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The Spaceflight Thread

Started by Hog, October 26, 2017, 06:07:02 AM


WOTR

Quote from: aldousburbank on December 15, 2019, 08:55:08 PM
Today I learned that there is a falcon feather on the moon.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/objects-of-intrigue-the-falcon-feather-on-the-moon.amp



I suppose due to the nature of this site, I was expecting to find that there was a feather in one of the early photographs- and that it would prove that we have not been to the moon yet.

Interesting to find that there was validation. I had always thought it was still a theory...

Dr. MD MD

Quote from: aldousburbank on December 15, 2019, 08:55:08 PM
Today I learned that there is a falcon feather on the moon.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/objects-of-intrigue-the-falcon-feather-on-the-moon.amp



It’s because they replicated Galileo’s famous experiment with a cannonball and a feather to prove the constancy of the rate of gravity. They both fell at the same rate.

Hog

Quote from: Dr. MD MD on December 15, 2019, 10:21:07 PM
It’s because they replicated Galileo’s famous experiment with a cannonball and a feather to prove the constancy of the rate of gravity. They both fell at the same rate.

Apollo 15

https://youtu.be/joiDCk_3t20

peace
Hog

Hog

Friday morning 6:30 est an Atlas-5 core with 2 solid boosters and a 2 engine Centaur Upper Stage will launch the Boeing CST-100 Starliner into a trajectory to dock with the ISS a few days later.  This is a test of the human rated Starliner capsule system.  It provides safe launch and entry along with a 6 month long on station emergency escape vehicle.  If ever the ISS requires an immediate evacuation. Astro/Cosmonauts would race to their Soyuz right now, but once the 2 Commercial Crew systems are up and running we no longer pay the Russians US$82 million per seat to and from ISS.  Shuttle last landed July 2011. Since then the USA has relied on Russian rides to its own space station.  Starliner flies uncrewed during its first Orbital Test Flight(OTF-1) this Friday, then if successful flies again but this time with a crew of 3.  Space-X the other Commercial Crew provider will fly its first test crew on Demonstration Mission-2 this Feb.  We "should" have both operators up and running operationally for 2021.



There are a couple opportunities to see this vehicle and the ISS in the next week.  Check the Heavens Above site for your exact view times.
https://heavens-above.com/main.aspx

peace
Hog

Hog

The launch which took place almost exactly 1 hour 25 minutes ago saw the first stage of the Atlas 5 and the upper stage of the dual Centaur successfully deliver the CST-100 capsule into just shy of orbit.  The capsules thrusters were supposed to place the capsule into orbit, but they didnt.  It is temporarily in a stable orbit, but there are serious consequences for this.  It was due to meet up with the ISS Saturday morning approx 24 hous after launch.

Space is HARD!

Press conference on NASA TV at 9:30 EST.  https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive



peace
Hog

Hog

Well we are just passed the MET(Mission Elapsed Time) of 8-1/2 hours since this mornings 6:36 est launch.

Some excellent photography from the launch.





It is looking like they are going to bring the capsule down on Sunday at the at the White Sands Missile Range. the have 5 landing sites in the Western United States.  This minimizes exposing anything in the flight path from being affected in case something goes wrong.

The last time a crew-rated space vehicle landed there was the space shuttle that concluded STS-3, the 3rd in the series of 4 test flights.  During the Approach and Landing Test(ALT) a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft(SCA) carried Enterprise(the non space capable orbiter went into a dive turned to the left while just as Enterprise was released above it.  It glided to a runway and landed.

When the SCA 747 is loaded with an Orbiter Vehicle its range was reduced from 4600-5600 nautical miles down to 1000 nautical miles/1150 mile. 

peace
Hog


Hog

Here the first Core Stage of SLS was lfted out of the Michoud Assembly Facility in La.  It will be loaded upon the Pegasus barge for the ride to Stennis Space Center in La.  There all 4 RS-25 engines will be fired up at the same time and tested on the B-2 test stand.  The same test stand that tested the S1C first stage of the massive Saturn V moon rocket.



peace
Hog

Hog

And onto the Pegasus barge.



peace
Hog

Hog

A nice collage of all the Space Launch System hardware that has been manufactured thus far for the first uncrewed Artemis-1 mission to the Moon.
.


