Debris jettisoned from ISS puts a hole in FL home. Related to a 5000 lb battery pallet discarded in 2021.
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-0 ... ebris.html
Max Q wrote:Isn’t the KC10 already retired ?
Some footage from IFT-2 that I hadn’t seen before.
https://youtu.be/IvHY6imbUBo?si=KcVYY5FChDPIOtpR
Musk provides Starship update.
Suggests flight 5 booster may return to launch site for tower catch.
https://x.com/spacex/status/17766690974 ... DMSwKBLR2A
Data dump revealed bad FDS memory chip. May be able to use a software patch to isolate the bad chip.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/04/t ... 1-offline/
Why divert to ATL? Was that where the spare aircraft was? Or spare due to arrive there shortly?
Jump to postI remember reading that. Could an empty Starship launch itself back to base from half way around the world without the need of a Heavy Booster? I think that's the plan for Mars, but Mars has less atmosphere and might actually be easier. Lots of problems with that concept: - no booster available to ...
Jump to postMax payload of Starship V1 in expendable mode (like the other rockets) is ~200 tons. V3 is expected to be ~200 tons with full reusability and ~400 tons expendable. Length will grow by 20 to 30 meters and thrust to ~10k tons. It boggles the imagination what a 400 ton payload would look like, let alo...
Jump to postUsed to repair 58-0734…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:18 ... 8-0734.jpg
N14AZ wrote:
Unfortunately there is no mentioning of tail noise number. Would have loved to post a picture after „reincarnation“.
c-130s have done just that since Viet Nam days—combat off-load. Not sure about the -17 as it’d be a drop. Couldn’t do it on a C-5, just too far down. Rollers are necessary for airdrop. The video of the C-5 dropping a 180,000-ish pound is impressive, rollers glowing, smoking. Speaking of which, cran...
Jump to postGalaxyFlyer wrote:In my experience, the AN 124 floor was no where near as stiff as the C-5.
I think this would probably be the best way to unload in a war zone. Cargo could be fully unloaded with zero ground equipment and only one load master. The crane can lower the cargo onto the ground directly behind the aircraft. The aircraft then moves forward and the next item gets placed on the gr...
Jump to postThat is just extraordinary, something quite mind blowing to see the most incredible aircraft ever made do a flight control check in space as it prepares to transform itself from a spaceship to an aircraft Absolutely wonderful stuff, I do miss the incredibly space shuttle and I’ve never seen that be...
Jump to postMost loads are not usable by cranes. Every try to pick up a pallet by crane. I’ll bet I’ve around more C-5s being unloaded that you. Crane seems like a good idea until you see actual loads. Look at Russian military logistics in Ukraine, they’re decades behind the US Military, if not pre-WW II. I’d ...
Jump to postPre-launch rudder and engine gimbal test here:
https://youtu.be/PgT9-oMXgCU?si=FIYVP_cp72V-3ZnQ&t=190
IIRC SRB also did a test of thrust vectoring after their APU's started.
Engines were also gimbaled after APU start and before ignition.
Video of control surfaces check prior to deorbit burn. I had never seen this before or heard about ice coming off during the check. Learn something new everyday!
https://youtu.be/dd5Y0Wbhv7Y?si=UoGYMSYQQcFwkoWR
Yes. Immediately following APU start in both cases. APU required as aerodynamic surfaces were hydraulically powered.
Jump to postNo roller floor loading in the ones I’ve seen, loading a time-consuming problem from what loads have told me. I don’t believe the cargo “box” is pressurized. Engines are fuel hogs, reverse engineered CF-6s without the metallurgy. Roller floors require specialized material handling equipment (k-load...
Jump to postThe big sleep comes in 9 days or so when the Sun dips below the local horizon and the batteries die. Will it wake up later?
Jump to postPress conference just concluded.
Spacecraft landed on its side.
Laser rangefinder problems caused by a physical laser eyesafe switch left in its disabled position before launch.
No post landing pictures yet.
Link to press conference: https://www.youtube.com/live/ZWEwR8fscF ... yMaGVGc8KL
Spacecraft is power positive and communicating. Press conference expected later today.
Jump to postRegarding the comm troubles…. Please keep in mind that, given the polar landing site, Earth is much nearer the horizon than during Apollo and Surveyor landings. Land in a crater or next to a big rock and comms could be challenging.
Jump to postPer Intuitive Machines on X: Comm issue resolved. Data, and images, now being downlinked.
Jump to postLanded & signal received. Some sort of comm issue being worked.
Jump to postIf you want to move helos like the CH-47, maybe the more cost effective solution to supplement the C-17 with a fleet of 747 LCF. That would cost way less than a new production line of anything. bt Unless something has changed the LCF is not certified for anything but Boeing logistics moves. Also ha...
