SpaceX Falcon 9 historic landing thread (1st landing attempt & most recent missions)

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Just found this video. Sums up the near cartoonish awesomeness of this launch. Sometimes life is stranger than fiction indeed.

[youtube]WXjrGTzAbXw[/youtube]
 
Just a few minutes ago they posted the third burn was successful and showed an orbital projection that goes almost out to Ceres' orbit in the asteroid belt. Elon tweeted "Third burn successful. Exceeded Mars orbit and kept going to the Asteroid Belt."

I was looking out for that. I thought they would just piggy back onto the live feed from the roadster but then the live part stopped so I figured something was up. I can't stop laughing about the Roadster. Go back 10-15 years in the industry and who would have believed that there would ever be a car in an orbit around the sun.

Great day for SpaceX and the industry, the next few years should be interesting as things settle down for the Falcon program.
 
I sometimes regret that I was born at the wrong time - too young to work on Mercury/Gemini/Apollo (I was a few months short of 14 years old when Apollo 11 landed on the moon). As close as I got was a job interview with IBM Space Systems Division during my senior year in college (for work on Space Shuttle computers) but I am a mechanical engineer and not really a programmer. And I'm too old for the pace at SpaceX (or Blue Origin, which is closer to where I live than my job at Boeing was when I retired). I no longer have the stamina it would take to work for either Musk or Bezos.

But is has just been amazing to watch this all unfold. And having gotten a chance recently to look inside at Blue Origin (while picking up some model rocket stuff being donated to my club) I'm excited for what they are trying to do as well.

That said, what took place today is nothing short of breathtaking and for me nearly equaled the excitement of seeing two brand new Boeing airplanes on which I played a small role (757 very early in my career, 777 later) make their first flights...even though all I've been is a spectator for what SpaceX has done and only saw it on TV rather than in person. Truly an amazing day.
 
The Tesla shots in space motoring around the globe are still too surreal.

I still can't say the double landing was more emotional for me than Flight21's 1st landing back at the pad and Flight22's first successful barge landing two years ago. (then again I have a connection to those rockets, so it's only natural)

Also going in the LOL thread:
starman.jpg
 
Musk Twitter:

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/961083704230674438/photo/1

Third burn successful. Exceeded Mars orbit and kept going to the Asteroid Belt.

Yeah, WAY past Mars' distance.

DVZ0h3YW4AIc-9w.jpg


So, recall the Webcast had one booster's video feed showing twice and the the other one not at all? They released a re-edit to fix that. And also to fix the Fairing Sep mix-up when they missed showing the Roadster inside the fairing, then the fairing sepped.

So, another good reason to watch the launch again:

[video=youtube;bCc16uozHVE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCc16uozHVE&ab_channel=SpaceX[/video]

I think they got the booster video feed syncs a bit off though. The video on the left definitely does show the other booster's burns (other booster landed first, on LZ-1), and the video on the left shows that booster was coming in to land at the new LZ-2 (all gray, North and a bit west of LZ-1), while for some time it is actually showing LZ-1 (with the black center) that the other booster is coming down to land on (It didn't show LZ-2 at that point since LZ-2 was right under it). Orientation would have made more sense I think if they'd flip-flopped the two booster video feeds.

And now for THIS. Video shot by someone using a telescopic lens to get a great long range view of FH al the way to booster sep. Then after sep, showing the boostback burns. Later, the re-entry burns (the 1-3-1 type engine ignition/shutdown sequence). The telescopic view was so tight that as the boosters got close, one went out of frame so the camera stayed on one for the landing burn and landing.

[video=youtube;59pY74ZhQ50]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59pY74ZhQ50[/video]
 
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Video 1: For those less patient, liftoff is about 22 minutes into video.

Video 2: Is that a sonic boom about 2 minutes into video? Definite double sets of twin sonic booms at 8:42. This video is spectacular - only wispy traces of exhaust plumes in the middle of the day. Wonder how FH booster flyback would look in an evening launch. Would it freak people out like the last V-berg launch did?
 
It looks like they put the upper stage into a ‘yaw spin’ for the coast period. I’d think roll would be simpler if you’re trying to distribute solar heating. I wonder if they did a flat spin purely for the video feed.


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I hope we eventually get video of the core augering in. Probably a spectacular blooper reel entry. I read that the debris splash took out two barge thrusters and showered the deck with debris.

I understand that in the short term Musk doesn't want such video out there... It would be seized upon by sensationalist media as a failure, competing with the main story of a glorious success if the mission. I'm sue the loss of that core resulted in great data to reduce chances of subsequent center core loss.
 