And a video of Space Launch System Core Stage-1 rolling out from the Michoud Assembly Facility to the Pegasus barge for transport to Stennis SPace Center where these 4 hydrolox (liquid hydrogen/oxygen) RS-25 engines, all of which have already flown on multiple space shuttle missions.

https://youtu.be/5G9h5MQ9lAU



these are the largest Liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen tanks ever constructed.  The core stage is 212 feet long and has an empty mass of 85,270 kg (187,990 lb) and when filled with propellant it weighs 979,452 kg (2,159,322 lb).
Compared to the Space Shuttle External Tank(the big brownish tank) which was 158 feet tall and weighed 58,500 pounds when empty and weighed 1,680,000 lb (760,000 kg) when filled with propellant for launch



Towards the end of the year(Dec 5/2019), NASA also did some destructive testing on a Core Stage Structural Test Article.  Apparently the Core Stage failed when 260% of the predicted maximum flight loading, which was within a few percent of the predicted failure point.

This video shows the Structural Test Article and its final test as the test rig exerts millions of pounds of pressure onto the Core Stage.  The video is incorrectly titled, its not just a hydrogen tank test, both the hydrogen AND oxygen tank compose the Core Stage
https://youtu.be/-W5EXElmqC4

High res image post test(obviously)



peace
Hog

Hog

17 years ago today STS-107 Columbia launched on her 39º orbital inclination.  A piece of foam liberated from the External Tank and hit the wing leading edge with a closing speed of  approx. 525mph.  Imagery showed a "poof" as the wing hit the foam.  Everyone imagined throwing a Styrofoam cooler out of a car and having it disintegrate on the car behind it. The Reinforced Carbon-Carbon(RCC) that withstood the hottest of entry temps was thought to be VERY resistant to actual physical contacts, when in fact it was a far physically weaker material.

Later testing with actual flight RCC and foam targets fired at the specified velocities actually punched a hole through the "supposedly armour like" RCC panels.  RCC is a highly specialized component costing many millions of dollars.  It's only used on the leading edges of the wings and on the nose cap of the orbiter vehicle.

The vehicle/crew was doomed the moment this damage occurred.  It's easy to look back with the aid of hindsight, but damn an Atlantis Columbia  rescue mission would have made the Apollo 13 rescue look like childs play.  It would have been a gleaming  success for NASA and the United States as a whole.  Someone was too worried about "the next mission" rather than concentrating the one that has possibly been damaged that's on orbit at THIS moment.  There were people attempting to use classified imagery assets to attempt an imagery opportunity of Columbia's wing, but as soon as Linda Hamm(STS-107 Mission Management Team MMT-Head) heard of this, she put an end to all further requests for outside agency help for imagery of Columbia whilst on orbit. Columbia fired her Orbital Maneuvering Engines to come home on Feb 1, 2003 and during entry heating, 3000º+ gasses entered the inside of Columbias wing and began to consume from within. Control was lost and vehicle breakup occurred shortly after.  Blunt force trauma was the primary cause of death.

This video shows the incident AND the subsequent testing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQ3ekcvyRA

Notice that the ISS orbits on a different orbit at 51.6º while Columbia was at 39º .  Using the ISS as a "lifeboat" was impossible.

I was living in downtown Toronto going to school at the time.  I remember seeing the bright streaks across the TV screen.

Condolences to the USA, India and Israel. 
Rear (L-R): David Brown, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, Ilan Ramon(Israel);
Front (L-R): Rick Husband(Commander), Kalpana Chawla(USA/india), William McCool(Pilot)

Per aspera ad astra
Hog

Hog

Orbiter Vehicle OV-099 Challenger lifted off for the Space Transportation System(STS) mission 51L, STS-51L, the 2nd shuttle mission of 1986, STS-61-C Columbia had launched on Jan 12/1986 from Launch Complex 39A(LC39-A) and landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

The night before the Jan 28/1986 launch, Challenger sitting out at Launch Complex 39-B(the first launch from the "B" launch pad, all previous shuttle launches were from LC39-"A") had been exposed to temperatures as low as 18ºF.  The launch time was delayed from early morning to 11:38am eastern to allow temps. to increase in the morning sun. At 11:38am eastern the local ambient air temps. were 36ºF, it was estimated that the area surrounding the Solid Rocker Booster(SRB) aft field joints, which contain the 2 o-rings, was approx. 28ºF at launch.

The previous coldest temperature at launch was 54 °F (12 °C).

Following this failure, the SRB joints were reworked and the field joints all received heaters that were run the whole night before launch and turned off approx 4 minutes before shuttle launches.  In addition to the SRB joint heaters, each SRB joint received an extra O-ring. 2 on one side of the joint, 1 on the other.

