totm nov 2023 SpaceX Discussion Thread

[RedKraken]

For the faithful :

Does anybody know who did the original with FH?

I only rubbed out the FH to put in hopper.

I know it is hard to tell its been doctored.

Edited April 4, 2019 by RedKraken

[KSK]

Thanks for the most excellent ear worm, folks. After watching those Starhopper videos I’ve got the ‘All Systems Go’ theme from Apollo 13, running round my head.

Am in an open plan office so trying to keep the goofy grin (and manly damp eyes) under control.  

For those wanting to hear the music, recommend searching for ‘Jebediah Kerman Begins’ on YouTube and fast-forwarding to the lift-off.

Edited April 4, 2019 by KSK

[DDE]

1 hour ago, KSK said:

After watching those Starhopper videos I’ve got the ‘All Systems Go’ theme from Apollo 13, running round my head.

...dammit. I’m infected.

Spoiler

 

And now so are you.

 

Edited April 4, 2019 by DDE

[sevenperforce]

8 hours ago, Cunjo Carl said:

Ah, different conversation. This was for the Merlin 1D vac on the Falcon Heavy Upper Stage for an idea sevenperforce put forward.

I will evaluate gee-loading on the docking clamps in comparison to the planned Constellation architecture. Orion has the same docking clamps as in the planned EOR-LOR with Orion + Altair + EDS, and the Ares V EDS would have used either one or two J-2X engines with a max thrust of 1,307 kN each. They could downthrottle as low as 52% based on this article and so I will use a minimum thrust of 1,359 kN at the termination of the TLI burn for maximum gee-loading on the docking clamp in the Constellation architecture. I anticipate gee-loading for the Falcon+Dragon+Orion stack to be a little higher, since Altair massed SO much, but probably no more than a factor of 2.

8 hours ago, Cunjo Carl said:

@sevenperforce You know, you might actually send the suggestion along to them. The look on the administrator's face was one of someone desperately trying to build as many fallback plans as possible, so sending it their way couldn't hurt. The worst they'll do is ignore it, and it's possible they didn't think of the elliptical orbit rendezvous, which is rather the crux of the thing.

[email protected]  or maybe https://www.nasa.gov/content/submit-a-question-for-nasa

Hmm. I may do this.

If I write a simple whitepaper and post it publicly online as an open letter to Bridenstine et al, will you guys help me spread it?

[sevenperforce]

Hmm, based on this post the J-2X would have only had a single-point downthrottle at 84%.

[Ultimate Steve]

Falcon Heavy is vertical!

[kerbiloid]

Spoiler

5 minutes ago, Ultimate Steve said:

Falcon Heavy is vertical!

Otherwise it couldn't start. 

 

[tater]

 

[sevenperforce]

2 minutes ago, tater said:

 

So weird to see it without its fairing! Used to seeing F9 not but FH.

Nice to see the "tuxedo" look on the stages.

[RealKerbal3x]

29 minutes ago, tater said:

 

Wait, why doesn't it have the fairing yet? Are they going to bring it back to the integration facility after the static fire to integrate the payload and fairing?

[RCgothic]

Yes, payload integration happens after static fire so that if the booster explodes it doesn't take the payload with it, as happened with AMOS 6.

[sevenperforce]

Just now, RealKerbal3x said:

Wait, why doesn't it have the fairing yet? Are they going to bring it back to the integration facility after the static fire to integrate the payload and fairing?

Ever since AMOS-6, they never static-fire with the payload integrated. The only exceptions have been Falcon Heavy's first test flight (when they had Elon's Roadster on top as a dummy payload) and the first launch of Crew Dragon (when Dragon 2 had armed LES).

[Spaceception]

1 hour ago, sevenperforce said:

Ever since AMOS-6, they never static-fire with the payload integrated. The only exceptions have been Falcon Heavy's first test flight (when they had Elon's Roadster on top as a dummy payload) and the first launch of Crew Dragon (when Dragon 2 had armed LES).

That would've been an unfortunate abort test.

[CatastrophicFailure]

Hmm... odd that there's no black interstage, I wonder what precipitated the change there?

 

[RealKerbal3x]

1 minute ago, CatastrophicFailure said:

Hmm... odd that there's no black interstage, I wonder what precipitated the change there?

 

The black interstage on a Falcon 9 B5 is for thermal protection...because the FH centre core re-enters at higher velocities than a normal F9 first stage, wouldn't it make sense to keep the black interstage?

[sevenperforce]

29 minutes ago, RealKerbal3x said:

The black interstage on a Falcon 9 B5 is for thermal protection...because the FH centre core re-enters at higher velocities than a normal F9 first stage, wouldn't it make sense to keep the black interstage?

Correction: all Falcon 9 stages have black interstages; this is the natural color of the carbon composite they are made from. Before Block 5, the interstage was painted white, but this was found to be unnecessary and thus Block 5 flies without paint on the interstage.

This is a brand new FH center core...either it began construction before the switch to unpainted interstages, or its higher entry interface meant that it was painted with ablative white paint.

[KSK]

3 hours ago, tater said:

 

"Okay, lets run through this one last time. Both rockets stuck to the side - check. Correct end pointing towards space - check...."

"Abort Abort Abort! Okay - which one of you jokers managed to forget the payload? Better 'fess up or I'm gonna get Gwynne down here and she'll ask y'all again - real friendly like."

 

[CatastrophicFailure]

 

[sevenperforce]

Finishing up this whitepaper...does anyone recall whether Dragon's prop load (D1 or D2) takes place before or after integration?

[Ultimate Steve]

If it is delayed to April 8, it will be on the third anniversary of the first droneship landing.

[Barzon]

22 minutes ago, sevenperforce said:

Finishing up this whitepaper...does anyone recall whether Dragon's prop load (D1 or D2) takes place before or after integration?

What exactly do you mean? I think D2 was loaded with superdraco props on the pad?

[sevenperforce]

Just now, Barzon Kerman said:

What exactly do you mean? I think D2 was loaded with superdraco props on the pad?

Are you sure? I thought Bridenstine said Pad 39A wasn't set up for hypergol loading.

Can anyone with RO+RSS do a mockup and a couple of screenshots of Dragon 2, still attached to a Falcon 9 upper stage, mating with Orion and its service module in elliptic orbit?

[sevenperforce]

1 hour ago, sevenperforce said:

Are you sure? I thought Bridenstine said Pad 39A wasn't set up for hypergol loading.

Can anyone with RO+RSS do a mockup and a couple of screenshots of Dragon 2, still attached to a Falcon 9 upper stage, mating with Orion and its service module in elliptic orbit?

Never mind...

Spoiler

 

[Barzon]

use ReDirect. Its better for replicas of current/near future/ near past nasa stuff  . It has Ares, Jupiter, SLS and Orion!

Here  

 

 

[sevenperforce]

17 hours ago, Cunjo Carl said:

I like it! And they didn't mention having considered it yet. But would just the docking clamps be enough to keep it all steady during the TLI burn? My quick numbers show the end of the TLI burn would be at ~.9G (39% throttle, 934kN thrust, 41.2t ) . I've heard the new docking clamps are snazzy, but I don't know much about them.

Just did a little mathing and the maximum gee-loading in the Constellation architecture would have been 1.08 gees at J-2X Earth Departure Stage burnout.