Just a few minutes ago they posted the third burn was successful and showed an orbital projection that goes almost out to Ceres' orbit in the asteroid belt. Elon tweeted "Third burn successful. Exceeded Mars orbit and kept going to the Asteroid Belt."

Is there a link to where it is right now? I'm assuming this is a projected path, and not it's actual location (at the asteroid belt), right?
 
Is there a link to where it is right now? I'm assuming this is a projected path, and not it's actual location (at the asteroid belt), right?

That's what I've been looking for too.

That graphic showed the car/2nd stage right at earth. It'll take 6-9 months to reach Mars orbital diameter
 
It looks like they put the upper stage into a ‘yaw spin’ for the coast period. I’d think roll would be simpler if you’re trying to distribute solar heating. I wonder if they did a flat spin purely for the video feed.

A roll spin will put the propellants to the cylindrical walls of the rocket, whereas a yaw or pitch spin will put it to the tank domes or bulkheads. This way, there should be less heat exchange via the outer skin of the rocket (LOX evaporating and RP-1 freezing has been mentioned by Elon during the press conference). But this is probably only one of many trade-offs.

Reinhard
 
Some of the most awesome things about this launch:

There is something about the configuration of this rocket, with the 3 parallel boosters in a row and the wide fairing at the top, that make Falcon Heavy look more like a “spaceship” in flight than any other rocket I’ve ever watched. At certain angles, it was just incredible! The rear 3/4 view from underneath the plane of the 3 boosters was great!

The two boosters landing together side by side by side really was amazing! My wife was about to head out the door to Costco right before the launch, but I convinced her if she would wait 15 minutes, the launch would be worth it. She gave me an indulgent smile and agreed to stay, like she was doing me a favor so I wouldn’t have to watch it alone. When those two boosters came in and landed together, I turned to her, and her mouth was literally hanging open, agape. I don’t care who you are, or whether rockets are your “thing” or not, but that sight will boggle you. It looks like something from a science fiction movie.

Starman and the Tesla. When I first heard about this idea, I thought it was a cheesy gimmick. But after seeing it, I really like it. The shots of the car and driver in space with the earth rotating by in the background are surreal but inspiring. And a thousand years from now, when someone finds it drifting through the asteroid belt, it’s going to give them a real head-scratching mystery.
 
A roll spin will put the propellants to the cylindrical walls of the rocket, whereas a yaw or pitch spin will put it to the tank domes or bulkheads. This way, there should be less heat exchange via the outer skin of the rocket (LOX evaporating and RP-1 freezing has been mentioned by Elon during the press conference). But this is probably only one of many trade-offs.

Reinhard

I remember the fuel freezing concern from earlier reporting. I guess it's a trade off, as you say. Shield in the better insulated domes, or expose on the solar warmed (and deep space cooled) sides. A joy to model, I'm sure :) And I still think it might have been to get awesome pics.

Another item that was touched on higher in the thread was covered by SpaceflightNow reporting: Interplanetary flights don't need an FAA launch license. But flying the boosters back does. That long coast might have been part of it, too.

And to touch on Thirsty's post: I really liked how you could -see- the core exhaust plume was shorter. That it was throttled back. Now I'm wondering if that can be done at model scale with careful motor selection.
 
Is it just me or is anyone else baffled why Musk chooses to put one of his cars into space and not something else that
would maybe benefit mankind. I know it's his money and he can stroke his ego any way he wants, but cmon, really.

Sure it was a great step forward in space travel but a car? Stupidest thing ever.
 
Is it just me or is anyone else baffled why Musk chooses to put one of his cars into space and not something else that
would maybe benefit mankind. I know it's his money and he can stroke his ego any way he wants, but cmon, really.

Sure it was a great step forward in space travel but a car? Stupidest thing ever.

If the advertising brings in cash for future launches, I'm cool with it.
 
And now for THIS. Video shot by someone using a telescopic lens to get a great long range view of FH al the way to booster sep. Then after sep, showing the boostback burns. Later, the re-entry burns (the 1-3-1 type engine ignition/shutdown sequence). The telescopic view was so tight that as the boosters got close, one went out of frame so the camera stayed on one for the landing burn and landing.

[video=youtube;59pY74ZhQ50]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59pY74ZhQ50[/video]

Should paint the boosters with the Blue Angels scheme just for the formation recovery!
 
Is it just me or is anyone else baffled why Musk chooses to put one of his cars into space and not something else that
would maybe benefit mankind. I know it's his money and he can stroke his ego any way he wants, but cmon, really.

