SpaceX And/Or Rocketry In General

Anonymous

Local news just announced Feb

Local news just announced Feb 6 as the launch date for the Falcon Heavy.

archae86
archae86
Joined: 6 Dec 05
Posts: 3157
Credit: 7225354931
RAC: 1041031

robl wrote:Local news just

robl wrote:
Local news just announced Feb 6 as the launch date for the Falcon Heavy.

with fallback alternate on the 7th.

Launch window each day is 13:30-16:30 EST.

Gary Charpentier
Gary Charpentier
Joined: 13 Jun 06
Posts: 2061
Credit: 106517115
RAC: 56162

Up

Gary Charpentier
Gary Charpentier
Joined: 13 Jun 06
Posts: 2061
Credit: 106517115
RAC: 56162

This launch went well

This launch went well http://tass.com/science/987987

 

Anonymous

JAR (Just A Reminder): 

JAR (Just A Reminder):  Falcon Heavy Feb 6 ~1330 Eastern time.  Weather 73F and sunny with 10% chance of precip., winds at 10mph.

archae86
archae86
Joined: 6 Dec 05
Posts: 3157
Credit: 7225354931
RAC: 1041031

robl wrote:Falcon Heavy Feb 6

robl wrote:
Falcon Heavy Feb 6 ~1330 Eastern time. 

Here is a webcast link:

https://youtu.be/wbSwFU6tY1c

The scheduled backup time is February 7 at the same time.

Each day the allowed window extends from 1330 to 1630 EST.  I think right at or very close to the beginning of the window is the most likely time.  In particular, once they start loading in the chilled fuel and oxidizer, I don't think they have a lot of remaining timing flexibility (it warms up in the rocket tanks).

The notification zones make it clear this launch is not wasting much go-juice on inclination.

 

 

archae86
archae86
Joined: 6 Dec 05
Posts: 3157
Credit: 7225354931
RAC: 1041031

The Press Kit for the Falcon

The Press Kit for the Falcon Heavy launch may be downloadable from this URL

Some tidbits and corrections from this source:

The close of the launch window each day is at 1600 EST (not 1630 as I said).

LOX loading starts 45 minutes before intended launch (my belief is that once this is in progress they are unlikely to deviate much from timing, as the main recycle chance is to next day).  This is sooner than for standard Falcon 9.

The center core is getting a boostback burn--which is part of why the ASDS is not so far downrange as one might expect.

The core landing time for the center core and the (perhaps first of) the side cores is strikingly close, just 21 seconds later for the center core.

While we all expected the center core to burn longer, courtesy of throttling back while the side cores carry more of the load, on this mission the cutoff time difference is only 35 seconds.

The press kit alludes to a long coast before the interplanetary burn--elsewhere today Elon has said this will be about six hours (about four orbital periods if it stayed low, but there are interpretations of the burn times which suggest they plan to put it in a geosynchronous transfer orbit and then burn for interplanetary space from the top).

Anonymous

The image of the two outboard

The image of the two outboard tubes returning to the space center is forever burned into my brain pan.  It was such a powerful image of what we (all of us) can accomplish.  Way to go SpaceX.  

archae86
archae86
Joined: 6 Dec 05
Posts: 3157
Credit: 7225354931
RAC: 1041031

I felt sure the two side

I felt sure the two side cores would be separated in landing time appreciably.  But it was less than two seconds.

The side core for which they ran a angle shot during landing burn clearly did a 1-3-1 engine burn sequence.  The three engine portion was so short I doubt it did much good.  Perhaps they were "just practicing". 

An awful lot went right.  Pity if maybe the barge landing did not go OK.  I just hope the barge is in good enough shape to patch up in time for next needed use.

archae86
archae86
Joined: 6 Dec 05
Posts: 3157
Credit: 7225354931
RAC: 1041031

There is supposed to be a

There is supposed to be a press conference regarding the first Falcon Heavy flight which has repeatedly delayed actually starting.

As of this moment, this youtube link is alive, but just showing a guy looking at his laptop in front of a noisy room of reporters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KORTP545vAc

 

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.