Launch News SpaceX Falcon Heavy Demo Mission (1330-1630 EST 6th Feb. 2018)

[statickid]

Omg it's David Bowie.

 

[perseus]

I thought that this image was of space opera, and fantasy but is close to reality

 

[Deleted Orbinaut]

I wonder if anything is done to deconflict the two boosters on their return to LZ. I hope there is something more than prayer involved.

I noticed on the official feed that the announcers were stressing that the two camera views looked identical but were from the two different boosters, which I don't think was right. You could see the re-entry and landing burns of the lower booster in both cameras.

Video link:
https://youtu.be/wbSwFU6tY1c?t=36m30s

 

[statickid]

I don't have a link for info but apparently word on the street is the suit is included as part of its human flight rating. I don't know if it's pressurized or has sensors but it's supposedly fulfilling some NASA testing requirement.

 

[Urwumpe]

I noticed on the official feed that the announcers were stressing that the two camera views looked identical but were from the two different boosters, which I don't think was right. You could see the re-entry and landing burns of the lower booster in both cameras.

Video link:
https://youtu.be/wbSwFU6tY1c?t=36m30s

This explains also why I saw both boosters aiming for the same landing pad.

Not sure if this works out, but this was a VERY fitting tweet about the differences between USA and Germany there:

[ame="http://twitter.com/extra3/status/960978870018232321"]extra3 on Twitter: "Auch Deutschland ist fit für die Zukunft: In vielen Regionen kann man den #FalconHeavy-Start sogar ruckelfrei streamen!"[/ame]

"Germany is ready for the future, too: In many regions, you can watch the live stream of the #FalconHeavy launch without interruptions. "

(I don't want to get too much into politics there, but this is our technological reality)

 

[Gerdih]

I have read the last stage overthrusted, was that a failure or planned?

 

[Urwumpe]

I have read the last stage overthrusted, was that a failure or planned?

Likely planned, considering that this was a test flight. The payload is now in an orbit that will take it beyond Mars into the asteroid belt, just short of Ceres.

 

[DaveS]

I have read the last stage overthrusted, was that a failure or planned?

No overthrust. What I think you mean is that the second stage with the Roadster went beyond the orbit of Mars and intersected the asteroid belt. This was planned as they always planned to burn the second stage to depletion a so called "Minimum Residual Shutdown" or MRS. The orbit of Mars was just a "nice to have" target.

 

[Urwumpe]

No overthrust. What I think you mean is that the second stage with the Roadster went beyond the orbit of Mars and intersected the asteroid belt. This was planned as they always planned to burn the second stage to depletion a so called "Minimum Residual Shutdown" or MRS. The orbit of Mars was just a "nice to have" target.

Its possible that the additional loop around Earth might have allowed this high apohelion by Oberth effect. Without this maneuver a single long burn might have wasted more fuel on gravity losses.

 

[Gerdih]

No overthrust. What I think you mean is that the second stage with the Roadster went beyond the orbit of Mars and intersected the asteroid belt. This was planned as they always planned to burn the second stage to depletion a so called "Minimum Residual Shutdown" or MRS. The orbit of Mars was just a "nice to have" target.

When I saw the orbit looked to me a bit weird intersection trajectory with Mars (too excentric). Didn't find any offical info regarding that so I was wondering if the second stage had any kind of failure.

Do we know how far away from Mars will the fly-by be?

 

[Deleted Orbinaut]

Do we know how far away from Mars will the fly-by be?

They never planned a Martian fly-by. (The next Martian launch window isn't until April.) The car will likely just orbit the sun for the next billion or so years.

 

[Kyle]

I was 4 miles away at Playalinda Beach for the launch. WAS INCREDIBLE!!

 

[Frilock]

Now we wait until the year 3000 when it is found again and on a collision course with New New York. We then have to launch a second one to knock it off course.

 

[Notebook]

Made on Earth by Humans

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42973449

 

[Artlav]

"Germany is ready for the future, too: In many regions, you can watch the live stream of the #FalconHeavy launch without interruptions. "

(I don't want to get too much into politics there, but this is our technological reality)

Huh? What does it look like? What sort of interruptions are they?

 

[Gerdih]

Huh? What does it look like? What sort of interruptions are they?

I guess Urwumpe was referring to USA launching a sport car to the asteroid belt while Germany kind of brags about them being able to broadcast it in HD.

 

[Urwumpe]

I guess Urwumpe was referring to USA launching a sport car to the asteroid belt while Germany kind of brags about them being able to broadcast it in HD.

Wrong. Its more about SpaceX launching a sports car into space, while most of Germany actually can't even watch the livestream of it, because the internet infrastructure is too outdated.

 

[steph]

It depends. If you're unlucky enough to only have mobile internet coverage, then yes...even low quality live streaming can be a problem.
At least in France, I've seen companies offering loads of services relying only on mobile coverage. Their advertised speeds are, however, only attainable if you're close to the pylon, there's exceptionally clear air and nobody uses mobile data or phone for miles around :lol:

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Now for the merchandising!

https://gfycat.com/OddRashGopher

 

[Urwumpe]

It depends. If you're unlucky enough to only have mobile internet coverage, then yes...even low quality live streaming can be a problem.
At least in France, I've seen companies offering loads of services relying only on mobile coverage. Their advertised speeds are, however, only attainable if you're close to the pylon, there's exceptionally clear air and nobody uses mobile data or phone for miles around :lol:

It has become so bad here, the government agency responsible for communication companies has created an application to officially test your connection speed, which you can use for proving your provider is cheating you. Has already resulted in the first successful contract violation processes.