SpaceX doesn't name sub-contractors... heck, they barely even name their own products... or engineers It's not in the DNA.So when I see them doing it - when I see Elon doing it - I expect there's a political aspect behind it.
At the USAF pitch day he mentioned how happy they were with outsourcing the Falcon landing legs to the race car company.
A static fire of Crew Dragon's eight SuperDraco engines is now scheduled for tomorrow during daylight hours from SpaceX's test stand near Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral. #SpaceX
SpaceX appears to have test-fired thrusters on its Crew Dragon capsule at Cape Canaveral, a major test that paves the way for a high-altitude launch abort test as soon as mid-December. EARLIER STORY: spaceflightnow.com/2019/10/31/boe…
Here’s a video of the exhaust plume from the Crew Dragon static fire test as seen from a nearby viewing site at Cape Canaveral: spaceflightnow.com/2019/11/13/vid…
Full duration static fire test of Crew Dragon’s launch escape system complete – SpaceX and NASA teams are now reviewing test data and working toward an in-flight demonstration of Crew Dragon’s launch escape capabilities
Today, SpaceX completed a series of static fire engine tests of the Crew Dragon spacecraft in advance of an in-flight launch escape demonstration, known as the In-Flight Abort Test.The engine tests, conducted near SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, began with two burns for a duration of one-second each for two of Crew Dragon’s 16 Draco thrusters. The Draco thrusters are used for on-orbit maneuvering and attitude control, and would also be used for re-orientation during certain in-flight launch escapes. Following these initial Draco thruster burns, the team completed a full-duration firing for approximately nine seconds of Crew Dragon’s eight SuperDraco engines. The SuperDraco engines are designed to accelerate Dragon away from the F9 launch vehicle in the event of an emergency after liftoff.In quick succession, immediately after the SuperDracos shut down, two Dracos thrusters fired and all eight SuperDraco flaps closed, mimicking the sequence required to reorient the spacecraft in-flight to a parachute deploy attitude and close the flaps prior to reentry. The full sequence, from SuperDraco startup to flap closure, spanned approximately 70 seconds.In April, during a similar set of engine tests, the spacecraft experienced an anomaly which led to an explosion and loss of the vehicle. In the following months, an Anomaly Investigation Team made up of SpaceX and NASA personnel determined that a slug of liquid propellant in the high-flow helium pressurization system unexpectedly caused a titanium ignition event resulting in an explosion. Based on that investigation’s findings and months of testing, SpaceX redesigned components of the system to eliminate the possibility of slugs entering the high-flow pressurization system.Today’s tests will help validate the launch escape system ahead of Crew Dragon’s in-flight abort demonstration planned as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. SpaceX and NASA will now review the data from today’s test, perform detailed hardware inspections, and establish a target launch date for the In-Flight Abort Test.
NASA KennedyKSC-20191113-PH-SPX01_0005 NASA astronauts Doug Hurley, left, and Bob Behnken, seated at consoles inside SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, monitor the Crew Dragon spacecraft static fire engine tests taking place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Nov. 13, 2019. The tests will help validate the Crew Dragon’s launch escape system ahead of the upcoming in-flight abort demonstration as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Behnken and Hurley will be the first astronauts to fly aboard Crew Dragon in SpaceX’s Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station. Photo credit: SpaceX
Wish I could have been in Florida to see this in person! I won't miss the In-Flight Abort test! Congratulations to the @SpaceX and @NASA @Commercial_Crew team!
Kinda hard to see, but I presume "flaps" refers to the heatshield covers on the SuperDracos.
Quote from: whitelancer64 on 11/13/2019 10:39 pmKinda hard to see, but I presume "flaps" refers to the heatshield covers on the SuperDracos.The flaps are very likely the cutouts below the engines themselves. The stuff already covering the nozzles is a water seal/plug that is ejected in the event of ignition, whereas the flaps seem to be a backup meant to seal the engines after ignition. I'm now almost certain that they exist to seal Crew Dragon against water intrusion, but only to prevent Dragon from sinking after a post-abort splashdown.Pretty sure you can see one of the ejected plugs/seals/disks in the image SpaceX released.
I am surprise that Spacex has still prove its parachute works. CRS has almost 20 mission with no single parachute deployment failure.If NASA would like to play fair, at least 5-10 Starliner cargo launches to approve Boeing parachute functionality. Definitely after their fiasco with pad abort, suppose to be required to prove their safety.
DRAGON CAPSULE & F9: I just happened to capture this shot of the mock Capsule being moved off Go Navigator & placed behind #OCISLY yesterday. Don't see that everyday. #SpaceX #ElonMusk #Mars #moon #Science #Space#spacexfleet
#ICYMI 🐉 Last week, @SpaceX completed a series of static fire engine tests of the #CrewDragon spacecraft.The tests will help validate the launch escape system for the in-flight abort demonstration planned as part of @NASA's Commercial Crew Program.💻: go.nasa.gov/2XjdMRq
Quote from: raketa on 11/15/2019 08:52 pmI am surprise that Spacex has still prove its parachute works. CRS has almost 20 mission with no single parachute deployment failure.If NASA would like to play fair, at least 5-10 Starliner cargo launches to approve Boeing parachute functionality. Definitely after their fiasco with pad abort, suppose to be required to prove their safety.The crew capsule is heavier and has a different chute design. There have been parachute issues on CRS flights, they just didn't have any complete failures. (The downmass allowed on CRS missions is actually set by the parachutes.)
