SpaceX And/Or Rocketry In General

Mike Hewson
Mike Hewson
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It's a failed parabola then.

It's a failed parabola then. Crashed and drowned alas. It really wanted to be an ellipse but couldn't cut it. Sadly being a hyperbola is vague dream. It wants to escape the system and be free ...... :-)

To be annoying, it is none of those. Due to air resistance, non-uniform gravity, the initial part is powered .... yada yada ..... there is no perfect free fall anywhere. It's not even a classic two body system where conic sections are solutions. The point is that there was no boost-back or other tweak for experiment.

Cheers, Mike.

I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...

... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal

Mike Hewson
Mike Hewson
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CRS-10 is back down. All

CRS-10 is back down. All mission aims completed. 

crs_10_return.jpg

A Delta-IV went up over the w/end. Those solids are unbeatable for sheer disposable punch. I wonder if SpaceX will do strap-on SRBs one day. For bespoke missions as it were. Basically you use solid fuel to deliver throttle-able liquid fuel to some height and speed.

Cheers, Mike.

I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...

... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal

Mike Hewson
Mike Hewson
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SES-10 : static fire probably

SES-10 : static fire probably today & if so launch in three days.

Cheers, Mike.

I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...

... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal

archae86
archae86
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SES-10 static fire did not

SES-10 static fire did not happen Sunday.  Current first possible launch date is Thursday, March 30.  The range has a page posted saying the window opens at 6 p.m. Cape time (EDT) that day.

Mike Hewson
Mike Hewson
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Cheers, Mike.

static_fire.jpg

Cheers, Mike.

I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...

... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal

archae86
archae86
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Elsbeth III left port towing

Elsbeth III left port towing the landing barge a couple of days ago, and has long been out of range for those of us who don't pay for satellite tracking.

Both Go Quest and Go Searcher left port under an hour ago and are currently making over 7 knots toward the recovery area.  They get to leave later, since they travel faster. 

Bonus question: what was Elon talking about three days ago when he replied to a question on how he felt about this mission saying "If fate is on our side, it will be amazing. Will talk about that in detail next week." ? Of course the same question contained a reference to Tesla model 3, so it is possible he was not even talking about this launch, or maybe was just referring to the hoped for successful launch and recovery of a refurbished first stage.

 

 

Mike Hewson
Mike Hewson
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On the face of it I'd take

On the face of it I'd take that as the success of a refurbished stage. But there could be one of his 'Easter Eggs' ie. special feature of some sort, which tend to get snuck into the cars, but in the rocketry. If so I would hazard a guess at an engine configuration or a record related to engines. The most punished parts with re-use is the engine & related power components. Maybe with this launch they will have reached or exceeded some expectation on lifetimes ..... bearing in mind there was much testing of these particular engines after their first launch for the purpose of discovering that.

Cheers, Mike.

( edit ) Perhaps something like "most cumulative foot-pounds thrown out the back of a rocket engine in anger* ..." type of achievement. :-)))

* considering also that the peak operating temperature is within 50K of the Fe-Nb alloy's melting point ! 

I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...

... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal

Chris S
Chris S
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Despite Musk's achievements

Despite Musk's achievements so far, which are considerable, I still have concerns that this is being done by a private billionaire, and not by a properly government funded NASA. The same goes for Branson and his exploits.

But I accept I am a lone voice in the wilderness.

 

Waiting for Godot & salvation :-)

Why do doctors have to practice?
You'd think they'd have got it right by now

archae86
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This is a pretty heavy

This is a pretty heavy payload going to a pretty demanding insertion orbit, so there will be very little spare oomph.  I'm guessing it will be another three-engine landing try, and perhaps unusually far down-range, which even if it does not drill a hole in the barge deck is quite a bit more of a sight than is single-engine.

 

Mike Hewson
Mike Hewson
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He could well be holding his

He could well be holding his breath on that !

@Chris : I sense your urge but societies and their governments are way more incoherent than when we were lads. We are in a civilization that has passed it's peak. Elon's efforts are an attempt to get some of us off planet before it all ***** up, while there is still a techno-industrial infrastructure capable of providing the requisite goods & expertise. Elon is popular amongst those who have also realised that this is more-or-less the case. You and I won't be going to Mars but some young sprouts might get a shot. :-) 

Cheers, Mike.

I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...

... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal

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