No SpaceX launch attempt for July 4, though they had range resources and an evening window available. They are saying the earliest possible attempt days are July 5 or July 6. While they don't say this, I imagine the considerations which put the window in early evening Cape time for the last two tries probably mean a very similar time of day for either of these possibilities.
My speculation is that it was not a repeat of the previous problem, but something different, and that "someone" was troubled that two such things cropped up and wants a round of suspicious diligence. Just possibly the thought of giving some of the support resources the holiday off may have come into play. (the range resource alone consumes quite a few manhours for a launch)
I would suspect the costs to "postpone" are probably quite significant (on profit).
Taking fuel off and on, running health and range checks, knock on effects into next launches etc. It must be a challenge to roster staff - I wondered if they have a 7x24 operation to give flexibility.
Interesting note : just over four years ago the Grasshopper achieved it's 1000ft test*, using full sensor suite as inputs to the closed loop algorithms. My my, haven't they been busy since ! I regress to the Apollo era of likewise rapid progress in a new direction. All hail Elon ! :-)))
Cheers, Mike.
* Up to 1000+ feet then down and land. Single engine, no crashies. To think that they are now doing triple engine hover-slams from hypersonic to a distant sea barge with under 20ft error and only a whiff of fuel left in the tank. Autonomous. No-one else is anywhere near this expertise. SpaceX is it's own paradigm.
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
As per SpaceFlightNow there are some interesting SpaceX bookings. It looks like definitely two but maybe three launches next month which I think are to LEO and thus with retrievals. The Heavy test is delayed but the first commercial Heavy flights have firmed up for early 2018 with Arabsat 6A and/or a USAF payload. Of course all of this is with the usual assumptions.
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
Browsing the SpaceX provided specs for Falcon Heavy suggests a 3.5 metric tonne payload to Pluto is achievable. Now, if I was a billionaire* I might have the urge to send the first Toyota Ute beyond the solar system :
.... a very nice light truck. Mind you they cost ~ $60K AUD new, so I'm not sure if I'd want to throw away that much money .... :-)))
You could make it space worthy. Put a few dummies sitting in it. A great artifact for another civilization to find. A good intelligence test. Even if they worked out alot about us by examining it, they'd still be wondering why anyone bothered to do that.
Cheers, Mike.
* KickStarter anyone ?
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
My first reaction was that he'd be more likely to send up a new Tesla 3.
My second reaction is to remember the Voyager episode The 37s. They detect a streak of rust in space, which leads to a '36 Ford floating along. In a moment of total disregard for chemistry and physics, the tires still hold air, the battery is charged, and the gasoline isn't stale after 440 years. The truck's radio picks up a signal that leads them to Amelia Earhart in a stasis pod. Drama ensues.
David
Miserable old git
Patiently waiting for the asteroid with my name on it.
".... a violation of abort
)
".... a violation of abort criteria ...."
do { NOT Gremlins; NOT Gremlins; when(don't we want them){ NOW(launch = true); } } while(launch == false);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
No launch attempt for July 4,
)
No SpaceX launch attempt for July 4, though they had range resources and an evening window available. They are saying the earliest possible attempt days are July 5 or July 6. While they don't say this, I imagine the considerations which put the window in early evening Cape time for the last two tries probably mean a very similar time of day for either of these possibilities.
My speculation is that it was not a repeat of the previous problem, but something different, and that "someone" was troubled that two such things cropped up and wants a round of suspicious diligence. Just possibly the thought of giving some of the support resources the holiday off may have come into play. (the range resource alone consumes quite a few manhours for a launch)
I would suspect the costs to
)
I would suspect the costs to "postpone" are probably quite significant (on profit).
Taking fuel off and on, running health and range checks, knock on effects into next launches etc. It must be a challenge to roster staff - I wondered if they have a 7x24 operation to give flexibility.
Interesting note : just over
)
Interesting note : just over four years ago the Grasshopper achieved it's 1000ft test*, using full sensor suite as inputs to the closed loop algorithms. My my, haven't they been busy since ! I regress to the Apollo era of likewise rapid progress in a new direction. All hail Elon ! :-)))
Cheers, Mike.
* Up to 1000+ feet then down and land. Single engine, no crashies. To think that they are now doing triple engine hover-slams from hypersonic to a distant sea barge with under 20ft error and only a whiff of fuel left in the tank. Autonomous. No-one else is anywhere near this expertise. SpaceX is it's own paradigm.
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
As per SpaceFlightNow there
)
As per SpaceFlightNow there are some interesting SpaceX bookings. It looks like definitely two but maybe three launches next month which I think are to LEO and thus with retrievals. The Heavy test is delayed but the first commercial Heavy flights have firmed up for early 2018 with Arabsat 6A and/or a USAF payload. Of course all of this is with the usual assumptions.
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
Elon Musk Full Talk @ ISS R&D
)
Elon Musk Full Talk @ ISS R&D Conference, July 19, 2017 : SpaceX; NASA; Tunnels;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv5LjA62Uw8
A lot of information about reusing boosters within 24 hrs, cost for reusing dragon, risk to fly Falcon heavy etc.
https://arstechnica.com/scien
)
https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/07/the-falcon-heavy-has-a-launch-date-and-this-time-it-seems-real/
Richard
Browsing the SpaceX provided
)
Browsing the SpaceX provided specs for Falcon Heavy suggests a 3.5 metric tonne payload to Pluto is achievable. Now, if I was a billionaire* I might have the urge to send the first Toyota Ute beyond the solar system :
.... a very nice light truck. Mind you they cost ~ $60K AUD new, so I'm not sure if I'd want to throw away that much money .... :-)))
You could make it space worthy. Put a few dummies sitting in it. A great artifact for another civilization to find. A good intelligence test. Even if they worked out alot about us by examining it, they'd still be wondering why anyone bothered to do that.
Cheers, Mike.
* KickStarter anyone ?
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
My first reaction was that
)
My first reaction was that he'd be more likely to send up a new Tesla 3.
My second reaction is to remember the Voyager episode The 37s. They detect a streak of rust in space, which leads to a '36 Ford floating along. In a moment of total disregard for chemistry and physics, the tires still hold air, the battery is charged, and the gasoline isn't stale after 440 years. The truck's radio picks up a signal that leads them to Amelia Earhart in a stasis pod. Drama ensues.
David
Miserable old git
Patiently waiting for the asteroid with my name on it.
I seem to remember a song
)
I seem to remember a song that had a couplet :-
"You can't get to Heaven in an old Ford car
coz an old ford car won't get that far."
Richard