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General Discussion and Announcements => General Discussion => Topic started by: TopNotch on April 09, 2016, 08:50:17 am

Title: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: TopNotch on April 09, 2016, 08:50:17 am
SpaceX has successfully landed another rocket stage, this time on a barge (or "autonomous spaceport drone ship") at sea.

The full webcast replay is below. The drone ship is named "Of Course I Still Love You" (the SpaceX geeks have a sense of humor), and you will hear that name mentioned in the video.
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: Fierofool on April 09, 2016, 11:17:52 am
We watched the live telecast of the launch, yesterday.  It's amazing that they hit the drone ship perfectly but what's also amazing is that it is stable enough that the rocket doesn't topple over after landing. 
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: TopNotch on April 12, 2016, 11:31:31 am
The Russians are now claiming that they invented landing a rocket at sea, and to prove it, released this clip from an old Russian sci-fi film.

Of course, this is "movie magic", and they never actually did it for real.
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: TopNotch on April 20, 2016, 09:41:05 pm
Some lucky folks got to watch the landed stage being moved by truck...
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: TopNotch on May 06, 2016, 10:59:24 am
Last night, another SpaceX rocket landed successfully on the drone ship at sea. This time, the stage came in faster, and from a higher altitude, making the attempt more difficult. The rocket's job this time was to launch a communication satellite into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) at 22,236 miles (35,786 km) above Earth. The last time, it only had to go to the International Space Station at 240 miles high.
This article (http://www.americaspace.com/?p=93284#more-93284) about the launch includes a really cool picture of the launch. Click on the picture to get a bigger copy of it.
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: TopNotch on May 07, 2016, 08:07:21 am
I took the SpaceX video of the launch, removed the boring part (the 2nd stage coast section), and put it on Youtube. There's some interesting "rocket science 101" information in this video.
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: TopNotch on May 28, 2016, 08:39:26 am
Yesterday there was yet another launch and landing. Here's the landing, as viewed from a camera on the rocket. This is a time-lapse view, and it wasn't really this fast.
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: TopNotch on May 28, 2016, 10:57:46 am
Another view, slower, with a marker showing where the drone ship is.
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: f85gtron on July 21, 2016, 10:33:53 pm
I visited Kennedy space center today and the tour passes by and discusses the space x civilian relationship with nasa. Space x is taking over the two pads used by the space shuttle program, so they've totally dismantled one pad and retrofitted to their specs, and will do the same to the other pad within the next few months.
I didn't pay attention in the video, but noticed it in the tour that the landings they stuck where on a BARGE which was pitching to and fro. The video from the shore was freaky because the rocket comes in fast and angled, then straightens up and lands all in one perfect movement. It's so perfect, it's weird.
They have mucho launches scheduled soon.

Oh, and the Atlantis is on display and SUPER COOL!
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: TopNotch on July 22, 2016, 02:01:05 pm
SpaceX landed another rocket just last Monday (about 1 AM in the morning) on land this time. Here's a young lady's video of the event.
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: GTRS Fiero on December 23, 2017, 10:05:02 pm
My wife showed me a pic someone took of a SpaceX launch they got to see.  It looked like a space-age nerf football, with that thing on the back.
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: GTRS Fiero on January 11, 2018, 08:20:13 am
I think 2 days ago, they had a launch with a return.
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: Fierofool on January 11, 2018, 08:47:10 am
That was for the Secret Mission satellite.  Lots of speculation that the launch failed and the satellite was lost. 
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: TopNotch on January 11, 2018, 11:37:32 am
The mission was called "Zuma", and that is about all that is known about it. Even the government agency responsible is not known, but the National Reconnaissance Office (responsible for spy satellites) said it's not one of theirs.
Gwen Shotwell, president of SpaceX had this to say about it:
"For clarity: after review of all data to date, Falcon 9 did everything correctly on Sunday night. If we or others find otherwise based on further review, we will report it immediately. Information published that is contrary to this statement is categorically false. Due to the classified nature of the payload, no further comment is possible."
Northrup Grumman, who built the satellite, has no comment. But it is known that they built the payload adapter which attached the payload to the rocket's 2nd stage. Normally, SpaceX supplies the payload adapter.
The satellite may have failed to separate from the 2nd stage, which de-orbited itself after the mission to avoid becoming "space junk". If the satellite was still attached, it would  have gone down, too.
But the Air Force website that lists all objects in orbit assigned it a number, "USA 280", and shows it as still active. We may know more in a week, when the assumed orbit makes it viewable to amateur satellite watchers.
Edit: There is scheduled to be a National Reconnaissance Office launch today at 4 PM. It will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket, and you can watch it here (http://www.ulalaunch.com/webcast.aspx).
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: Fierofool on January 11, 2018, 01:49:39 pm
There's no better way to keep an ultra top secret satellite ultra top secret than to speculate that the launch may have been a failure and it was destroyed in it's return to earth. 
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: TopNotch on January 11, 2018, 09:10:31 pm
The NRO launch was scrubbed for today. They'll try again tomorrow.
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: GTRS Fiero on June 25, 2019, 11:47:38 pm
There was some talk today of a SpaceX something.  Didn't hear the details.
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: TopNotch on June 26, 2019, 10:13:09 am
They launched a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket 2:30 am Tuesday with 24 satellites on board. Some of the satellites were DOD, and this mission was a step in getting approval for the Falcon Heavy to launch more serious DOD missions. The two side boosters landed back at Cape Canaveral. The center core was to land on a drone ship but missed it. It nearly had to go into orbit itself in order to get the second stage in orbit with most of its fuel still there. The second stage needed enough fuel to change course several times to distribute the various satellites in their appropriate orbits. This was actually the most difficult mission SpaceX has taken on to date, and they aced it, except for center core recovery. All satellites were delivered successfully.
Edit: One of the 24 satellites was from Georgia Tech. :)

Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: GTRS Fiero on June 26, 2019, 06:04:47 pm
Quote from: TopNotch on June 26, 2019, 10:13:09 am
Edit: One of the 24 satellites was from Georgia Tech. :)

That part is pretty cool.  My dad was part of the team that developed one of the spacecraft.  Geminii, I think.
Title: Re: SpaceX sticks another landing
Post by: GTRS Fiero on March 05, 2021, 08:46:38 pm
Well, they stuck that last landing, sortof.