SpaceX Falcon 9 / Dragon 2 : SpX-DM2 - EOM/Return: August, 2020 : DISCUSSION

[erv]

I noticed there is quite a lot more scorching around the RCS thrusters. Guess thats due to disruption of airflow / local hotspots there?

[jgoldader]

In reading Doug Hurley's comments about the potential of attitude control issues immediately before the drogues are released, do we know anything about when the RCS is inhibited?  I'd assume it's inhibited at parachute release at the latest, to prevent the hypergolics from reacting with the parachutes and lines.

[Oersted]

Bob Behnken, describing the reentry experience during today's "Welcome Home" presser (at 13:35):

All the way down we were talking about it.  I think I took a line from an old movie that Doug and I were both familiar with at one point.  Because under the g-load of about 4.2 g I said to him, "Want to get some coffee?"

Reference (scene from 1985's Spies Like Us):

Exchanging wisecracks during a test mission reentry? - Steely-eyed missile men indeed! The US can count itself fortunate to have men like Behnken and Hurley.

[kevinof]

Not just Steely-eyed missile men but also very affable. Great choice from Nasa for this first flight.

They really seemed to like the Dragon/Falcon and also appear to have a great relationship with the SpaceX team.

Bob Behnken, describing the reentry experience during today's "Welcome Home" presser (at 13:35):

All the way down we were talking about it.  I think I took a line from an old movie that Doug and I were both familiar with at one point.  Because under the g-load of about 4.2 g I said to him, "Want to get some coffee?"

Reference (scene from 1985's Spies Like Us):

Exchanging wisecracks during a test mission reentry? - Steely-eyed missile men indeed! The US can count itself fortunate to have men like Behnken and Hurley.

[mulp]

Looks like someone made a good call covering up the side windows.

I'd like to see a video from the other windows.

From the comments re: "did you see the boaters?" the windows were covered by smut and thus they could not see much until the SpaceX crew were on or near the Dragon.

On the way down, the seats were rotated so the windows were out of view and G forces made trying to see dangerous.

Also, Bob? didn't think there would be much to see in daylight from Shuttle daylight return experience.

We need the drone camera footage from maybe 20 meters flying parallel during reentry ;-)

[Bubbinski]

“Windows were covered by smut”.....LOL that would be something to see

Were the windows smudged from the thruster firings, or the reentry plasma?

[mulp]

“Windows were covered by smut”.....LOL that would be something to see

Were the windows smudged from the thruster firings, or the reentry plasma?

My guess is heat shield condensate, but maybe it is turbulent air flow erosion. (I'm an early boomer unbent by the word police, I used smut in the soot meaning, not the ag fungus meaning I learned in Indiana growing up. Not all words originated from sex or racism.)

[Zed_Noir]

Looks like someone made a good call covering up the side windows.

I'd like to see a video from the other windows.

From the comments re: "did you see the boaters?" the windows were covered by smut and thus they could not see much until the SpaceX crew were on or near the Dragon.

On the way down, the seats were rotated so the windows were out of view and G forces made trying to see dangerous.

Also, Bob? didn't think there would be much to see in daylight from Shuttle daylight return experience.

We need the drone camera footage from maybe 20 meters flying parallel during reentry ;-)

We need a Go-Pro look out the window in crew Dragon during reentry.

[AndrewRG10]

Looks like someone made a good call covering up the side windows.

I'd like to see a video from the other windows.

From the comments re: "did you see the boaters?" the windows were covered by smut and thus they could not see much until the SpaceX crew were on or near the Dragon.

On the way down, the seats were rotated so the windows were out of view and G forces made trying to see dangerous.

Also, Bob? didn't think there would be much to see in daylight from Shuttle daylight return experience.

We need the drone camera footage from maybe 20 meters flying parallel during reentry ;-)

We need a Go-Pro look out the window in crew Dragon during reentry.

There does exist footage from DM-1 of re-entry, but I don't think the whole 20+ minute clip is released. Another reason SpaceX needs a NASA style library where they publish everything.

[CuddlyRocket]

Another reason SpaceX needs a NASA style library where they publish everything.

Although fans would no doubt like such a thing, I have my doubts as to whether SpaceX needs it, or would even consider it desirable!

[Elvis in Space]

First of all this is the best thing to come out of 2020 thus far. Let's keep it going.