Jump to postBig Jet TV channel on YouTube is quite often live at LHR. I see it live on Saturday morning U.S. time.
https://bigjet.tv/
Some new video from Sierra. Includes cargo module. https://youtu.be/TesrNdfbMJ8?si=rEHcTqZ7fj8V9EDr Awesome video! Shows so much of the progress. Looking forward to the first flight. Love the "Jurassic Park Cage" transport as well. And flying soon. Next launch for Vulcan Centaur - NET Apr...
Jump to postSome new video from Sierra. Includes cargo module.
https://youtu.be/TesrNdfbMJ8?si=rEHcTqZ7fj8V9EDr
fsnuffer wrote:I was going to ask a question about engineering the STS stack to protect it from earthquakes but Google came to the rescue.
California Science Center site regarding “Go for Stack”:
https://californiasciencecenter.org/abo ... -for-stack
Space Shuttle Endeavour is being stacked this morning at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
https://www.youtube.com/live/_eTmJUBcPZ ... MjgnAmNENf
30 Jan 2024
Unique mission. It should have landed on its side, with main engines pointed to the side. But it landed with its main engines pointed up. Whether that is upside down or not is in the eye of the beholder. It didn’t land the way it was supposed to in any case.
Jump to postWith a wet footprint, there are water survival and alerting equipment requirements, basically, raft, individual life jackets, radios. The jet at high level would have significant glide time after engine failure, probably 80 miles at either end would be a dry landing, er, crash. Cirrus Jet. CAPS equ...
Jump to postThese articles show up every time these groups claim to have discovered Earhart’s aircraft. Media attention helps them fund raise. Is TIGHAR involved?
https://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/AEdescr.html
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has made its final flight.
72 flights over three years!
Suffered rotor damage on its last flight.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/after ... sion-ends/
No mention here of the launch yesterday: Turkey’s first astronaut along with a Swede and Italian launched Thursday to the International Space Station on a chartered SpaceX flight. https://news.yahoo.com/astronauts-turkey-sweden-italy-launch-215128601.html And if you want to see it: https://www.yout...
Jump to postYouTube version of Musk's brief. Jumps straight to his statement about Starship almost making orbit:
https://youtu.be/TUQzeUaGxBI?si=oPlEj9EuKRNjG0De&t=2952
Musk’s recent update brief to SpaceX employees: https://x.com/spacex/status/1745941814165815717?s=61&t=RnTZAJ13aqRrDMSwKBLR2A One item of special interest: Musk states that Starship flight 2 would have made it to orbit except for the dumping of ballast LOX that caught fire when vented. Ballast L...
Jump to postBBC launch video:
https://youtu.be/0G_RDCATdm4?si=JsB4wIF9edmMrxTx
Not sure if it has been posted but we have cabin footage just after impact and when the A350 came to rest. Welcome to 2024 folks, cameras everywhere. https://x.com/alto_maple/status/1742115893285412984?s=46&t=28o2P9EtWX4Dg2vahcMX-Q Darn near a vertical drop on the left aft slide due to nose gea...
Jump to postMax Q wrote:
What is a Buddha ?!
Some videos and stills regarding the lost booster.
https://youtu.be/IcgW7cOOoM8?si=--Nu6qQEBhdEppIx
SpaceX reported last night that Falcon 9 booster B1058 tipped over while enroute back to port. B1058 had recently completed a record 19th launch and landing. High winds and waves were the culprit. SpaceX also stated that newer Falcon 9’s have upgraded landing legs to prevent this sort of thing. Per ...
Jump to postDon’t write Voyager 1 off yet. JPL is still communicating with the spacecraft, just not getting back what they should be. Commands were sent Thursday to rectify the situation. Given the two way light time of 45 hours results of that instruction set should be known soon. https://blogs.nasa.gov/sunspo...
Jump to postIf 4 engines is that critical it would probably be simpler to rebuild and modify some C5s. From the frying pan and into the fire. C-5s are all a similiar vintage to the existing E-4s plus have their own existing reliability and support issues. C-17 would be a better choice if repurposing an existin...
Jump to postHeck, I've witnessed de-icing at LAX, particularly by MD-80 operators back in the day. I've heard the MD80 in particular is notorious for fuel frost. MD-80 would get fuel frost/ice on the inner wing. This could, in turn, be ingested in an engine - causing ungood things to happen there. SAS (?) had ...
Jump to postMy biggest concern was watching the refueling process as both stages were filled to 100% capacity. Nearly all of the fuel was consumed and it only made it to 24,000km/h. This is also without payload. into orbit in fully reusable mode. 100% of “capacity” or 100% of “propellant required for mission”?...
Jump to postmxaxai wrote:Falcon 9 is still operating and bringing in cash, plus any money Musk and his friends are willing to put into the project. Worst case, NASA or the US gov will bail them out to ensure national security and continued progress of the crewed moon landings.
Anybody know what SpaceX’s cash burn at Boca Chica is? And further, how much longer can Starship project go on without bringing in any revenue?
Musk frequently tells the story of the 4th flight of Falcon 1. It had to work or SpaceX was done. Does Starship have a similar point?