Rocket on a Boat, part deux
11SpaceX will attempt to land their Falcon 9 first stage on a boat today. The launch is scheduled for 10 Feb 2015 23:04:46 UTC, which is 6:04 PM EST. It's actually a very interesting mission. They are going to be placing the Deep Space Climate Observatory at the Sun Earth Lagrange point 1. (what are Lagrange points you ask? See here: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/What_are_Lagrange_points )
To get a better understanding of what SpaceX is trying to accomplish and what it will mean for the advancing of access to space: http://www.spacex.com/news/2013/03/31/reusability-key-making-human-life-multi-planetary
Also cool
If all that's too much, there's this:
And if even that's too much and you simply want regurgitated super old internet memes for your entertainment, I got you covered too:
Enjoy.
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Is this the same group that tried and was successful recently (i.e. the part 2)?? That was cool to watch!
@mikibell Semi successful. The rocket made it to the barge but then underwent a RUD (Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly)
"if we aren't scientifically literate we are up for grabs for the next charlatan who comes shambling along."
Sigh.
@Headly I enjoyed your post. My brother works for another aerospace company (the one that didn't make the shuttle replacment cut) so I always enjoy space-related posts :)
I'M ON A ROCKET BOAT!
@DaveInSoCal
@SSteve this is such an odd .gif so I had to check on the context: http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/aero/rocket1a.htm
@JonT
And scrubbed until tomorrow...
Trying again today, Feb. 11, 6:03pm EST http://www.spacex.com/webcast/
SpaceX is still tracking towards a 6:03pm ET liftoff of DSCOVR, but unfortunately we will not be able to attempt to recover the first stage of the Falcon 9. The drone ship was designed to operate in all but the most extreme weather. We are experiencing just such weather in the Atlantic with waves reaching up to three stories in height crashing over the decks. Also, only three of the drone ship’s four engines are functioning, making station-keeping in the face of such wave action extremely difficult. The rocket will still attempt a soft landing in the water through the storm (producing valuable landing data), but survival is highly unlikely.
@Headly dang
@Headly Working late today and ustream is blocked here. Grrr
@Headly Btw, I have a friend that grew up on Merritt Island. Her father worked for Nasa and she now works for them. I'm totally envious.
@Cinoclav That's sweet. I wouldn't mind working for SpaceX. Not sure what I would do though.
@Headly @Cinoclav I've long suspected I really wanted to work in Mission Control for NASA. It kind of feels like that in a TV Control Room, but Mission Control seems like another level of cool.
@jqubed More like 10 other levels of cool!
@Cinoclav True; no one reacts like this when a broadcast goes well.
"Rocket soft landed in the ocean within 10m of target & nicely vertical! High probability of good droneship landing in non-stormy weather," Musk said via Twitter Wednesday. http://www.space.com/28481-spacex-launches-dscovr-satellite.html
They aimed well enough, and the speed was right. There are a whole lot of unknowns, because the boat wasn't there. Given the weather, and the broken motor, even if it was there, it wouldn't have been stable enough.
There are still several more tries on this contract. SpaceX set the price on these launches under the assumption that none of the first stages would be recovered. I suspect that the first recovered rocket will be thoroughly inspected. If it does go back to space, that flight won't be carrying anything that is hard to replace.
Getting closer.
On today's attempt, the first stage rocket landed on the boat, but it was moving sideways a little too fast. It fell over.
The payload is on its way to the space station.
@hamjudo It's @carl669 's fault that it fell over, and that the weather here didn't clear enough to show the ascent. We usually can watch them from our front yard; shuttles used to fly right up the coast, visible for about ten minutes. It's also his fault that I didn't find out untill too late that the barge was being fitted up here in town, because I would have gone to see it.
@OldCatLady here's a puppy falling over to make it up to you.
Musk's big ego just won't let him bring in the pros. He needs Col. Mc Cauley!