Post by Shibumi-Mandeville I-12/Hwy59 on Aug 31, 2020 7:52:06 GMT -6
So cool. Another SpaceX satellite launch and booster landing.
2:45 - Booster separation. You can see the nitrogen gas jets spin the booster around to point it back towards the launch pad. Booster engines fire for burn back. At this point the booster was moving about 3700 mph. The boost back has to negate that speed and accelerate back towards where it started from.
6:40 - Another entry burn to slow down and limit stresses.
7:45 - You can clearly see the land as the booster falls towards earth. Engines fire back up and idle until close to the ground....they then fire to slow rocket for landing. You can see the landing gear deploy just before touchdown.
8:30 - Falcon Booster lands.... This particular booster has been used and landed now 4 times.
PS.....at the max output of booster on accent it burns 700 gallons of fuel per second!!!!
Post by Shibumi-Mandeville I-12/Hwy59 on Sept 12, 2020 19:47:49 GMT -6
Very exciting! Elin Musk tweeted SpaceX trying to do 20 km flight and first attempt landing Starship prototype maybe next month. This would be the current bare bones starship with 3 raptor engines and with drag fins. The way it will fall and land will be an amazing test in technology.
Post by Shibumi-Mandeville I-12/Hwy59 on Oct 22, 2020 18:31:57 GMT -6
Insane. SpaceX just stacked the nose cone section onto their SN8 Starship tank and engine section.
Zoom to see just how massive this is. Those are people in those personnel baskets......look how tiny they are! 160 feet tall. This will eventually go on top of the 296 foot booster section for a 396 foot tall rocket! Fast forward to the lift. 🚀
Post by Shibumi-Mandeville I-12/Hwy59 on Oct 31, 2020 10:32:28 GMT -6
A quick update.... Static fire test of the first starship using it's 3 sea level raptor engines. There was already a static fire test using the main fuel tanks before the nose cone section was added to the base.
This static fire test will use the smaller fuel tanks which are used in the reentry and landing burns....
It is scheduled for Sunday night.
If successful the first attempt at a 15km flight and landing will occur Monday or Tuesday. This will be to test the tech needed to air brake (belly flop) the ship in freefall, like a sky diver, to shed speed, then rather crazy repositioning and firing of engines for a controlled landing.
Elon has stated he's about 50%-60% on the chances of it being successful the first time. If things don't look good it will be allowed to land/crash into the gulf.
Some great YouTube channels to watch are...
Nasa spaceflight bocachicagal Everyday Astronaut Marcus House
These are all public sector enthusiasts who put out content on SpaceX. Bocachicagal is a local Boca Chica, TX resident who does all day time lapse videos and photos of the site from the public road. Amazing dedication. Other channels use her images in their videos. There are a few other folks who have 24hr video feeds from different vantage points including one with a thermal camera. Also there is a pilot who does occasional fly-overs of the facility.
I am excited to see their first flight/landing attempt..... Knowing that it may result in a spectacular crash. This is the method of SpaceX and what makes them different from other companies and the historic path for engines and rockets. They continually design, build, and test engines, starship components, and completed ships as a part of their design vetting and manufacturing process...since they plan on mass producing it all. The current starship that will take the first sub-orbital flight is serial number 8, or SN8. The previous two 150m hop flights were accomplished by SN6 and SN7. Currently at the site there are components, in various degrees of completion, for SN8, SN9, SN10, SN11, and SN12. The current raptor sea level engines on SN8 are in the SN30 series . SpaceX test facility is already past version 49 of the engine.
Post by Shibumi-Mandeville I-12/Hwy59 on Nov 11, 2020 8:32:26 GMT -6
SpaceX just completed what should be the final engine test for the 15km flight and landing attempt of its SN8 prototype Starship. This test used the smaller 'header' tanks that will be used for the landing instead of the mains used for departure. No official word but it appears to have been successful.
Hoping for the test flight in the next week.... Probably no earlier than this Saturdays planned flight of Crew Dragon to the ISS. Maybe next week.
