Updates SpaceX Falcon 9 F5 CRS SpX-2 through CRS SpX-12 Updates

[Thunder Chicken]

Anybody know what (if anything) will be attempted with 1st stage flyback testing for CRS-4?

I know the Orb3 can't do 1st stage flyback as it is a geosynchronous insertion.

 

[Kyle]

It appears that it will, but whether or not it's another water landing or a barge landing is unclear.

 

[Kyle]

September 04, 2014

NASA's ISS-RapidScat wind-watching scatterometer, which is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station no earlier than Sept. 19, will be the first science payload to be robotically assembled in space since the space station itself. This image shows the instrument assembly on the left, shrouded in white. On the right is Rapid-Scat's nadir adapter, a very sophisticated bracket that points the scatterometer toward Earth so that it can record the direction and speed of ocean winds. The two pieces are stowed in the unpressurized trunk of a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

 

[Donamy]

About how fast would that antenna spin ?

---------- Post added at 06:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:57 PM ----------

Something like this maybe ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9aieA5vXyY&feature=youtu.be

 

[Kyle]

I can't find anything on my end about the antenna speed of rotation, but that looks about what one would imagine.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Oh My Probe!!! :blink:

SpaceX's Shotwell: 12 days between Falcon 9 launches will be tight, but we're planning Sept. 19 launch to ISS for NASA. #WSBW2014]

https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/509357008789970944

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Oh My Probe!!! :blink:



https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/509357008789970944

Slight change to schedule: launch now scheduled at 2:16 am Eastern on September 20 (06:16 UTC). Man they are heading for a 13 day pad turnaround! It's simply......impressive!

 

[Donamy]

Orbiter payload addon for BrianJ's F9R.
[ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=6639"]RapidScat[/ame]

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Static fire of the Falcon 9 has been completed! Under 2 days to go.... :thumbup:

Here's a NASA fact sheet about the various experiments and things going up on this Dragon. Pretty interesting really.... :hmm:

 

[BrianJ]

So..no legs / barge landing for this one. I guess they will try re-ignition of 1st stage in some fashion, as they did for the last launch.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

I certainly hope so. For every time they try it they will get some good data out of it.

 

[Messierhunter]

So I haven't been to an F9 launch since they started the water landing attempts. Has anyone here been to one and were you able to see the re-ignition of the first stage? I want to try to photograph this one if it's possible, especially given that it will be a night launch.

 

[ISProgram]

EDIT: Oh...it was on the front of the page already. :facepalm:

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Here's the full press kit: http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/SpaceX_NASA_CRS-4_PressKit.pdf

Weather at the Cape isn't quite co-operating though - only a half chance: http://www.patrick.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070716-028.pdf

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Still raining heavily at the Cape....

 

[MattBaker]

90% no go for a launch. Nominally it would lift off in less than 40 minutes but I guess that won't happen today.

---------- Post added at 05:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:37 AM ----------

And it's scrubbed. They'll try tomorrow again at roughly the same time (1:52 AM EDT if I picked it up correctly). With a 40% chance for acceptable weather, still not great.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

90% no go for a launch. Nominally it would lift off in less than 40 minutes but I guess that won't happen today.

---------- Post added at 05:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:37 AM ----------

And it's scrubbed. They'll try tomorrow again at roughly the same time (1:52 AM EDT if I picked it up correctly). With a 40% chance for acceptable weather, still not great.

Should be 40% NO-GO actually. I was surprised that it took them that long to declare defeat once it was clear that the rain shall persist...

 

[MattBaker]

Should be 40% NO-GO actually. I was surprised that it took them that long to declare defeat once it was clear that the rain shall persist...

Spaceflightnow's live updates say: " Sunday's launch opportunity is set for precisely 1:52:04 a.m. EDT (0552:04 GMT), and officials predict a 40 percent chance of favorable weather." and I think the launch commentator said the same.

And well, the rocket was already fueled so it's not like they further worked towards it. I guess the workers wanted another extra hour in their paycheck.:lol:

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Weather at the Cape is trending better, but still enough to be concerned with...

Weather forecast for Titusville, Florida on September 21, 2014 (1 a.m.)

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 21C. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.

Time|Temps|Dew Point|Relative Humidity|Precip|Snow|Cloud cover|Pressure|Wind|Weather
1 AM|22°C|21°C|92%|5%|0%|48%|1013 hPa|8 km/h W|

Partly Cloudy

 

[Kyle]

Well, it's just started pouring rain again here across the state in Tampa, but so far it looks like an isolated pop-up shower.

It's funny, before this deluge decided to pop up we hadn't seen rain since the last SpaceX launch.