CRS-10 Launching!
February 18, 2017 7:00 AM Subscribe
T-Minus 2 minutes! SpaceX is hosting a webcast of today's launch of CRS-10. This is a historic launch for two reasons. The first is that it's the first time launch pad LC-39A has been used since the space shuttle. The second is they're doing a return to launch site in the day time.
The launch was aborted and they will be trying again tomorrow.
posted by Talez at 7:04 AM on February 18, 2017
posted by Talez at 7:04 AM on February 18, 2017
Was just wondering this morning if there should be metafilter threads for every launch, or if it should go on fanfare.
Bummer about the scrub. Does anyone have a link to a summary of what the problem was? It sounds like it was an issue they were already concerned about, but aborting at T-:10 seems like cutting it pretty close.
posted by phooky at 7:07 AM on February 18, 2017
Bummer about the scrub. Does anyone have a link to a summary of what the problem was? It sounds like it was an issue they were already concerned about, but aborting at T-:10 seems like cutting it pretty close.
posted by phooky at 7:07 AM on February 18, 2017
Disappointing but probably best if there is even the slightest issue, a third "RUD" would be much harder to work past. (RUD: rapid unscheduled disassembly)
The youtube broadcasts are really fun topical discussion for about 20 minutes prior to the launch and if there is a landing about 10 minutes post launch.
posted by sammyo at 7:16 AM on February 18, 2017
The youtube broadcasts are really fun topical discussion for about 20 minutes prior to the launch and if there is a landing about 10 minutes post launch.
posted by sammyo at 7:16 AM on February 18, 2017
My favorite part of living in Florida is getting to see these from my house. :)
posted by Gymnopedist at 7:31 AM on February 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Gymnopedist at 7:31 AM on February 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
Maybe it's because I didn't sleep great last night but space launch FanFare threads sounds kinda great to me right now.
posted by cortex at 8:18 AM on February 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by cortex at 8:18 AM on February 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
Considering the present administration, I'm surprised they were allowed to abort it.
posted by sexyrobot at 8:51 AM on February 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by sexyrobot at 8:51 AM on February 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
Considering the present administration, I'm surprised they were allowed to abort it.
Falcon 9s are just hosts after all.
posted by Talez at 9:06 AM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Falcon 9s are just hosts after all.
posted by Talez at 9:06 AM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
My favorite part of living in Florida is getting to see these from my house. :)
Seriously, if you ever in your life get a chance to watch a massive rocket launch..do it. The view from the ground is humbling and awe inspiring...even from dozens of miles away. You see a human made object blast away from earth incredibly fast and then get a true sense of the planet's curvature as it arcs east. Incredible.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 9:21 AM on February 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
Seriously, if you ever in your life get a chance to watch a massive rocket launch..do it. The view from the ground is humbling and awe inspiring...even from dozens of miles away. You see a human made object blast away from earth incredibly fast and then get a true sense of the planet's curvature as it arcs east. Incredible.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 9:21 AM on February 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
I wonder when the ULA conspiracy theories will start.
posted by crashlanding at 9:57 AM on February 18, 2017
posted by crashlanding at 9:57 AM on February 18, 2017
Falcon 9s are just hosts after all.
(I favorited that, but now I feel bad as the concept of 'hosts' is one of my least favorite things :/ )
posted by sexyrobot at 10:15 AM on February 18, 2017
(I favorited that, but now I feel bad as the concept of 'hosts' is one of my least favorite things :/ )
posted by sexyrobot at 10:15 AM on February 18, 2017
CRS-10 Launching!
February 18, 2017 10:00 AM [ET]
T-Minus 2 minutes! SpaceX is ...
Talez, I've learned to post about SpaceX launches either many hours (or a full day) prior to T-0, or the second the rocket lifts off, not a couple minutes prior. They have scrubbed in the last couple minutes plenty of times, and you just have to wait until actual liftoff. The great thing is that even if it takes a few minutes for people to notice, they'll still get to see the booster landing (typically about 8 minutes after liftoff).
