totm nov 2023 SpaceX Discussion Thread

[tater]

4 minutes ago, LHACK4142 said:

Huh? Were they docking? I haven't kept myself updated with the doings of Spacex.

No, there are 2 at ISS right now. You can see the PMA/IDA on the left.

 

[SOXBLOX]

Looks pretty crowded. If they dock a few more crew vehicles, I think they'll have doubled the habitable volume up there. 

Edited April 25, 2021 by SOXBLOX

[tater]

2 hours ago, SOXBLOX said:

Looks pretty crowded. If they dock a few more crew vehicles, I think they'll have doubled the habitable volume up there. 

Think they need to add more ports...

[CatastrophicFailure]

1 hour ago, tater said:

Think they need to add more ports...

Then it ends up like this.... 

Spoiler

 

 

[Silavite]

6 hours ago, tater said:

Heard you liked Dragons, so here's a picture of a Dragon from a Dragon:

Spoiler

Here be dragons.

 

[RCgothic]

BN3 aft dome looks great. Then sleeved. Not sure what's happening with BN2 and BN2.1 tbh.

I was right, they did finish the heat shield rectangle on SN15.

SN14's thrust dome got some RVac mounting hardware installed, so still useful even if SN14 will never be fully assembled.

Orbital launch tower is coming along nicely. 3 of 4 1st level steel sections installed, and another section delivered. The orbital launch table is also coming along, and caps appear to have been installed on all six supports.

Also Starcat spotted.

 

 

 

[cubinator]

7 hours ago, CatastrophicFailure said:

Then it ends up like this.... 

I like how later in that movie they mentioned that the station has traveled "OVER FIVE HUNDRED MILLION MILES" from Earth since its conception. Great. It's halfway to Saturn. Call somebody from Earth to come help with whatever?

[RCgothic]

Very lucky photo:

 

 

 

[tater]

Thomas Pesquet took that.

 

[RCgothic]

14 minutes ago, tater said:

 

 

 

 

Also, on the subject of rare views and cheeky artwork:

 

 

 

[magnemoe]

17 hours ago, tater said:

No, there are 2 at ISS right now. You can see the PMA/IDA on the left.

 

Now this is crowded, they need an https://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Rockomax_HubMax_Multi-Point_Connector with 6 docking port there Progress 75 or crew 2 is docked for more capacity.  As I understand its an issue for Starliner to get an docking slot on station for their next test. 
But wonder why do they need 3 resupply craft docked at once? 
Its looks like its an port above Progress 77 but not sure if US and Russian ports are the same, knew the shuttle copied an Russian port but think they changed it to one version who don't have male and female ports. who is nice as you could use an dragon to rescue crew from another as an example. 

[kerbiloid]

45 minutes ago, magnemoe said:

Now this is crowded, they need an https://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Rockomax_HubMax_Multi-Point_Connector with 6 docking port

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prichal_(ISS_module)

Spoiler

 

[tater]

 

[tater]

 

[StrandedonEarth]

 

[tater]

 

[OrdinaryKerman]

13 hours ago, kerbiloid said:

Why didn't they fit it with IBDM ports for future spacecraft to dock? Soyuz is(or rather, should be) going away in about a decade, so why not?

Edited April 26, 2021 by OrdinaryKerman

[kerbiloid]

1 hour ago, OrdinaryKerman said:

Why didn't they fit it with IBDM ports for future spacecraft to dock? Soyuz is(or rather, should be) going away in about a decade, so why not?

It's equipped with the "hybrid docking adaptors" (hard-capture from APAS-89, geometrically compatible with IDSS) and Soyuz-derived probe/drogue from Mir.
These adaptors were used on Mir and allow to dock/berth both Mir-like and Soyuz-based modules and Soyuz/Progress.

The androgynous APAS-89 was designed for Buran, but actually was used on Shuttles (as APAS-95 mod.) and one or two Soyuzes.

There is no probable situation when androgyny is actually required.
The vessels dock to the stations, never vice versa. 
Two vessels never dock irl.
One Shuttle/Buran theoretically could dock to another one, but it's practically impossible, because it's either in another orbit and has limited delta-V, or lies on ground and needs weeks to prepare the launch.
So, Buran was equipped with androgynous docking port first of all to allow Zarya (abandoned up-to-10-seat Soyuz-like capsule) to dock to Buran, and to let same ships to dock to same perspective orbital station.

There is no actual need in androgyny to the date. Probe-drogue is enough good and much simpler and cheaper.
Another advantage of APAS-derived adaptors are their strength (due to larger construction), but it's caused by the hard-capture (and the hybrid adaptor inherits it from APAS).

The soft-capture system of APAS is also stronger, and can dock up to 350 t in some modifications, but as Buran is abandoned, and Shuttle had its own docking ports on American side, so the probe-drogue from 20-t Mir modules is enough to dock 20-t modules, Soyuzes/Progresses, and ATV.
And as all these ships are expendable, so the cheaper is the docking system, the better.

Also, unlike the adrogynous adaptors of American segment, the hybrid adaptor is equipped with refuel system compatible with Progress, which allows to fill the tanks of the station instead of keeping the fuel in the vessel tanks.

Dragon and others are reusable, so the docking adaptor cost doesn't matter, and they don't have a docking chamber, so they need a softer contact, provided by the APAS/IDSS..
PTKNP was by default equipped with the male part of the "hybrid" pair, because it has to dock to the Russian modules, but can be equipped with APAS.

As the "hybrid" docking port has the same hard-capture system as APAS and IDSS, it probably can be easily replaced with IDSS-compatible adaptors, too.

Edited April 26, 2021 by kerbiloid

[YNM]

20 hours ago, RCgothic said:

Very lucky photo:

Will have to ask. Does that mean they don't intentionally de-orbit the 2nd stage this time, or was it not happening yet when he took the photo ?

[magnemoe]

38 minutes ago, YNM said:

Will have to ask. Does that mean they don't intentionally de-orbit the 2nd stage this time, or was it not happening yet when he took the photo ?

Assume this was taken some time after they separated and dragon did an burn to separate, probably also to intercept IIS. 
It would make sense for this increasing their velocity, raiding AP, this would make them go slower so second stage would overtake them. 
Second stage does some orbits before it deorbit as they do this in the southern Pacific and they need to wait until they overfly the place called point Nemo. 

[sevenperforce]

On 4/25/2021 at 12:09 PM, tater said:

Thomas Pesquet took that.

Holy crap THE PRECISION

What an amazingly precise orbital insertion to still be that close after that many orbits.

8 hours ago, kerbiloid said:

There is no probable situation when androgyny is actually required.
The vessels dock to the stations, never vice versa. 
Two vessels never dock irl.

There are plenty of contingency situations where you might want two capsules to dock.

[kerbiloid]

58 minutes ago, sevenperforce said:

There are plenty of contingency situations where you might want two capsules to dock.

When they have enough delta-V. But they usually don't.

[NPT156]

starship might have static test - "SpaceX will conduct Space Flight Activities on April 26th, 2021 from 12:00pm to 8:00pm. [Central Time]" - letter sent to Boca Chica residents. 

[JcoolTheShipbuilder]

A hop or a static fire?

[sevenperforce]

12 minutes ago, JcoolTheShipbuilder said:

A hop or a static fire?

Static fire. no hop yet