Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) SpaceX and Boeing Developments

[Cosmacelf]

Eric Berger puts a smackdown on Boeing for their historical disparagement of SpaceX.

SpaceX likely to win NASA’s crew competition by months, for billions less

It’s a pretty gentlemanly smack down. I would have been much more blunt.

 

[ecarfan]

Yep. Eric is a gentleman. I would have been more pointed.

 

[Grendal]

A major milestone was hit with Falcon Heavy. SpaceX completed the seven uses of the new COPV design to allow for human rating with the Block 5 Falcon 9.
Chris G - NSF on Twitter

 

[thenaimis]

I noticed they flashed a view of the inside of the LOX tank during the live stream, which they haven't done in quite a while it seems. I wonder if it's related.

 

[Grendal]

I noticed they flashed a view of the inside of the LOX tank during the live stream, which they haven't done in quite a while it seems. I wonder if it's related.

Honestly, I think that's just a camera slip from the production team. There are a lot of cameras on the rocket that are there for the SpaceX team to observe what is going on in certain areas. SpaceX needs to see inside the various stages to confirm the fuel is where it is supposed to be. The second stage does a cold nitrogen thrust backward to push the floating fuel in the tanks toward the engines. SpaceX would want a camera in place to confirm that the fuel is where it needs to be before turning on the turbopumps. That's why it is on for less than a second. Otherwise it would be something we'd see more often and for a longer time. I'm guessing but I think it's a production error.

 

[ecarfan]

I'm guessing but I think it's a production error.

I agree, but recall that in the past we have seen brief views inside that LOX tank during some launches. Certainly hadn’t seen it for awhile until this FH launch.

 

[e-FTW]

I agree, but recall that in the past we have seen brief views inside that LOX tank during some launches. Certainly hadn’t seen it for awhile until this FH launch.

Yes, Scott Manley’s recap of this week’s space news has video of that (CRS-4 is especially interesting, with a video of what happens at SECO when the fuel starts floating around in the tank).

 

[thenaimis]

SpaceX would want a camera in place to confirm that the fuel is where it needs to be before turning on the turbopumps.

Surely engaging the turbopumps and ullage motors is an automated process. It seems super unlikely they'd want to put all their trust in the timing of humans and reliability of comms networks to do such things manually.

Yes, Scott Manley’s recap of this week’s space news has video of that

and I just noticed the "Bigger Lithobraking" edit on the thumbnail.

 

[bxr140]

Surely engaging the turbopumps and ullage motors is an automated process. It seems super unlikely they'd want to put all their trust in the timing of humans and reliability of comms networks to do such things manually.

Yeah, pretty much the only manual events are the result of polling gates ("go for XYZ, etc."...and then not all of them are actually manual gates) and then of course post-launch abort (to supplement the auto-abort).

 

[e-FTW]

Crew Dragon anomaly in testing: Chris B - NSF on Twitter
The same one that did DM-1. Delays are now inevitable... Ugh.

 

[e-FTW]

Read about it here: SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft suffers an anomaly during static fire testing at Cape Canaveral – NASASpaceFlight.com

 

[Grendal]

The Crew Dragon capsule from DM-1 had an anomaly on the test stand in preparation for the In Flight Abort. Expect a delay with the IFA test which will lead to a delay in DM-2.

Edit: e-FTW posted the link to the article.

The red gas is likely fuel from a Superdraco engine.

No injuries!
Smoke seen for miles as SpaceX Crew Dragon suffers anomaly at Cape Canaveral

 

[e-FTW]

"On April 20, an anomaly occurred at Cape Canaveral AFS during Dragon 2 static test fire. Anomaly was contained and no injuries."

 

[e-FTW]

Here’s hoping that the cause will be determined to be at best external to the capsule, or at worst a result of that capsule being “flight-proven”, therefore preventing Crew Dragon DM-2 from being massively delayed (since SpaceX will not fly flight-proven capsules on the Crew Program).

 

[Grendal]

 

[SMAlset]

Sorry to just hear about this. Glad no one was injured.

 

[croman]

And everything seemed to be going so well. Hopefully they get this sorted out and we can curtain Russian reliance.

 

[SMAlset]

I am curious if anyone knows based on the type of test conducted where the anomaly would possibly occur on the capsule. Would this be the side boosters? From unconfirmed reports referenced in Grendal's linked FloridaToday article, the capsule was nearly destroyed. Huge loss if true. Is there a back up Dragon?

 

[Grendal]

I am curious if anyone knows based on the type of test conducted where the anomaly would possibly occur on the capsule. Would this be the side boosters? From unconfirmed reports referenced in Grendal's linked FloridaToday article, the capsule was nearly destroyed. Huge loss if true. Is there a back up Dragon?

Too little information at this point to know. It's all speculative except we know it happened during a Superdraco test and there was the plume seen in the picture. Some people that might possibly know says that the plume is hypergolics which also says something happened with the Superdracos. We'll need more information to know the extent of the damage to the capsule. Definitely a significant loss if it is lost as that was the capsule to be used for the IFA and the next capsule in line is the DM-2 capsule.

Edit: It's destroyed. Here is a video of the anomaly:
Astronut099 on Twitter

 

[SMAlset]

Saw this photo Jack Beyer tweeted of the Superdraco thrust chamber (retweeted by Chris B - NSF)

Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) | Twitter