AngelLestat Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 It's the LOX tank. Frost protects it.Nice theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dkmdlb Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 It will be on a little stand (filling in for the trunk) right on the pad - pretty much at ground level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryten Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 On a dummy of the upper portion of a rocket, a good bit shorter than a real one. They're having to remove the wires from the lightning towers for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frida Space Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Demo of pad abort test profile in TX  2 SuperDraco engines ignite simultaneously & throttle as they would during the Pad Abort flight test Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airlock Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frybert Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Mmmmm... I got me a new screen saver. Someone mind reminding me exactly how the flight abort test is going to run? Will it be on a 'dummy' rocket, strapped to the pad, on a rocket lifting off, or just sitting by itself on the pad?First test is Pad Abort, just the the pod on the pad. If this test goes well then the next abort test will be in flight at max q. If all goes well with that then the one after will be the real deal, trying to put one of these things into orbit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airlock Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 New photos of the test article on spaceflightnow.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airlock Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Static fire test complete! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hcube Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Why is the trunk also "evacuated" by the launch escape system ? From the flight plan pictures i have seen the trunk doesnt even have a parachute. Is it not dead weight ? Why not only escape the capsule ? Also, anyone knows why there are fins on the trunk ? What is the reason for those since F9 has no bottom fins? Wont it just shift the center of pressure forwards and create some instability ?Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armchair Rocket Scientist Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Why is the trunk also "evacuated" by the launch escape system ? From the flight plan pictures i have seen the trunk doesnt even have a parachute. Is it not dead weight ? Why not only escape the capsule ? Also, anyone knows why there are fins on the trunk ? What is the reason for those since F9 has no bottom fins? Wont it just shift the center of pressure forwards and create some instability ?ThanksI'm guessing the reason is to make the capsule aerodynamically stable during an abort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airlock Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Why is the trunk also "evacuated" by the launch escape system ? From the flight plan pictures i have seen the trunk doesnt even have a parachute. Is it not dead weight ? Why not only escape the capsule ? Also, anyone knows why there are fins on the trunk ? What is the reason for those since F9 has no bottom fins? Wont it just shift the center of pressure forwards and create some instability ?ThanksCapsules are built to naturally fly heatshield-first because of their low CoG. It needs the trunk and fins for aerodynamic stability, otherwise it would just flip inverted and pancake into the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meithan Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Why is the trunk also "evacuated" by the launch escape system ? From the flight plan pictures i have seen the trunk doesnt even have a parachute. Is it not dead weight ? Why not only escape the capsule ? Also, anyone knows why there are fins on the trunk ? What is the reason for those since F9 has no bottom fins? Wont it just shift the center of pressure forwards and create some instability ?ThanksPeople beat me to it, but I'd say that you need the trunk and its fins to ensure aerodynamic stability of the escaping capsule.And the large thrust and gimbal capacity of the Falcon 9 first stage engines produce much more torque than the aerodynamic torque produced by the comparatively small fins during ascent, so it's not a hindrance for the whole rocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nibb31 Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 It's similar to Soyuz grid fins that deploy in an abort scenario to maintain stability. Orion uses steering motors on top of the LES tower (like Apollo) which is a much more complex and expensive solution.I wonder if the test has ballast in the trunk to simulate the presence of unpressurized cargo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelLestat Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 I also wonder before why it needs escape with the trunk, the aerodynamic reason seems like the only possible reason, but I dont see much point, dragon can land and change orientation just using its 8 engines. Maybe there is another reason behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nibb31 Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 I also wonder before why it needs escape with the trunk, the aerodynamic reason seems like the only possible reason, but I dont see much point, dragon can land and change orientation just using its 8 engines. Maybe there is another reason behind.Have you noticed that when landing, the Dragon is going in the opposite direction from when launching or aborting? It's bottom heavy, which is ok for keeping it upright when going down, but will make it want to flip around when going up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryten Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Given the OP is apparently still around, would they mind changing the title to something like 'general spacex thread'? That's basically what this is at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robotengineer Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Do they have any plans to name the dummy? Jebediah Kerman would be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryten Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 It's called buster, apparently. Doubt that's official, given potential copyright issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meithan Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 It's called buster, apparently. Doubt that's official, given potential copyright issues.Nope, on the blurb on SpaceX's website, it's stated that[...] despite popular belief, his name is not Buster. [...] Our dummy prefers to remain anonymous for the time being. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryten Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Here are the links for the streams:http://livestream.com/spacex/events/4027110http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/About eight hours to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelLestat Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Have you noticed that when landing, the Dragon is going in the opposite direction from when launching or aborting? It's bottom heavy, which is ok for keeping it upright when going down, but will make it want to flip around when going up.Right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryten Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Also there's simply no fuel left to do that kind of manoeuvring, nevermind powered landing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert VDS Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Dragon 2 abort test will be streamed live in 2 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VirtualCLD Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Darn, looks like I'll miss the live stream due to a meeting. Oh well, guess I'll just have to watch the videos. [sarcasm]Nobody spoil ending for me![/sarcasm] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert VDS Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 (edited) It's live now! Cool, they show a checklist now pre-terminal count. Ok, it's a repeat what is being said, but it's fun to see them adding new things to every webcast. Edited May 6, 2015 by Albert VDS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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