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ULA launch and discussion thread


tater

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Well, it'd be early morning, so the fog might be manageable. I'll plan on several viewing points, to account for different weather... If it's clear, down on the coast, to be sure. If it's foggy, I'll head to the hills to try and get clear of the fog and watch the later part of the ascent.

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On 8/17/2018 at 9:03 AM, tater said:

 

 

On 8/17/2018 at 3:48 PM, MaverickSawyer said:

Gonna try to make it down to Vandenberg for that launch...

Okay, vacation time was approved! We are GO for a vacation! :cool:

 

Serious question: What's the best spot to watch launches out of SLC-2? Everything I've found is for either SLC-3 or -4, which are much further down the coast from SLC-2...

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  • 2 weeks later...
4 hours ago, tater said:

That's a good find. Very interesting.

Edit: bummer, they don't have a parts list included. I suspect that it's the thrust chamber and injector assembly that are the biggest drivers behind the cost. It has been suggested that the large amount of manual labor involved is what drives the cost of this engine. 

The turbo pump certainly doesn't look cheap but it's mostly castings and forgings, not much manual labor there.:

d564dcd08b678d243b6795724b59028f.jpg

Edited by Racescort666
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Yeah, the brazed-tube construction of the RL-10 is the most time and labor intensive part, which therefore makes it the most expensive. That's why the new RL-10C is planned to use additive manufacturing on the combustion chamber, and possibly the nozzle. It'll take the part from a multiple month assembly down to a few weeks, tops.

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