93143 wrote:You're probably off base here. Government aerospace in the '60s was like commercial is today, but better funded. As for a proven success record... you're joking, right? WWII, Manhattan project, breaking the sound barrier, guided missiles, ICBMs, artificial satellites... hell, the B-52 itself had seen only four years of service when it was first used to carry an X-15 to operational altitude...
I meant Musk's success record, not the F9 one , but you're right about me being off a bit. It wasn't my point to bash NASA and I meant to compare a single project management (like X-15) to commercial company management like SpaceX, which more rightful comparison, imho, than NASA vs SpaceX... But I am just a layman.
"As well as continuing development and testing on the Falcon 9, SpaceX is also
developing a new rocket called Merlin; the two are intended to be launched together"
Currently, United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV and Atlas V are the only certified launch vehicles capable of lifting NSS payloads into orbit. The addition of multiple certified launch vehicle providers bolsters assured access to space by providing more options for the warfighter to place needed capabilities on orbit. While certification does not guarantee a contract award, it does enable a company to compete for launch contracts. Those contracts could be awarded as early as Fiscal Year 2015 with launch services provided as early as Fiscal Year 2017.
The Falcon 9 first stage carries landing legs which will deploy after stage separation and allow for the rocket’s soft return to Earth. The four legs are made of state-of-the-art carbon fiber with aluminum honeycomb. Placed symmetrically around the base of the rocket, they stow along the side of the vehicle during liftoff and later extend outward and down for landing.
These are not the fixed legs on Grasshopper, which are clearly getting roasted.
Guess
The legs first deploy partially, adding some useful drag, but avoiding the heat of the exhaust plumes. The partial deployment angles are perhaps individually modulated by flight control, in concert with the gimbaled engines. They don't fully deploy until just before touchdown, thereby seeing only a brief period of heating.
"These" = the legs described in article quoted by DeltaV. "Roasted legs" are GH1 legs that a number of people are curious about because of the smoke that almost continuously pours off of them in recent flights. Sounds like DeltaV is underlining that the F9R legs'll probably cope with the plume worse than the fixed "ballast" GH1 legs.
There's steady debate at NSF over whether the F9R legs will extend at once, and if not, over the imbalance/aerobrake/deploy reliability trade
You can do anything you want with laws except make Americans obey them. | What I want to do is to look up S. . . . I call him the Schadenfreudean Man.
Betruger wrote:Sounds like DeltaV is underlining that the F9R legs'll probably cope with the plume worse than the fixed "ballast" GH1 legs.
I would have said he meant better not worse. What I guess I didn't read anything DeltaV wrote as negative, but I guess I'm outnumbered 2-1 at this point.
I tried to make it as clear as a high-functioning lysdexic autistic like me can:
They don't fully deploy until just before touchdown, thereby seeing only a brief period of heating.
I'd call that a good thing, along with the possible synergetic use as legs, speedbrakes and aerodynamic control surfaces. Haven't been following NSF's discussion, think I'll go check it out.
I think as a fellow high-functioning lysdexic autistic he is right , expexialy the part about the camels
DeltaV wrote:I tried to make it as clear as a high-functioning lysdexic autistic like me can:
They don't fully deploy until just before touchdown, thereby seeing only a brief period of heating.
I'd call that a good thing, along with the possible synergetic use as legs, speedbrakes and aerodynamic control surfaces. Haven't been following NSF's discussion, think I'll go check it out.
I am not a nuclear physicist, but play one on the internet.
I can't understand what it is you have against camels or the SpaceX legs. The pictures are appreciated though. Thanks for those. I still miss seeing Johnny Cash on the launch, or his music during launch.
Counting the days to commercial fusion. It is not that long now.
, but you're right about me being off a bit. It wasn't my point to bash NASA and I meant to compare a single project management (like X-15) to commercial company management like SpaceX, which more rightful comparison, imho, than NASA vs SpaceX... But I am just a layman.
