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SpaceX F9 - CRS-16 - SLC-40
- Thread starter MacGreiner
- Start date
Nikxice
Active Member
On a couple of positive notes, CRS-16 just successfully docked with the ISS. This launch was also the 2nd of 7 demonstrations for NASA to qualify the redesigned COPV's for Crew Dragon. The first demo was installed for the launch of Es'Hail-2 in November. I think both were in the second stage, which still counts.
Elon's tweet was perhaps spinning to the masses....Bada Boom
I'm also going to roll with Han's call on this one.... Bada Bing
Elon's tweet was perhaps spinning to the masses....Bada Boom
Actually, NASA is okay with reused boosters being used for CRS missions. SpaceX has already had two or three reused boosters for CRS missions. That said, there will only be new boosters used for Commercial Crew launches. I expect that by the time the second Commercial Crew contract comes up that NASA will certify reused boosters for use. So far, there have been no failures, 100% success, with reused boosters. Interesting enough, any and all SpaceX failures have happened with new equipment.
I don't know if anyone watched the three and a half hour video of the Dragon capture. Wow. Talk about boring. If you aren't an absolute space enthusiast, it would put you to sleep. It's this type of boring stuff that killed the Apollo program. I hope SpaceX comes up with something to make this more exciting quickly. Certainly launches and landings are very exciting but a couple hours of time to latch onto the station then open a hatch is going to need something more.
Well a half orbit delay due to ground station issues will slow things down.
The new Dragon (crew and then cargo) will dock vs berth and so will be much faster.
It's not just the speed. It's the fact that it is pretty mundane stuff. It's a bit like trying to make someone washing, drying , then folding their clothes interesting and exciting. It can be done but it needs someone with an artistic sense of drama to make it dramatic.
On a different note: B1050 is out of the water and on the dock. It is missing a landing leg. It's speculated that happened in the towing process. Photo Credit to Tom McCool:
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Nikxice
Active Member
Plus it looks like they used 5 flotation devices on each side to help lift the tail, also to prevent rolling over while being towed.
Isn't most of the ISS/ Houston stuff that way though? Wake up, check experiments, work out, eat, look at Earth, go to sleep. Unload the capsule, load the capsule. Occasionally a spacewalk. Catching Dragon might be the most exciting/ engrossing thing going on...
I saw the whole 12 minute video. Am I crazy?
Also I always thought it had only 3 grid fins, but no there is actually 4 !. There is one (presumably) on the side under the water line.
Normally 4, but this booster may have lost the bottom one on water impact.
Is crazy bad?
Am I having a brain fart? Were grid fins always attached to the interstage? I seem to recall that they used to be much lower down on the first stage. Also, did all the early attempts at booster recovery have grid fins or were they added later?
Same as always and always been there*. Tank is directly below, so can't mount lower. Interstate used to be white and fins used to be painted aluminum though.
Edit * since they started trying to reuse F9.
Edit edit since flight 14 per @HVM
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Wiki:
Flight 9, CRS-3, added landing legs, first fully controlled descent and vertical ocean touchdown
Flight 14, CRS-5, added grid fins, always been on the interstage:
Flight 20, first vertical landing achieved on Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral by booster B1019
Flight 9, CRS-3, added landing legs, first fully controlled descent and vertical ocean touchdown
Flight 14, CRS-5, added grid fins, always been on the interstage:
Flight 20, first vertical landing achieved on Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral by booster B1019
From the second image @HVM posted it is more clear there was a second lift line (currently trapped between the Falcon and the cradle) just below the interstage in the normal support point. Likely had two cranes to begin with.
It may be that due to the legs being there they lifted at the top and that line which would be placed between the CG and tail.
Would that point line up with the tank boundaries for more strength?
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