Here's Boisjoly showing us the old 2 O-ring joint


and here's the new 3 joint SRB field joint.  They are using the same 3 O-ring joint n the new longer 5 segment SRB as the booster for the new Space LAunch System rocket and Orion space vehicle.



"We will never forget them, not the last time we saw them this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God," President Ronald Reagan

34 years ago today, the Challenger crew Michael Smith(Commander), Dick Scobee(Pilot), Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe attempted to "slip the surly bonds of earth,"  but it was not to be.

"To the stars, through hardships" RIP
Hog



Hog

Here's a new video showing the raising of Core Stage-1 of the new NASA Space Launch System at Stennis Space Center.

Green Run is scheduled for August, with launch in 2021.

https://youtu.be/-xfWRkexY2M

peace
Hog

Hog

They have decided to proceed  with the count for todays launch.  Weather is currently sitting at 50% for this afternoons launch.

This test flight of the new Crew-Dragon space vehicle will be the first Americans to launch to orbit on an American made vehicle since July 2011 when STS-135 launched.

peace
Hog

ItsOver

Quote from: Hog on May 30, 2020, 06:06:27 AM
They have decided to proceed  with the count for todays launch.  Weather is currently sitting at 50% for this afternoons launch.

This test flight of the new Crew-Dragon space vehicle will be the first Americans to launch to orbit on an American made vehicle since July 2011 when STS-135 launched.

peace
Hog
I'll have to admit the suits and Crew-Dragon look edgy.  Like something out of a Ridley Scott movie.  Maybe K Dubb can weigh in with a fashion assessment.


Dr. MD MD

Quote from: Hog on May 30, 2020, 06:06:27 AM
They have decided to proceed  with the count for todays launch.  Weather is currently sitting at 50% for this afternoons launch.

This test flight of the new Crew-Dragon space vehicle will be the first Americans to launch to orbit on an American made vehicle since July 2011 when STS-135 launched.

peace
Hog

I wonder if the Black Knight will cooperate this time?

Hog

Successfully on orbit for tom. docking with ISS.

peace
Hog

chefist

Sexy launch...smooth and successful recovery of stage one on ocean barge.

Many firsts...Amazing.

ItsOver

Quote from: Hog on May 30, 2020, 01:38:38 PM
Successfully on orbit for tom. docking with ISS.

peace
Hog
And the booster made it safely back to the barge at sea.  Woo hoo!  It's good to see something good happen, for a change!   8)

albrecht

Amazing stuff and weird dichotomy. A country and company are launching people into space, returning rockets to floating drone ships, and high-tech achievment and others are burning down their own neighborhoods.

Dr. MD MD

Quote from: albrecht on May 30, 2020, 02:03:14 PM
Amazing stuff and weird dichotomy. A country and company are launching people into space, returning rockets to floating drone ships, and high-tech achievment and others are burning down their own neighborhoods.

This might help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13CquI08lx0

Juan

Quote from: albrecht on May 30, 2020, 02:03:14 PM
Amazing stuff and weird dichotomy. A country and company are launching people into space, returning rockets to floating drone ships, and high-tech achievment and others are burning down their own neighborhoods.
Just like during the Apollo launches.

albrecht

Quote from: Juan on May 30, 2020, 02:35:00 PM
Just like during the Apollo launches.
Good point.
:o lather, rinse, and repeat.

K_Dubb

Quote from: ItsOver on May 30, 2020, 06:15:59 AM
I'll have to admit the suits and Crew-Dragon look edgy.  Like something out of a Ridley Scott movie.  Maybe K Dubb can weigh in with a fashion assessment.



B&W classic Prada slap a discreet logo on it and send it down the runway


Dr. MD MD

Quote from: K_Dubb on May 30, 2020, 02:38:52 PM
B&W classic Prada slap a discreet logo on it and send it down the runway



Those would be great for the astronauts to carry some things in. Of course, we can’t call them purses. European carryall? Ideas? Anyone? Bueller?!

K_Dubb

Quote from: Dr. MD MD on May 30, 2020, 02:40:45 PM
Those would be great for the astronauts to carry some things in. Of course, we can’t call them purses. European carryall? Ideas? Anyone? Bueller?!

Uniform Miscellaneous Device Collector.  Tactical, of course.

Dr. MD MD

Quote from: K_Dubb on May 30, 2020, 02:47:13 PM
Uniform Miscellaneous Device Collector.  Tactical, of course.

Mmm...almost there...just a bit more testosterone. How about Tactical Instrument Tote or TITs?

K_Dubb

Haha let's grab our TITs and get out of here.

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