Updates Blue Origin New Shepard News and Updates

[GLS]

T0, liftoff!!!

---------- Post added at 04:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:36 PM ----------

Escape fire!!!

---------- Post added at 04:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:37 PM ----------

Booster intact!!!!
HOLY S***

---------- Post added at 04:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:38 PM ----------

Main chutes out!

---------- Post added at 04:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:39 PM ----------

Booster cutoff at 240kft.
Capsule about to land!

---------- Post added at 04:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:40 PM ----------

Capsule touchdown!!!

---------- Post added at 04:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:41 PM ----------

Booster descending now...

---------- Post added at 04:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:41 PM ----------

Landing sequence has started!

---------- Post added at 04:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:42 PM ----------

Engine ignition, coming down to the 5th landing of this booster!!

---------- Post added at 04:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:43 PM ----------

Booster touchdown!!!

 

[Pipcard]

That went perfectly.

 

[Urwumpe]

Looks like a full success.

 

[GLS]

Webcast ended... AWESOME SHOW!

 

[Donamy]

Wish we could see the recovery.

 

[RGClark]

I don't like that rotation while the abort engine was still firing.

Bob Clark

 

[GLS]

I don't like that rotation while the abort engine was still firing.

Bob Clark

Yeah, it lacks some stability... does the capsule have RCS?
Anyway, it's still better than a coffin.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

I don't like that rotation while the abort engine was still firing.

To my eye that looked like the effect of a forced oscillating wake making the capsule rock back and forth with increasing amplitude. They basically made something that flies like a knuckleball.

A little axial spin with RCS might be all that is needed to stabilize it.

 

[N_Molson]

Yeah, private propaganda aside I'd say quite a bit of tumbling during the capsule abort maneuver. And those flames once the booster landed looked a bit like the potential start of a fire, too... I hope they won't land on dry bushes (though a light wood fire shouldn't be that hot) !

Other than that, it looks rather good. I still prefer pointy rockets, though.

 

[APDAF]

Looks as stable than some KSP rockets I haven built in the past but it works

 

[Andy44]

That was very nice. Glad they managed to save the booster after all that violence at the front end!

---------- Post added at 12:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:07 AM ----------

Yeah, private propaganda aside I'd say quite a bit of tumbling during the capsule abort maneuver. And those flames once the booster landed looked a bit like the potential start of a fire, too... I hope they won't land on dry bushes (though a light wood fire shouldn't be that hot) !

Well, there was a pretty good chance that the booster would be destroyed in the test, so the fact that it survived to touchdown and gets to retire in a museum is a bonus any way you look at it.

Other than that, it looks rather good. I still prefer pointy rockets, though.

I do normally, but I realized what it is about this system that appeals to me; it reminds me of a toy I had when I was very young, it was a rocket ship for Steve Austin, the bionic astronaut/secret agent from The Six Million Dollar Man.

 

[IronRain]

Replay of the event (action around 50 minutes):

 

[Urwumpe]

I hope they won't land on dry bushes (though a light wood fire shouldn't be that hot) !

If you do a powered landing on dry bushes, they should be no concern after touchdown.

Also, a Soyuz landing does rarely cause significant fires (But it happened that the capsule landed near an already existing fire).

 

[Donamy]

If there were people on board, I don't think they would have had a very long walk, back to the pad.

 

[Ravenous]

If there were people on board, I don't think they would have had a very long walk, back to the pad.

...or preferably a walk to the nearest bar for a very strong drink! :lol:

A good test of an important system but it looked a little bumpy...

 

[Donamy]

With an all day pass, maybe get to the front of the line, for the next ride ...eh, launch.

 

[Urwumpe]

With an all day pass, maybe get to the front of the line, for the next ride ...eh, launch.

For that, they should be better building the capsules like sausages. And maybe invent the revolver launch pad.

 

[N_Molson]

And maybe invent the revolver launch pad.

Now that would be interesting... :hmm:

 

[GLS]

 

[RGClark]

...or preferably a walk to the nearest bar for a very strong drink! :lol:

A good test of an important system but it looked a little bumpy...

During the SpaceX abort test they had a trunk attached with fins. That helped to give it better stability during the firing portion of the test. A well known rocket stability rule of thumb is the center of pressure should be below the center of gravity. The trunk and fins helped that for the SpaceX test.

Another advantage the SpaceX abort had is the multiple thrusters arranged around the capsule. That made it easier to make fine adjustments to the capsule attitude during the firing portion of the flight. That's harder to do using a central rocket as with the Blue Origin capsule.

Bob Clark