The Spaceflight Thread

[ItsOver]

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

Ha!  I knew it reminded me of something.  I hope the astronauts strutted to the capsule.

[albrecht]

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

That would be awesome as checklist procedure would include the line "This is Houston, please show your TITs."

[albrecht]

Ha!  I knew it reminded me of something.  I hope the astronauts strutted to the capsule.

"This is Houston, work it, work it. You OWN that runway."

[GravitySucks]

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

The shuttle needed a runway. Just saying.

[Hog]

Tally ho.  I just saw ISS pass over my house with "Endeavour" about a hands width behind.

peace
Hog

[aldousburbank]

Tally ho.  I just saw ISS pass over my house with "Endeavour" about a hands width behind.

peace
Hog

Nice! Raining here so no visual contact. I can’t believe a fucking weed smoker pulled this shit off. Bong hits for Elon I say!

[FearBoysWithBugs]

https://i.imgur.com/9Krct2g.mp4

[FearBoysWithBugs]

https://i.imgur.com/T4H0fYg.mp4

[Walks_At_Night]

https://twitter.com/BeachMilk/status/1267018581633495040

[Dr. MD MD]

https://twitter.com/BeachMilk/status/1267018581633495040

The jig is up! Just another green screen adventure meant to fool the sheeple.

[Hard Case]

https://twitter.com/NASA_Orion/status/1268634308836761600

[Hog]

The nose cones and aft nozzle sections have been at Kennedy Space Center for some time now, but the train carrying 10 Solid Rocket Booster fully loaded with oxidizer and fuel arrived at KSC from Corrine Utah a couple days ago.


https://youtu.be/MdZkPMGmRJw

This video actually gives you a better unedited view.

https://youtu.be/fsafjU3GNl0

Rail consist
2 prime mover/locomotives
1 clearance car- if the extensions on this car touch anything like the edges of a tunnel, the rest of the train wont fit(kinda like a cats whiskers-if the whiskers fit, the cats body can fit)
1 red coloured 12 axle railcar with mass simulating OmegA rocket segment inside)
1 empty boxcar spacer car-these empty cars are placed between each loaded segment cat to space out the
   extremely heavy segment cars.  They help to avoid overloading bridges and the rail ballast itself
1 8 axle SLS/Shuttle segment car
1 empty space boxcar
rinse and repeat 9 times until the last loaded car is another red coloured 12 axle OmegA rocket segment
1 empty spacer boxcar

The Space Shuttle used 2 SRBs which consisted of 4 solid propellant segments, the new Space Launch System rocket will use SRBs made of the exact same steel segments(they've actually flown on shuttle missions before and been recovered) except that each SRB will use 5 segments instead of 4.
The Shuttle 4 segment SRBs were the largest and most powerful rocket engines ever used operationally.  The SLS SRBs are even larger/more powerful.
The 4 segment SRBs developed approx. 2.8 million pounds of thrust and the new SLS SRBs will produce approx. 3.6 million pounds thrust each for approx 7.2 million pounds thrust.  Couple that with the almost 2 million pounds of thrust that the 4 RS-25D Space Shuttle Main Engines makes for approx 9 million pounds of off the pad thrust.
The 4 segment SRBs(Redesigned Solid Rocket Motors-RSRM) were reusable with parachutes, while the 5 segment (Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor-Five/Roman Numeral V for 5 segments) RSRM-V are an asbestos free design, minus the parachutes will be dropped into the ocean in expendable form.
There are enough previously used, though still within spec SRB segments for 8 SLS missions. 10 segments per mission, 80 segments within spec=8 SLS missions. After SLS mission 8, Northrop Grumman, who now owns ATK which was the old Thiokol company, will make expendable 5 segment SRBs made of Wound Carbon Fibre filaments.

This train is carrying 10 loaded segments on the yellow coloured 8 axled rail cars.  These 10 cars are "sandwiched" by 2 segments that are longer and heavier being carried by the red coloured 12 axle railcars at the start and the end of the train.  These segments will comprise the new OmegA rocket set to launch for the first time in 2021.  The 2 OmegA rocket segments are loaded with an inert solid mixture that simulates the mass of real solid propellant.  These 2 segments will be used for handling tests at KSC.  A Mobile Launcher Platform from the Apollo/Shuttle days is being modified for NG launches from Launch Complex 39B. The same LC that SLS will launch from though SLS launches will always take precedence. Though with the low flight rate of 1 launch per year, SLS wont be in the way very much.
Once the SLS segments are stacked, they must be launched within one year.  So stacking will not occur until at least this fall, as SLS/Artemis-1 is now scheduled for November 2021.

OmegA Intermediate will use 2 segments for its first stage(Castor 600) with a single Castor 300 segment as its 2nd stage with a Liquid Hydrogen/Liquid Oxygen(HydroLox) 3rd stage.
OmegA Heavy will use 4 carbon fibre wound segments Castor-1200 as its first stage with the same Castor 300 2nd stage and HydroLox 3rd stage on top.  Northropp Grumman won a 792 million contract to develop the rocket for the US Airforce to provide redundancy for Space Force/AirForce/NRO launches.

