totm nov 2023 SpaceX Discussion Thread

[Nuke]

3 hours ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

I kind of figured that out as I was typing the question - but you never know.

I've only ever seen "installing the FTS system".

(Fun fact - we used to juggle, make bunny rabbits of and burn C-4 to freak out younger Marines during training.)

i knew a vietnam vet who claimed they used it for cook fires. high explosives are really stable and usually require a high energy even to initiate, like a blasting cap (these probibly wont be installed until its on the pad).

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

1 minute ago, Nuke said:

i knew a vietnam vet who claimed they used it for cook fires. high explosives are really stable and usually require a high energy even to initiate, like a blasting cap (these probibly wont be installed until its on the pad).

You can light it on fire and heat up canned food.

You shouldn't hit it with a hammer.

[Nuke]

2 minutes ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

You can light it on fire and heat up canned food.

You shouldn't hit it with a hammer.

i hope they install it in a location that doesn't get scraped by the chopsticks on landing.

[Minmus Taster]

42 minutes ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

So - lets say they do decide to try for a catch of Ship back at Boca Chica... anyone got an idea what the descent plan looks like?

Not sure, how much battery power is on the ship? Would they need to adjust their trajectory with an in-orbit burn or wait for a day?

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

19 minutes ago, Minmus Taster said:

Not sure, how much battery power is on the ship? Would they need to adjust their trajectory with an in-orbit burn or wait for a day?

I'm expecting that if they're going for a catch - even if they don't do a full orbit - they'd have to effectively be in orbit to make it all the way around, plus account for rotation and then do a burn for descent. 

So to catch at Boca Chica, the burn has to start somewhere west (and likely north of Texas) and the descent will be over land for a period - it's just I don't have enough KSP time to guestimate what the in-atmosphere descent profile would look like as a line drawn over a map of the United States.

Is it fast enough that it's only in the atmosphere over Texas... or might they enter over Oregon?

Edited 2 hours ago by JoeSchmuckatelli

[tater]

 

[GuessingEveryDay]

1 hour ago, Nuke said:

i hope they install it in a location that doesn't get scraped by the chopsticks on landing.

I'd guess that they install it vertically, following the raceways, which rips up the sides nicely for the explosion.

[Ultimate Steve]

Typical for it to be delayed to the 28th immediately after we put in hotel reservations for the 26th and 27th.

[darthgently]

1 hour ago, Ultimate Steve said:

Typical for it to be delayed to the 28th immediately after we put in hotel reservations for the 26th and 27th.

Yep.  I was thrilled that I was going to be off that day.  Then they moved it to a day that I need to be on site.  Bleah