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Blue Origin Thread (merged)


Aethon

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So I guess we'll continue this thread for attempt #2, which will probably be the upcoming DSCOVR mission, scheduled for Jan 29 liftoff at 6:25PM EST.

Here's the FCC application with barge coordinates: https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/els/reports/STA_Print.cfm?mode=initial&application_seq=63921&RequestTimeout=1000

And a map from the /r/SpaceX people: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zp15b_P5ERVk.kQXYPcLW76sw

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We got pictures!

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https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/555978267165859840/photo/1

Elon Musk â€Â@elonmusk

@ID_AA_Carmack Before impact, fins lose power and go hardover. Engines fights to restore, but …

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/555978908554625025/photo/1

Elon Musk @elonmusk

@ID_AA_Carmack Rocket hits hard at ~45 deg angle, smashing legs and engine section

EDIT: MORE!

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/555980855537975296

Elon Musk @elonmusk

@ID_AA_Carmack Residual fuel and oxygen combine

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/555981841476227072/photo/1

Elon Musk â€Â@elonmusk

@ID_AA_Carmack Full RUD (rapid unscheduled disassembly) event. Ship is fine minor repairs. Exciting day!

Edited by Airlock
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oh man... so... damn... close. Well, at least they actually got the rocket on target by the looks of it, so the software seems to be in order. Hopefully more hydraulic fuel will solve the problem.

Looking forward to the 29th! hopefully all goes according to plan then.

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Well, I suppose that counts as "hitting" the barge :)

I'm immensely surprised that Elon decided to share these, even if they're just stills. As I mentioned before, getting actual source material of failures directly from SpaceX is super rare these days.

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Well, I suppose that counts as "hitting" the barge :)

I'm immensely surprised that Elon decided to share these, even if they're just stills. As I mentioned before, getting actual source material of failures directly from SpaceX is super rare these days.

But this is not a failure, although it looks like one and the media calls it a failure, it actually shows how successful they were.

If it really was a failure then they would have redesigned their approach. Now it's just a some more hydraulics fuel and it could be a perfect landing.

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But this is not a failure, although it looks like one and the media calls it a failure (...)

This right here is what counts when it comes to releasing material to the public, though. It doesn't matter what it is, it matters what it looks like to the majority of the audience.

(This incidentally is also why game developers like Squad don't release any previews of things that aren't at least 95% done. Especially as the audience grows larger.)

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I'm immensely surprised that Elon decided to share these, even if they're just stills. As I mentioned before, getting actual source material of failures directly from SpaceX is super rare these days.

That is because it is a huge win. This looks really good for a first try, especially since the rocket did not have a chance with those locked fins. Amazing that it still nearly landed successfully.

Edited by Camacha
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Well, I suppose that counts as "hitting" the barge :)

I'm immensely surprised that Elon decided to share these, even if they're just stills. As I mentioned before, getting actual source material of failures directly from SpaceX is super rare these days.

Since when don't the show failures? Every time there's a launch delay (which is a lot...) they say why, admittedly with minimal detail, and when the landing test vehicle exploded last year they told us it self destructed due to a faulty sensor. Not sure how much more info they should be expected to give, after all they're a private company, without shareholders who need to keep their tech as secret as possible as it's not patented and every other launch provider (cough... china... cough) would love to steal their tech.

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Dam that's close. Good work SpaceX. Do we know what the impact speed was?

impact speed of the tail/engine section or the top section? seeing as it toppled over, the top section would probably have hit harder. The actual "landing" with the tail section... I think nothing was officially released but judging by the pictures, i'd say pretty slow. In the ballpark of 10-20 or so m/s maybe? The tweet says the engines were trying to fight to get the rocket straight again, so I guess they'd be firing pretty hard.

This is all pure speculation and guestimation of course. Extremely hard to tell without a timestamp on the pictures.

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In the ballpark of 10-20 or so m/s maybe?

Much closer to ten. 20m/s is 72km/h, or about 45mph. It looks more in the range of 7-10m/s to me. I think the really steep angle (which points to the fins once more) and the high mass of the stage even empty did the rest of the job. It seems like the engine kept firing after initial impact, which gave it a burst of sudden horizontal speed given the angle, and seems to explain why it zoomed right past afterwards.

Still pretty impressive that they did this good on the first try, knowing SpaceX, I wouldn't bee suprised of a success on the next flight given the fins don't run out of juice before touchdown.

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How does the guidance system determine altitude over ground (barge in this case)? Does the rocket have a radar altimeter or something like that? This can't be just GPS positioning, I don't think that'd offer enough precision.

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