OmegA rocket


SLS rocket


Slowly but surely, we're getting there.

peace
Hog

[Hog]

The last Shuttle mission STS-135 launched July 8 2011 using OV-104 Atlantis.  She and her crew landed safely on July 21/2011 marking the last time that the USA had the ability to put its own astronauts on its own space station.  I cant believe that the Shuttles have been retired for 9 years already.
The Commercial Crew providers are in the process right now making US based ISS crew rotation a reality.

Here is the Approach and Landing Tests involving Mission Commander Fred Haise(lunar module pilot of the aborted Apollo-13 lunar mission-crew survived) and Shuttle Pilot Gordon Fulleron(in the astronaut rotation and served as the backup mission Commander for Apollo 16. Future assignments during Apollo for Fullerton were cancelled along with the program).

Orbiter Vehicle One-Oh-One (OV-101) originally named Constitution, public urging got NASA  OV-101 renamed to from "Constitution" to "Enterprise". OV-101 "Enterprise" is named after the Star Trek series USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) 
.
OV-101 Enterprise for the ALT(Approach Landing Tests) is unpowered, but uses the potential energy afforded by the 747 .
Here's Shuttles very first flight as part of the ALT(Approach Landing Test)

https://youtu.be/dijD4J3vX5Y

peace
Hog

[GravitySucks]

The last Shuttle mission STS-135 launched July 8 2011 using OV-104 Atlantis.  She and her crew landed safely on July 21/2011 marking the last time that the USA had the ability to put its own astronauts on its own space station.  I cant believe that the Shuttles have been retired for 9 years already.
The Commercial Crew providers are in the process right now making US based ISS crew rotation a reality.

Here is the Approach and Landing Tests involving Mission Commander Fred Haise(lunar module pilot of the aborted Apollo-13 lunar mission-crew survived) and Shuttle Pilot Gordon Fulleron(in the astronaut rotation and served as the backup mission Commander for Apollo 16. Future assignments during Apollo for Fullerton were cancelled along with the program).

Orbiter Vehicle One-Oh-One (OV-101) originally named Constitution, public urging got NASA  OV-101 renamed to from "Constitution" to "Enterprise". OV-101 "Enterprise" is named after the Star Trek series USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) 
.
OV-101 Enterprise for the ALT(Approach Landing Tests) is unpowered, but uses the potential energy afforded by the 747 .
Here's Shuttles very first flight as part of the ALT(Approach Landing Test)

https://youtu.be/dijD4J3vX5Y

peace
Hog

OV-101 was a good approximation of the orbiter. It flew 5 times.  The first 3 had a tailcone on it to reduce drag. The last two had mockups for the main engines.  No OMS engines or RCS jets.  No thermal protection at all. The tiles were polyurethane and the leading edges were fiberglass if I remember correctly. 

There was a study done to see if it could be retrofitted to replace Challenger but it was deemed to costly and problematic. It was put on static display at the Air and Space museum at Dulles and then moved to NYC after the last Shuttle mission.   Enterprise replaced it. I went and saw Discovery with ShayP in February.

For several years I worked in a position that to this day, less than 20 people have listed on their resume. As we approached Discovery, the docent asked if he could answer any questions. I told him I could probably answer his and told him my previous job title. He asked “How many of you guys are there, that’s exactly what that guy over there said he did.”  I looked towards the tail of Discovery and the guy that took my place when I moved on was taking pictures.  If either of us had not bragged to the docent about what we had done we would have just missed each other by 200’ as we walked around the museum. I hadn’t seen him in over 20 years and he just happened to be in DC for a Business trip. Both of us were amazed at the chance meeting. Pretty wild.

In spite of having something to do with every shuttle mission from STS-4 until the end, I never got to see a launch. The closest I came was STS 41D, the first launch attempt of Discovery.  June of 1984. They lit the main engines and the shut them off before they ignited the SFBs.  I was at the original VIP viewing area as a Launch Honoree.

I was selected 6 times after that to get passes to see a launch but they were always delayed because of weather and the companies I worked for at the time wouldn’t let me just hang around KSC waiting for a launch. 

[albrecht]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-l6f4wcv2I 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSJIQftoxeU

[Gd5150]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-l6f4wcv2I 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSJIQftoxeU

Not bad for a pro capitalist from a pro slavery racist country.

[Uncle Duke]

Didn't realize the Navy wasn't recovering the astronauts/capsule.

[chefist]

Didn't realize the Navy wasn't recovering the astronauts/capsule.

Nope...that part is private too...SpaceX pays NASA for the pad rental and other support services...satellites, fueling, emergency personnel, etc for their satellite missions...but when NASA is the customer, NASA pays for the rocket ride and recovery service.

[Gd5150]

Majestic beauty.

[Uncle Duke]

Nope...that part is private too...SpaceX pays NASA for the pad rental and other support services...satellites, fueling, emergency personnel, etc for their satellite missions...but when NASA is the customer, NASA pays for the rocket ride and recovery service.

