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SpaceX F9 - Comm Crew DM-1 - LC-39A

Discussion in 'SpaceX' started by Grendal, Nov 24, 2018.

  1. Grendal

    Grendal SpaceX Moderator

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    #1 Grendal, Nov 24, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 2, 2019
    Here's a big one!
    Launch Date: March 1st or 2nd based on Time Zone
    Launch Window: Saturday, March 2 - 2:48 AM EST, 748 AM UTC
    Friday, March 1: 11:48 PM PDT
    Launch site: LC-39A, Cape Canaveral, Florida
    Booster Recovery: ASDS (due to shallow launch angle)
    Booster Type: B1051.1 - New
    Mass: D2: 26,450 lbs.
    Orbit: LEO - ISS
    Dragon Return - March 8th

    Demonstration mission to ISS for NASA with an uncrewed Dragon 2 capsule.
    SpX-DM1 - Wikipedia
    Dragon 2 - Wikipedia

    First launch and use of the new Dragon 2 capsule. This capsule will also be used for the In Flight Abort launch.
     
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  2. RubberToe

    RubberToe Supporting the greater good

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    Grendal,
    The linked Wikipedia article says the Dragon will remain docked to the ISS for several weeks. You are showing a January 10 return?

    RT
     
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  3. Grendal

    Grendal SpaceX Moderator

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    The rumor is that this Dragon is going to do a "quick return" which can be six hours to two days. The rumor mill says that it is likely to be a two day quick return. I expect the wiki is going by old information that said the Dragon would hang around the ISS for a bunch of tests. I think NASA wants to simulate an emergency "quick return" situation in light of the Soyuz booster failure. Of course this is all rumor. We'll see what actually happens.
     
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  4. Grendal

    Grendal SpaceX Moderator

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    Official slip from NASA - Now January 17th. First post updated.
     
  5. Grendal

    Grendal SpaceX Moderator

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  6. ecarfan

    ecarfan Well-Known Member

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    #6 ecarfan, Dec 18, 2018
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2018
    SpaceX just posted photos of Crew Dragon, attached to its “trunk”, in the LC-39A hangar! (My guess at the location). See NASA Crew Demo-1

    Looks really cool, especially the solar panel “skin” on the trunk section.
     
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  7. miimura

    miimura Well-Known Member

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    Is the large gray cone inside the interstage on the adjacent booster new and for the DM-1 mission? With all the recent pictures of the inside of the interstage due to the missed landing at LZ-1, this looks new to me.

    SpaceX DM1 Interstage.jpg
     
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  8. bxr140

    bxr140 Active Member

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    #8 bxr140, Dec 18, 2018
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2018
    Second stage nozzle. Could be slightly bigger, could be perspective. My money is on perspective. Elon wouldn’t be able to resist tweeting about a bigger bell.
     
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  9. Grendal

    Grendal SpaceX Moderator

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    You can see this is the right size from the livestreams. The separation is shown at MECO and this looks exactly right. This does clearly show the difference in the vacuum engine bell for the upper stage Merlin and the sea level Merlin engines which are tiny compared to this.

    The picture I posted in the GPS III thread shows the B1048 booster as well as this booster B1051, second stage for DM-1, and the capsule and trunk mated together here.
     
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  10. miimura

    miimura Well-Known Member

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    Wow, I'm such a space newbie that it didn't occur to me that it was the second stage sitting there coaxial to, but not mated to the first stage. Even more so that I forgot about the second stage completely and thought the bell was the pusher for the trunk to separate from the first stage.... dork... So many pieces missing in my brain when I looked at that picture.
     
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  11. e-FTW

    e-FTW New electron smell

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    Wow, yeah that picture brings home how the second stage vacuum Merlin engine bell covers pretty pretty much the same area as the 9 (nine! IX!) first stage Merlins.
     
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  12. e-FTW

    e-FTW New electron smell

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    Yes! It looks so bad ass! I guess the cells are efficient enough that even though only part of them are facing the sun at one time, it still provides enough power. The simplification sounds like a fantastic advantage.

    Danny Silva on Twitter
     

    Attached Files:

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  13. ecarfan

    ecarfan Well-Known Member

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    I want those solar cells on the roof of my 17 ft travel trailer instead of the low cost Chinese-made flexible panels (but with Sunpower cells) that I have now.

    CCFCC5E9-FE4D-409F-96B4-8C97172B9925.jpeg
     
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  14. ecarfan

    ecarfan Well-Known Member

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    Anyone have informed speculation as to whether or not the Federal government partial shutdown will delay the DM1 mission? It appears that almost all NASA employees are being sent home.

    The NYT reports this: “An estimated 96 percent of staff members at the space agency would be furloughed, according to the agency’s 2018 shutdown plan. In a statement, a NASA spokeswoman, Megan Powers, said: “In previous shutdowns, we have maintained personnel to support the International Space Station and its crew, and currently operating space missions, such as satellites, landers, rovers, to ensure they’re safe and secure.”
     
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  15. Grendal

    Grendal SpaceX Moderator

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    In this case I'd say it's possible. It really comes down to how long it will stay shut down. It's not stopping the launch tomorrow.
     
  16. bxr140

    bxr140 Active Member

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    Body mount solar cells are a pretty much where it all started in orbital [solar] power generation. Body mount is much less complicated, much more reliable, and significantly cheaper than a deployed solution. When you don't actually need a lot of power--like a crew capsule in LEO--body mount makes perfect sense.
     
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  17. e-FTW

    e-FTW New electron smell

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    Bump, just because I can't wait! Come on, you can still launch shutdown or not, right?
    :)

    For completeness sake, this launch is delayed to NET February: SpaceX Demo-1 Launch Update – Commercial Crew Program
     
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  18. e-FTW

    e-FTW New electron smell

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    NET 2/9 Approx. 1600 GMT (11 a.m. EST) per Spaceflightnow: Launch Schedule – Spaceflight Now
    From their change log:
    Other outlets are reporting that furloughed NASA employees are “protecting” missions.
     
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  19. Grendal

    Grendal SpaceX Moderator

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    Yeah. They had a semi-official launch date and now it keeps getting pushed back more and more while Federal employees aren't paid. An article said it had nothing to do with the shutdown. Yeah right.
     
  20. Grendal

    Grendal SpaceX Moderator

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