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Re: SpaceX News

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 11:36 am
by paperburn1
Flight 4 was a test of EM drive. maybe they found something interesting. I do know for a fact they are testing a new microgravity heat pipe heat sink that is supose to wor 200 times better in the microgravity environment. (press release from company)

Re: SpaceX News

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 11:55 am
by ladajo
As I know, flight 4 tested an Ion drive, which was mounted to the stern of the craft.

Re: SpaceX News

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 12:10 pm
by paperburn1
ladajo wrote:As I know, flight 4 tested an Ion drive, which was mounted to the stern of the craft.
I thought the article i read said EM but I trust you more that some rag that's online.

Re: SpaceX News

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 12:34 pm
by ladajo

Re: SpaceX News

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 12:37 pm
by Tom Ligon
"EM drive" is really non-specific and misleading. Any drive that uses a combination of electric and magnetic fields to accelerate and focus an ion or plasma stream would be, technically, electromagnetic. Hall effect meets that definition.

As opposed to a propellant-less magic thrust system that violates what most people think Maxwell's Equations say.

Re: SpaceX News

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 12:38 pm
by ladajo
And here is an earlier clue... although I think at some point there was a NASA / AF press release stating they would fly an advanced Hall Effect device.

http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/wp-co ... nsport.jpg

http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/photo ... -facility/

Re: SpaceX News

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 8:04 pm
by jnaujok
Has anyone seen any news about whether SpaceX has been able to safely rotate the landed booster to horizontal and get it safely into storage given that NASA is already on HORCON 2, with all non-essential personnel banned from Canaveral? Did they actually get the booster down and in a service bay in under 12 hours? That would be quite a bit of news in and of itself.

Re: SpaceX News

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 9:18 pm
by ladajo
Great question! I poked around a little however did not find anything either way.
Probably they got it stowed...

Re: SpaceX News

Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 12:57 am
by Tom Ligon
Supposedly the SpaceX landing zone at the Cape is at the old Pad 13 site, LC-13. Google Maps has LC-13 tagged as SpaceX Landing Zone 1, but all the aerial photos show is a decaying concrete launch complex, without a pad with a distinctive X. Could be they don't let Google have updated pictures.

I was looking to see if there is a shelter nearby. Nothing is obvious on Google Maps or Bing Maps. There are some old linear structures adjacent to the old LC, but it would make more sense to just move the boosters to where they need to be.

Still, the rockets are pretty delicately balanced, so I must assume they get a crane on them pretty quickly (the Wikipedia page mentions improved roadways for crane access so I gather that's how they handle them). Presumably a Falcon 9 booster is pretty light, so if they can get it down and on a truck, it should take only an hour or two to move it to anywhere on the base, even in granny gear.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_Zone_1

Reviewing the camera footage from the booster, terrain details match the coastline around LC-13, but as you get close, it is evident that the area has been completely overhauled. There are indeed a couple of generous structures, probably about 1000 ft NW of the landing pad, which is an unambiguous large circle with an X in the middle. It is difficult to judge the scale, but one building does look large enough to shelter a recovery crane, and maybe scoot the booster in if weather is marginal.

The audio reveals that as soon as the rocket is firmly on the ground, instructions are announced for a landing crew to start doing whatever the landing crew ("landing operator") does.

Personally, I might have opted for a portable gantry to grab and lower them, rather than a crane.

They have plans to make more pads. Looks like the Falcon heavy (three Falcon 9's strapped together) will separate and land as three Falcon 9's.

Re: SpaceX News

Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 1:34 am
by Tom Ligon
Waitaminnit ... I just tried something on Bing Maps.

I don't know how this link will work, but it is a Share from Bing Maps. To get this image to show, I zoomed into LC-13 (tagged in Google Maps, found 4th pad up the coast from a pad with a circular feature on a distinctive prominence, possibly the actual "Cape"). Use the Aerial view option. At the bottom of the view options, there is a slider for "Labels". Push that to the left and an image showing the Space X landing pad appears. That should also show a long building about 1300 ft due west of the pad, which looks just right for a crane and/or a booster. I work the building length out as about 160 ft. Anybody know the booster length? Some Falcon 9 configurations are as little as 190 ft so the booster might fit.


https://www.bing.com/maps?osid=1b2a9366 ... orm=S00027

Re: SpaceX News

Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 4:12 am
by Aero
Just googled "length of falcon 9 first stage" and got 47.7 meters with interstage. That's ~156.5 feet.

Re: SpaceX News

Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 10:20 am
by paperburn1
redit has a very healthy discussion area with a lot of insiders :D
It does not take many hours and the building nasa rents to Spacex has room for five boosters and rated to 150 MPH, the sheds near the pad are for prep for transport.
Falcon heavy landing sites and permits
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mi ... 680402&z=8

link for the spacex page
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/

and this little bit that nasa might not like
http://riograndeguardian.com/county-jud ... late-2018/

Re: SpaceX News

Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 5:58 pm
by Maui
SpaceX timelines continue to work a lot like fusion timelines-- Falcon Heavy still looks close to 6 months out (for the 2nd or 3rd year running):
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index ... msg1726990

Re: SpaceX News

Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 6:09 pm
by ladajo
Space Flight Insider shows them shooting for a November Launch, this was backed up by an interview with Musk.
While it may slip a little, my impression is that it won't slip much. I guess we will see. I think there will be a confirmation or explanation soon (next couple of weeks).

http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/launch-schedule/

http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organ ... sy-autumn/

Re: SpaceX News

Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 6:27 pm
by Skipjack
With the performance improvements to Falcon9 and the the ITS heavy lift vehicle coming up relatively soon, the Falcon Heavy has become less and less important. That combined with the fact that it turned out a lot more complicated to do that originally anticipated, has probably led to it having a lower priority and thus being pushed back.