Sure it was a great step forward in space travel but a car? Stupidest thing ever.

My guess (and that's all it is) would be that anything that would "benefit mankind" would have cost a great deal of money (on the order of millions of $$) and no one would want to invest that kind of cash on a venture that even Elon Musk put at a 50-50 chance of failure. Most likely, as a test article, the payload would have otherwise been a chunk of concrete and steel, or a container full of sand. Given that, then why not have some fun with what your "dead weight" looks like?
 
My guess (and that's all it is) would be that anything that would "benefit mankind" would have cost a great deal of money (on the order of millions of $$) and no one would want to invest that kind of cash on a venture that even Elon Musk put at a 50-50 chance of failure. Most likely, as a test article, the payload would have otherwise been a chunk of concrete and steel, or a container full of sand. Given that, then why not have some fun with what your "dead weight" looks like?

I agree. Any “useful” payload would have cost millions. However, as long as they were going to launch Starman in a Tesla, I wish they would have sent him on a close slingshot maneuver around the moon before shooting him out into the solar system. Could have got some epic footage of him driving around the far side!
 
I hope we eventually get video of the core augering in. Probably a spectacular blooper reel entry. I read that the debris splash took out two barge thrusters and showered the deck with debris.

I understand that in the short term Musk doesn't want such video out there... It would be seized upon by sensationalist media as a failure, competing with the main story of a glorious success if the mission. I'm sue the loss of that core resulted in great data to reduce chances of subsequent center core loss.

Musk said in the live NBC interview that the center core splashdown would end up in their bloopers roll. I believe he said it hit the water at a 300 something velocity. I can't recall if that was MPH, KPH, f/s or m/s, regardless they all end up with the same result. He also said that they captured footage, which I believe was from another source other than the drone ship, but I could be wrong.

As far as anyone using the loss of the center core in an effort to eclipse the positive outcome of the launch, I am not sure if that would matter, or even be possible at this stage. At least by any reasonable sense. This launch was such an incredible success and they appear to have come away with the base knowledge as to the is why the core splashed down. Personally I don't see the center core splashdown as a failure, they already know how to land it on the drone and nothing really failed on it that we know of, they just got low on the TEA/TEB.

Is it just me or is anyone else baffled why Musk chooses to put one of his cars into space and not something else that
would maybe benefit mankind. I know it's his money and he can stroke his ego any way he wants, but cmon, really.

Sure it was a great step forward in space travel but a car? Stupidest thing ever.

I believe the traditional thing, when dead ballast is required, is to launch concrete. I have personally never seen any news about concrete and who knows how much of it is flying around up there but it certainly does not stir the imagination. A car in space with a dummy in a space suit on the other hand is very inspiring in my opinion. Plus there is the cost to launch, SpaceX has already poured a lot into developing this rocket and Elon even said it was much harder and cost a lot more than they originally anticipated. The cost of adding a payload would have added no doubt millions then there would be the insurance and possibly other costs on top of that. I just wish they had more battery life so we could see the Earth getting smaller in teh rear view mirror.
 
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Is it just me or is anyone else baffled why Musk chooses to put one of his cars into space and not something else that
would maybe benefit mankind. I know it's his money and he can stroke his ego any way he wants, but cmon, really.

Sure it was a great step forward in space travel but a car? Stupidest thing ever.

I have zero problem with the choice of payload for the 1st test flight of this new launch vehicle. I've used the phrase "Your rocket, your rules" here when people ask about cosmetic changes or alternate paint schemes on kits. I'd apply that philosophy to SpaceX in this case also. Ego ? What till you see what I put in my "heavy" when I get to launch from LC-39A ! :wink:
 
I was uncertain about launching the Roadster until I saw the live images. I was strangely moved by them. If that doesn't stir your imagination, nothing will.
 
I was uncertain about launching the Roadster until I saw the live images. I was strangely moved by them. If that doesn't stir your imagination, nothing will.

Same for me. It seemed kind of gimmicky to me, but it turned out to have a lot of artistic and inspirational value.
 
... they just got low on the TEA/TEB.

I gotta believe they know the TEA/TEB consumption per ignition to a reliable number by now (right?).

But isn't the engine start plumbing more complex now, due to staggered starts? My 2 cents is on a leak somewhere. I bet they run thin margins so maybe even a small leak would've been enough.
 
Since there was a space suit (presumably one of the SpaceX ones similar to the ones that they are developing for astronauts), I wonder of they had any telemetry from the suit since this would be the first time one of their space suits was actually in space and not just a vacuum chamber.
 
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