Regarding the boaters in the landing zone - They don't call this the "Redneck Riviera" for nothing. I wasn't surprised it happened and I'm more surprised that others didn't anticipate it. Has nobody ever been there before? The solution is pretty simple - If Elon or President Trump or anyone with a public voice will make a request for everyone to mind their manners and keep back then it will happen. You'll notice that everyone backed off within reason once they were asked. No need for mines or lawyers or F-18's just tell everyone that the NOTAM includes not only keeping clear until they are in the water but after as well. This may seem obvious to all of us but spaceflight has become part of making America great again and it's going to get a celebration. Just going to have to move the party a bit. No big deal.

Interesting article in the Pensacola News Journal and it's almost exactly as I said -

...other boaters understood it and relayed it to him, that announcement applied only to the splashdown, but did not clarify any protocol for boaters to follow after the Crew Dragon landed in the Gulf.

"I showed up a few minutes before the sonic boom, and the Coast Guard told us to stay clear of the splash," Tipton said. "When I saw every single boat out there take off after the splash, I took it that that was OK."

https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2020/08/04/spacex-landing-of-crew-dragon-boater-gulf-mexico-says-no-one-meant-any-harm/3291329001/

[DecoLV]

Thank you  kdhilliard for posting the movie clip. I didn't see the film and had no idea what the reference was.

[Oersted]

Following her historic mission, Dragon Endeavour arrived into Port Canaveral on GO Navigator on Friday.

NSF's Julia Bergeron (@julia_bergeron) - video, commentary and photos - was there to greet them.

Video edited by Jack Beyer (@TheJackBeyer).

What a vivid contrast to the aircraft carriers of Apollo.

[Rondaz]

Space suits worn on the SpaceX Demo 2 mission by NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, the first human spaceflight from US soil since the end of the Shuttle program.

https://twitter.com/JerryPikePhoto/status/1540781329494573056

[Steven Pietrobon]

The suits were at the KSC Visitor Complex. I'm not sure where they are now.

https://spaceexplored.com/2021/07/14/spacex-dm-2-spacesuits-on-display-at-kennedy-space-center-visitors-center-for-a-limited-time/

[Rondaz]

Hard to believe it's been 2yrs since Expedition 63's 1st spacewalk! Without a chance to train together, we relied heavily on simulations for our preparation. Seeing that the predicted shot of our @SpaceX Crew Dragon had become reality was a highlight of the photo review for me!

https://twitter.com/AstroBehnken/status/1541208651318321158

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Now 2 years (yesterday) since DM-2 returned

twitter.com/astrobehnken/status/1554630486949040130

The best part of returning home after having completed the 1st crewed flight of @SpaceX's Dragon was my son's attempt to take me down at the bottom of the airstairs when I returned to Ellington Field!

https://twitter.com/astro_megan/status/1554635305927512070

What can I say? I told the event planners this would happen! 😊

Edit to add:

https://twitter.com/astro_doug/status/1554596398267375617

Hard to believe it has been two years already!  This will always be a very special day for me.  Great memories and a great team!

[clongton]

https://twitter.com/nasa/status/1620190353604190210

Why? They were test pilots. They are ALL brave.
It's a feel-good political move.

[darkenfast]

I realize the PR statement says for bravery. I also think that anyone who flew on the Space Shuttle, after the risks were known, had to be seriously brave, probably more so than Bob and Doug on Demo-2.

However, I think there's other reasons that these two should be recognized (that don't lend themselves to PR statements):

First: As the first crew, they put a lot of work into shaping how the Dragon spacecraft and SpaceX would operate and train its human passengers, and this has had an ongoing effect on the success of the program. Comments by them and SpaceX personnel reveal that the relationship between Bob and Doug and the company was very positive and fruitful.

Second: They were selected for a short test-flight. Their background wasn't really in ISS operations. Yet, they pivoted to a three-month ISS mission (including spacewalks), at a time when the U.S. side of the station really needed it. That was a lot of time and effort.

Third: They did this during COVID. They inspired a lot of people. I'll never forget Kate Tice tearing up during the final moments of the SpaceX/NASA joint webcast. She worked with them and knew them personally. She isn't a PR person.

Any honoring of astronauts will, obviously, not be totally fair to the thousands of other unnamed people who worked their tails off and saw little of their families getting ready for Demo-2. That's the nature of the space program, or indeed of any endeavor that involves a small "tip-of-the-spear" being pushed by many others.

The D.C. Elite will have to look-up who they are and will forget them by tomorrow. They aren't the correct type of hero to most of them. But the Congressional Space Medal of Honor exists, and I'm glad to see these guys get it for something that went right.

[theonlyspace]

When did they retire from being active astronauts