-work for the actual test," a spokesperson said."We will show the inflight abort test."
SpaceX is now targeting Saturday November 9th for the Crew Dragon static fire near LZ-1 at Cape Canaveral. The test is expected during daylight hours.
Has SpaceX said whether this static test will follow the same “script” as the failure test (a Draco firing series, followed by a single Super Draco firing)?
So did the test go ahead last weekend? Have been eagerly awaiting news of it
