Flight 4 of Falcon 1

[Zatnikitelman]

What is the payload exactly. I thought last time he said they wouldn't launch the planned Malaysia government satellite until they got the bugs worked out of the system.
BTW-what rumors exactly, and why the payload sep? Just because it hasn't actually been tested yet?

 

[thomasantony]

Hmm .. its ALREADY evening 7:30 PM on Wednesday here. I guess Kwajelein is too far behind GMT, around 12 hours. Its around 2 AM there right now. So I guess I will be fast asleep and well into Thursday by the time they decide whether they want to launch or not .

 

[simonpro]

What is the payload exactly. I thought last time he said they wouldn't launch the planned Malaysia government satellite until they got the bugs worked out of the system.
BTW-what rumors exactly, and why the payload sep? Just because it hasn't actually been tested yet?

Rumor rumors.
Payload sep: I don't know if that's because they hope to get far enough to use it this time or whether it's because they're worried about it due to problems they've had. No matter what they're testing the out of it on the engineering models.

No idea what the payload is, think it's just a boilerplate.

Hmm .. its ALREADY evening 7:30 PM on Wednesday here.

Are you sure you didn't mean 1930 on Tuesday? If it's Wednesday then there's more timezones on the Earth than I thought...

 

[thomasantony]

Rumor rumors.

Are you sure you didn't mean 1930 on Tuesday? If it's Wednesday then there's more timezones on the Earth than I thought...

Oh yea .. It IS Tuesday apparently .. just noticed . Guess its the lack of sleep... the assignment whose deadline is tomorrow, that I am doing now .. etc.

Anyway, NOW, it is Wednesday, around 00:30 hrs actually. I had had plans to got out to the terrac with my 6'' at around 11:30 and try to finally find Andromeda ( tried and couldn't do it last year .. I wonder why). But now .. due to the stupid assignment (result of procrastination) .. I got delayed and now the sky is mostly cloudy anyway .. crap!!.

As for SpaceX, I just got this notification in the inbox.

Flight 4 of Falcon 1 | Static Fire

The static fire took place on Saturday [20 Sep 2008, CA time], as expected, and no major issues came up. However, after a detailed analysis of data, we decided to replace a component in the 2nd stage engine LOX supply line. There is a good chance we would be ok flying as is, but we are being extremely cautious.
This adds a few extra days to the schedule, so the updated launch window estimate is now Sept 28th through Oct 1st [CA time].
—Elon—

So I guess .. I will still miss it as it will most probably be on Monday for me (Sep 29). Cya all anyway.
Good night/Morning/Afternoon/Evening . Pick whichever you want. I am gonna go catch some ZZZ's. I'll most prolly be sleeping most of the way to college too .. lol .

~
Thomas​

​

 

[Quick_Nick]

Flight 4 of Falcon 1 | Static Fire​

The static fire took place on Saturday [20 Sep 2008, CA time], as expected, and no major issues came up. However, after a detailed analysis of data, we decided to replace a component in the 2nd stage engine LOX supply line. There is a good chance we would be ok flying as is, but we are being extremely cautious.
This adds a few extra days to the schedule, so the updated launch window estimate is now Sept 28th through Oct 1st [CA time].​

FINALLY they take some caution! :lol:
Did they hire some new staff, or did their current team finally learn their lesson.

 

[simonpro]

Not entirely sure how they found a problem in the second stage during a first stage static fire (which I still don't think they should be doing), but better safe than sorry.

Did they hire some new staff, or did their current team finally learn their lesson.

They have a team of external auditors in for this launch.

 

[Urwumpe]

Not entirely sure how they found a problem in the second stage during a first stage static fire (which I still don't think they should be doing), but better safe than sorry.

They found the problematic part on the ground after the test. :lol:

 

[simonpro]

Yes, but why after the test? The second stage oxidiser shouldn't even be pressurised! It boggles the mind.

anyway, I'm drunk and angry, so I'll leave my ranting until tomorrow.

 

[Urwumpe]

Yes, but why after the test? The second stage oxidiser shouldn't even be pressurised! It boggles the mind.

The vibrations shook it loose.

anyway, I'm drunk and angry, so I'll leave my ranting until tomorrow.

So, you count as fueled and pressurized. :lol:

 

[Spicer]

Ok...odds on a explosion of Falcon 1 flight 4??? I'm going to say 1 in 3. Good chance they've fixed some problems, but good enought chance it's a flakey design.

 

[spcefrk]

Ok...odds on a explosion of Falcon 1 flight 4??? I'm going to say 1 in 3. Good chance they've fixed some problems, but good enought chance it's a flakey design.

Explosion in general or Explosion visual on live feed? There's a big difference there. I like that they decided to scrub and repair/inspect. That's a good sign. Let's hope they fix it, and go for a successful launch, but I'll be skeptical until that payload hits a stable orbit...

At any rate, good luck to them I'm looking forward to watching the launch in the O-F Chatroom

 

[MajorTom]

Elon speaks of "launch windows."

I'd love to understand what determines the launch window for a simple orbital launch that requires no rendezvous.

Thanks for the great pix, thomasantony!

 

[simonpro]

The vibrations shook it loose.

Doh. Better put some extra ductape on that then.

So, you count as fueled and pressurized. :lol:

Yep, I'm out of fuel now though but still highly pressurised. SpaceX doesn't help themselves too much when it comes to making people like them

 

[tblaxland]

I'd love to understand what determines the launch window for a simple orbital launch that requires no rendezvous.

I'm guessing it has more to do with ground support than orbital mechanics.

 

[MajorTom]

I'm guessing it has more to do with ground support than orbital mechanics.

Thank you...that's about all I could think of. That, and avoiding any collision with a Chinese guy doing an EVA.

MT

 

[Eagle]

From the spaceX website

The static fire took place on Saturday [20 Sep 2008, CA time], as expected, and no major issues came up. However, after a detailed analysis of data, we decided to replace a component in the 2nd stage engine LOX supply line. There is a good chance we would be ok flying as is, but we are being extremely cautious.
This adds a few extra days to the schedule, so the updated launch window estimate is now Sept 28th through Oct 1st [CA time].

--Elon--

EXCITING!!!! I can hardly wait!

 

[Arrowstar]

Is there a set time/date for the launch yet? Supposedly it's today or tomorrow, correct?

 

[Eagle]

Is there a set time/date for the launch yet? Supposedly it's today or tomorrow, correct?

Check my quoted SpaceX update (or go to their website). Right now 28 Sept - 01 Oct are the given dates.

 

[Urwumpe]

I'd love to understand what determines the launch window for a simple orbital launch that requires no rendezvous.

Usually, you have lighting conditions during launch and the orientation of the orbit plane relative to the sun as important conditions for the first orbits. When you have not enough sunlit phases, satellites can run out of battery power, especially when something goes wrong.

 

[MajorTom]

Usually, you have lighting conditions during launch and the orientation of the orbit plane relative to the sun as important conditions for the first orbits. When you have not enough sunlit phases, satellites can run out of battery power, especially when something goes wrong.

Got it! Thanks.