LIVE: SpaceX - Falcon I (Mk.II) NET March 20 (Attempt 2)

[jwkatz]

Have you noticed the launch was just pushed back 30 minutes (4:30pm Pacific)?

[braddock]

Everything is on schedule right now for launch.

[braddock]

Was it?  Maybe I mis-heard Jim on the call.

[DaveS]

braddock - 20/3/2007  11:14 PM

Was it?  Maybe I mis-heard Jim on the call.

The webcast logo shows launch at 4:30 pm PDT. http://www.spacex.com/webcast.php

[Nick L.]

Well, if that is true then I suppose the start time for the webcast will be pushed back to 6:30 PM ET?

[mildertduck]

now showing as 5.05 (0005 GMT)?

[braddock]

Q: [Give a quick statement on how things are looking, and re yesterdays abort, is this the sort of thing which was caught because of the thightened up procedures?]
A: I believe this is a new abort [...]  [We "hitle" (hardware in the loop) tested the new software upload.]
A: Conditions are good for the launch.  We are in a hold right now.  [We have a possible interface issue with the payload]

[mildertduck]

what is she meaning by "RF compatibility issue"?

[DaveS]

mildertduck - 20/3/2007  11:24 PM

what is she meaning by "RF compatibility issue"?

RF = Radio Frequency

[braddock]

Okay, I just asked a series of questions of Gwynne:

1) The time on the webcast page is being updated from Kwaj, and is more up-to-date than Gwynn knows.

[braddock]

2) I asked if they had enough LOX

"We have a _LOT_ of LOX on the island" (HEAVY emphasis on LOT).  They put a lot of money into installing extra LOX capacity, and have plenty of LOX.  Apparently not yet a new LOX plant, but extra tanks and capacity.

[braddock]

3) I asked if they were using the cryo blanket and lanyard.

No.  They have actually bonded the insulation to the tank - no lanyard.  Gwynne described it as "flying with a piece of ground equipment"

[Cretan126]

DaveS - 20/3/2007 4:25 PM

mildertduck - 20/3/2007 11:24 PM what is she meaning by "RF compatibility issue"?

RF = Radio Frequency

 The bigger question is WHAT payload?  And why do they discover an incompatibility at this late date?

[braddock]

mildertduck - 20/3/2007  6:24 PM

what is she meaning by "RF compatibility issue"?

I think she may have actually been talking about last night.  That statement was a little confused to me.

[William Graham]

Cretan126 - 20/3/2007 10:30 PM

DaveS - 20/3/2007 4:25 PM

mildertduck - 20/3/2007 11:24 PM what is she meaning by "RF compatibility issue"?

RF = Radio Frequency

 The bigger question is WHAT payload?  And why do they discover an incompatibility at this late date?

 NASA have bolted a couple of experiments on. Also, the DemoSat will be released from the rocket to test that system.

[Chris Bergin]

SpaceX note on the media call that they are 5:05pm for the launch T-0, and the webcast will start one hour before - for what it's worth.

[braddock]

Launch current IS set for 5:05.  Web cast should begin at 4:05 (all times pacific).

a GPS receiver which tracks where hte flight trajectory compared to the expected flight trajectory, and Gwynne beleives it communicates back through TDRSS.  The issue now it between the Falcon vehicle and the TDRSS (sp).  We could turn off the TDRSS element, and bring the data down through our own telemetry stream, which we were doing anyway.

There seems to be an RF conflict between the payload and the TDRSS.  They are willing to turn off the TDRSS for this flight because the mission is to demonstrate the vehicle.

"What DARPA has really focused on was the operation of the Falcon 1 launch vehicle.  They watned us to go through a payload integration process, so we did for both flights.  The payloads were really secondary [to the DARPA mission]."  "That's what separates a demonstration flight from an operational flight." [...]

[jimvela]

braddock - 20/3/2007  4:47 PM
There seems to be an RF conflict between the payload and the TDRSS.  They are willing to turn off the TDRSS for this flight because the mission is to demonstrate the vehicle.

That doesn't make any sense- one of the demonstration elements is a low-cost TDRSS transceiver... You'd think that RF compatibility testing between the launch vehicle and one of the intended payloads would have been performed at the vehicle level and launch (e.g. including the range) configuration  long before launch day???

[William Graham]

braddock - 20/3/2007 10:47 PM a GPS receiver which tracks where hte flight trajectory compared to the expected flight trajectory, and Gwynne beleives it communicates back through TDRSS. The issue now it between the Falcon vehicle and the TDRSS

Is that the same problem they had on 16/03, just after the static fire?

[Jim]

jimvela - 20/3/2007  6:51 PM

braddock - 20/3/2007  4:47 PM
There seems to be an RF conflict between the payload and the TDRSS.  They are willing to turn off the TDRSS for this flight because the mission is to demonstrate the vehicle.

That doesn't make any sense- one of the demonstration elements is a low-cost TDRSS transceiver... You'd think that RF compatibility testing between the launch vehicle and one of the intended payloads would have been performed at the vehicle level and launch (e.g. including the range) configuration  long before launch day???

the  low-cost TDRSS transceiver is secondary payload/payload of opportunity.  But still, this shouldn't happen