Apparently they didn't count on the idiots in private boats coming out to the recovery area.  Might want to declare it a military exercise area next time

[chefist]

Apparently they didn't count on the idiots in private boats coming out to the recovery area.  Might want to declare it a military exercise area next time

Oh shit...I thought they were are part of the operation...I'm curious if they can keep the exact location of the splashdown secret in the future?

[chefist]

Majestic beauty.

Ha..in the post flight press conference, they took three calls about the private boats...of course, one guy was completely triggered by the Trump flag. LULZ...I'm sure if it were a Biden flag he would not have called in.  ha  Evidently the Coast Guard is responsible for keeping the area clear before and after splash down.

[GravitySucks]

Oh shit...I thought they were are part of the operation...I'm curious if they can keep the exact location of the splashdown secret in the future?

Kind of hard to keep the location of the two SpaceX boats secret.  They only have two.  This time the second one was off the east coast of Florida at the alternate splashdown site. 

[GravitySucks]

Nope...that part is private too...SpaceX pays NASA for the pad rental and other support services...satellites, fueling, emergency personnel, etc for their satellite missions...but when NASA is the customer, NASA pays for the rocket ride and recovery service.

SpaceX has their own recovery ships.  They had some NASA personnel on board, including medical personnel but the boats are operated by SpaceX. NASA doesn’t pay a separate fee per se for the recovery, it’s considered part of the mission cost. 

https://spacexfleet.com/dragon-recovery/

[Uncle Duke]

Kind of hard to keep the location of the two SpaceX boats secret.  They only have two.  This time the second one was off the east coast of Florida at the alternate splashdown site.

How are ships tracked?  I assume with transponders.  If so, turn them off and give them a warship or cutter escort.  If anyone gets too close, warn them off.   Nothing will get their attention like staring down the barrel of a 40mm gun.

[GravitySucks]

It’s been several years since I worked in the space program so I’m not really plugged in to the details of ascent and entry anymore.  But it will being interesting to see the US operating at least 3 different capsules from 3 different manufacturers all with different concepts of operation and performance characteristics.  As far as water recovery, the US Navy (and probably NATO as well) has a support role on launch day.  All of the 3 systems, SpaceX Dragon, Lockheed Orion and Boeing Starliner all have launch abort systems which, if engaged, would result in a splashdown somewhere in the Atlantic.

As far as baseline reentry and recovery, there are differences.  The Dragon is made for a water landing. The Starliner is made for landing on terra firma. The first flight that resulted in only partial mission success landed at White Sands using parachutes and airbags but could land in the ocean in an emergency. The Orion is designed for water landing.  They have had significant issues with their testing program. I think Lockheed plans on using the Navy for their recovery operations. 

The costs or the SpaceX Dragon program are about $55m per astronaut and $90m for the Boeing Starliner program. And after their problems on their first test flight, Boeing has a shit load of software to fix and retest before NASA let’s them fly an astronaut. 

[GravitySucks]

How are ships tracked?  I assume with transponders.  If so, turn them off and give them a warship or cutter escort.  If anyone gets too close, warn them off.   Nothing will get their attention like staring down the barrel of a 40mm gun.

When you take a look at the recovery ships, they aren’t very big.  They could certainly be given an armed escort of it was deemed necessary, but they pretty much know exactly when and where the capsule is going to splashdown. I was amazed how close the recovery ships were.  I can remember the Navy using an aircraft carrier for Apollo in addition to that huge radar tracking ship. 

I think they touched down about 22 miles out of Pensacola.  Takes a decent sized boat to make that kind of a trip comfortablly, so your aren’t going to have to worry about a fleet of bay boats and Hobie Cats.  I’m sure the Coast Guard was coordinating the traffic in the area. 

[Uncle Duke]

When you take a look at the recovery ships, they aren’t very big.  They could certainly be given an armed escort of it was deemed necessary, but they pretty much know exactly when and where the capsule is going to splashdown. I was amazed how close the recovery ships were.  I can remember the Navy using an aircraft carrier for Apollo in addition to that huge radar tracking ship. 

I think they touched down about 22 miles out of Pensacola.  Takes a decent sized boat to make that kind of a trip comfortablly, so your aren’t going to have to worry about a fleet of bay boats and Hobie Cats.  I’m sure the Coast Guard was coordinating the traffic in the area.

There were a bunch of smallish ships out there, it looked like Dunkirk. I watched the coverage on CSPAN, the lady doing the running commentary (I think from SpaceX) mentioned they would have to do something about that next time, like not announcing where they were coming down. One of the larger private boats was flying a large Trump flag, btw.

[Dr. MD MD]

There were a bunch of smallish ships out there, it looked like Dunkirk. I watched the coverage on CSPAN, the lady doing the running commentary (I think from SpaceX) mentioned they would have to do something about that next time, like not announcing where they were coming down. One of the larger private boats was flying a large Trump flag, btw.

Suck on that, deep state libtards!

[Uncle Duke]

There were a bunch of smallish ships out there, it looked like Dunkirk. I watched the coverage on CSPAN, the lady doing the running commentary (I think from SpaceX) mentioned they would have to do something about that next time, like not announcing where they were coming down. One of the larger private boats was flying a large Trump flag, btw.

https://smartnews.link/w/FD3r