It might well be a very spectacular fail as this has never been attempted by anyone on planet earth. Elon gave it barely a 50% chance of success..... Just like the first few SpaceX Falcon flights ended in explosions. Part of the build and go attitude that has pushed the company way ahead of everyone else.
I wholeheartedly support the research that they will be doing. An excerpt from "Indian Express":
Some of the research that the crew is carrying with themselves includes materials to investigate food physiology, which will study the effects of dietary improvements on immune function and the gut microbiome and how those improvements can help crews adapt to spaceflight. Once in orbit, NASA astronaut Glover will collect samples to provide data to scientists back on Earth so that they can continue to study how dietary changes affect his body.
"Let's work the problem, people; don't make things worse by guessing!"
I wholeheartedly support the research that they will be doing. An excerpt from "Indian Express":
Some of the research that the crew is carrying with themselves includes materials to investigate food physiology, which will study the effects of dietary improvements on immune function and the gut microbiome and how those improvements can help crews adapt to spaceflight. Once in orbit, NASA astronaut Glover will collect samples to provide data to scientists back on Earth so that they can continue to study how dietary changes affect his body.
Doubt the everyday person knows how much we have received from the space program. So many things developed that help our daily lives and health.
Sadly the ISS scheduled to be decommissioned in 2024.
Hopefully the Artemis project becomes a much more advanced version around the moon... Obviously takes about a week extra time round trip though.....
I wholeheartedly support the research that they will be doing. An excerpt from "Indian Express":
Some of the research that the crew is carrying with themselves includes materials to investigate food physiology, which will study the effects of dietary improvements on immune function and the gut microbiome and how those improvements can help crews adapt to spaceflight. Once in orbit, NASA astronaut Glover will collect samples to provide data to scientists back on Earth so that they can continue to study how dietary changes affect his body.
Doubt the everyday person knows how much we have received from the space program. So many things developed that help our daily lives and health.
Sadly the ISS scheduled to be decommissioned in 2024.
Hopefully the Artemis project becomes a much more advanced version around the moon... Obviously takes about a week extra time round trip though.....
Without a doubt people take for granted/are ignorant of the effect of the space program on our daily lives. Goodness, weather satellites, communication satellites, and many discoveries that help deliver better health care are just a few examples. The most popular question from the media after Apollo 11 was: "Why do we keep going back? We've done it and it costs taxpayers money." Unfortunately, as far as I can recollect, NASA and the U.S. Government in general has not done a great job of promoting and communicating what the space program has done for our lives. Everyone knows Jake from State Farm but few people know the benefits the Space Program has given our society.
"Let's work the problem, people; don't make things worse by guessing!"
Post by Shibumi-Mandeville I-12/Hwy59 on Nov 13, 2020 17:47:44 GMT -6
SpaceX ran their third static fire test on SN8 of the Starship last night in Boca Chica. Two raptors were fired for a few seconds. Apparently one of the engines melted either the pre-burner or hot gas manifold or something as molten slag was seen dripping from the base for a bit after shutdown. They lost pneumatics from it and because of that they couldn't vent the fuel tanks. As the cryogenic fuel warms and changes to gas it builds pressure in the tanks. Luckily a rupture disc popped to relieve the pressure.
They will have to replace the affected engine and obviously design out the issue.
Not sure how long now to 15km flight test. After engine replacement they may go through the static fire tests again, but maybe not all 3 as they were really testing the header tanks more than just the engines.
Post by Shibumi-Mandeville I-12/Hwy59 on Nov 24, 2020 18:28:58 GMT -6
Last static fire test of Stsrhip SN8 successful. Elon Musk tweeted out confirmation and a go for mid altitude test next week!
It's going to be exciting to see how much data they can get from the test flight.
A 9m wide 50m tall starship prototype will be powered by 3 raptor sea level engines to about 15km.... Engines will cut.. once apogee is achieved and ship starts it's fall back, flaps on the fore and aft of the ship will extend to creat drag to slow the decent. A bellyflop as it is being called.
At some altitude near earth the ship will 'flip' to be near bottom down as engines reignite for landing. I'm not sure but maybe just 2 of the 3 engines will be needed to land.
Elon gives it a 30% chance of landing in one piece.