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50 minutes ago, CatastrophicFailure said:

Found a better pic. 

wtab289.jpg

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

IT'S TOO AWESOME

HELP

Seriously, that is now officially the coolest-looking rocket I've ever seen! I didn't know how to feel about the black landing legs and interstage (still wondering what a reused one would look like) but now that there is a real photo of it... wow.

I think it looks sleeker overall because of the contrast.

Edited by ThatGuyWithALongUsername
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Don’t know about you guys, but I have a feeling that this is a real, grown-up F9 in its prime, compared to its younger, less capable brothers that we’ve seen before.

(Probably shouldn’t anthropomorphize rockets, but whatever, it’s fun)

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11 minutes ago, CatastrophicFailure said:

That there is unpainted carbon composite. Saves weight, but probably mostly to look bad-S.

I find it interesting that the unpainted carbon interstage actually narrows -- it is noticeably smaller in diameter than the rest of the stage, and then flares out where it meets the upper stage. So this is not merely the same interstage but unpainted; this is an entirely new interstage design. Presumably the lower diameter makes it both lighter and stronger (though bending moment would potentially be worse).

think the landing legs are now black because they have had heat-protectant added...but maybe they are also just unpainted composite.

Too bad the area around the octaweb is obscured.

It's probably just "new is cool" talking, but I really like the move to the smaller logo halfway up. Less advertisement, more stamp of approval.

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30 minutes ago, sh1pman said:

(Probably shouldn’t anthropomorphize rockets, but whatever, it’s fun)

All I'm thinking right now is how long before an anime like this gets released.

I'd say two years max.

Edited by Wjolcz
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It's interesting how a shorter logo and a couple of contrasting elements can seem like the stage is shorter than previous versions. I know it's not but it looks like it. Really looks like a proper XXI century rocket. Can't wait to see it with Dragon V2.

Edit: Wikipedia says that Dragon 1 will be flying to ISS at least until 2021 (but it also says CRS-17 will happen before CRS-16), so is Dragon V2 exclusively for crew or can we expect to see it performing cargo missions too? Or maybe both at the same time?

Edited by Wjolcz
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54 minutes ago, Wjolcz said:

It's interesting how a shorter logo and a couple of contrasting elements can seem like the stage is shorter than previous versions. I know it's not but it looks like it. Really looks like a proper XXI century rocket. Can't wait to see it with Dragon V2.

Edit: Wikipedia says that Dragon 1 will be flying to ISS at least until 2021 (but it also says CRS-17 will happen before CRS-16), so is Dragon V2 exclusively for crew or can we expect to see it performing cargo missions too? Or maybe both at the same time?

I think a "next-gen cargo dragon" was referenced somewhere, sometime- basically crew dragon for cargo only, and no SuperDraco engines.

Now that I think about it, it would look nice with dragon v2 on top, as it also has the black-and-white theme...

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1 hour ago, Wjolcz said:

Wikipedia says that Dragon 1 will be flying to ISS at least until 2021 (but it also says CRS-17 will happen before CRS-16), so is Dragon V2 exclusively for crew or can we expect to see it performing cargo missions too? Or maybe both at the same time?

IIRC production on the old Dragon has ceased, new production will be all D2. But they’ve still got all the old Dragon spaceframes to refurbish for a couple flights each, so that’s probably where 2021 is coming from. 

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22 minutes ago, CatastrophicFailure said:

IIRC production on the old Dragon has ceased, new production will be all D2. But they’ve still got all the old Dragon spaceframes to refurbish for a couple flights each, so that’s probably where 2021 is coming from. 

No reason to throw away a perfectly good Dragon V1 if it can do the job.

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12 minutes ago, cubinator said:

New SpaceX motto: Progress only happens as fast as you can throw away your old crap.

Apparently, these old Dragons can survive the reentry somehow. Who could’ve known! I guess the new ones will have to wait then. Can’t just throw them away, right? (kerbalness: 100%)

 

"The flip side of reusability: sometimes you have to reuse your old crap".

(sorry)

Edited by sh1pman
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7 hours ago, sh1pman said:

“Mommy! I’m trying to launch this toy rocket, but it keeps coming back!”

"It followed me home - can I keep it?"

 

2 hours ago, tater said:

It is my understanding that D2 will only be used once per crew flight. Refurbed, they will then be used as cargo vehicles.

I think my brain is only just starting to recover from being hit by the jetlag truck. Because that gave me a weird flashback to these with attendant mental image of an animatronic toy staring at the rocket launch in consternation and exclaiming "Loud Sound!"

 

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Here are some pictures that will make you go. Mmmm yes

Spoiler

tTyqDD6.jpg

Falcon 9 Interstage and Fairing production.

 

download

Dragon V1 production is more 'mass scale' than i thought it was. You can see 3 dragons being produced here, along with a trunk.

 

SpaceX_factory.jpg

I don't know what this is, but suggesting from the Merlin's in the backround, this might be where they produce the small bits and bobs for the engine. It says 'ENGINEERING RESEARCH' so they could also be researching engineering there or something idk :P

 

Falcon_9_landing_leg_in_SpaceX_headquart

It looks almost like a museum! A Dragon capsule on the roof. The Merlin Nozzle and the landing leg might be on display too, but they have little wheels under them. I think the the ring thing in the background has something to do with fuel tank production, but im not sure. On the right we see the mission control.

 

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