For those asking about what caused the scrub, a thrust vector controller (TVC) for the second stage was problematic during the countdown, and they were attempting to resolve it down to the last minute. One of the hydraulic pistons that steers the nozzle around was giving weird data, conflicting with other data. Here's a video of a SpaceX TVC in action, although it's from 2003 and I doubt they are still using this. They felt they could have launched and it would have been OK, but considering the helium leak they had 24 hours prior they decided to stand down and look harder at it. According to Elon, he actually called the scrub himself. Just in case ...
posted by intermod at 10:22 AM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
February 18, 2017 10:00 AM [ET]
T-Minus 2 minutes! SpaceX is ...
Talez, I've learned to post about SpaceX launches either many hours (or a full day) prior to T-0, or the second the rocket lifts off, not a couple minutes prior. They have scrubbed in the last couple minutes plenty of times, and you just have to wait until actual liftoff. The great thing is that even if it takes a few minutes for people to notice, they'll still get to see the booster landing (typically about 8 minutes after liftoff).
For those asking about what caused the scrub, a thrust vector controller (TVC) for the second stage was problematic during the countdown, and they were attempting to resolve it down to the last minute. One of the hydraulic pistons that steers the nozzle around was giving weird data, conflicting with other data. Here's a video of a SpaceX TVC in action, although it's from 2003 and I doubt they are still using this. They felt they could have launched and it would have been OK, but considering the helium leak they had 24 hours prior they decided to stand down and look harder at it. According to Elon, he actually called the scrub himself. Just in case ...
posted by intermod at 10:22 AM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Maybe it's because I didn't sleep great last night but space launch FanFare threads sounds kinda great to me right now.
Who do I have to favorite to make this happen?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:30 AM on February 18, 2017
Who do I have to favorite to make this happen?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:30 AM on February 18, 2017
Was just wondering this morning if there should be metafilter threads for every launch
When Politics goes off on it's own place, we can think about actual real science articles not being discussed on the blue. This FPP is special for two reasons, use of an unused launch pad, and a day time landing.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 11:49 AM on February 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
When Politics goes off on it's own place, we can think about actual real science articles not being discussed on the blue. This FPP is special for two reasons, use of an unused launch pad, and a day time landing.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 11:49 AM on February 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
Too bad the launch window is even earlier tomorrow. There is almost no chance I'll see it live.
The closest I've come to seeing a rocket launch in person was when there happened to be a Delta IV launch one evening when we were staying with my SO's friends in far east Orlando. I didn't even know there was a launch scheduled that night, but in the middle of a snooker game Nigel said we ought to step out front for a few minutes, and sure enough moments later a ball of fire rose above the tree line and quickly faded to 5 pinpricks of light (it was the variant with 4 strap-ons) as it rapidly receded away after it began its gravity turn.
Being so far away, it was completely soundless. It made me want to see a launch up close and personal to get the full gut-rumbling experience, but there sadly hasn't been any convenient chance to go up there on a launch day since.
posted by wierdo at 3:22 PM on February 18, 2017
The closest I've come to seeing a rocket launch in person was when there happened to be a Delta IV launch one evening when we were staying with my SO's friends in far east Orlando. I didn't even know there was a launch scheduled that night, but in the middle of a snooker game Nigel said we ought to step out front for a few minutes, and sure enough moments later a ball of fire rose above the tree line and quickly faded to 5 pinpricks of light (it was the variant with 4 strap-ons) as it rapidly receded away after it began its gravity turn.
Being so far away, it was completely soundless. It made me want to see a launch up close and personal to get the full gut-rumbling experience, but there sadly hasn't been any convenient chance to go up there on a launch day since.
posted by wierdo at 3:22 PM on February 18, 2017
I hate to admit this, but I witnessed so many Shuttle launches that I started sleeping through them.
That being said, watching a launch is something that I feel every (US) tax payer should see at least once. After seeing, and feeling, these events you can fully appreciate the awesomeness.
posted by jeporter99 at 6:51 PM on February 18, 2017
That being said, watching a launch is something that I feel every (US) tax payer should see at least once. After seeing, and feeling, these events you can fully appreciate the awesomeness.
posted by jeporter99 at 6:51 PM on February 18, 2017
Woo! Successful landing. It's starting to get routine now...
posted by adrianhon at 6:50 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by adrianhon at 6:50 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Well, I meant to get up early, but I didn't wake up in time to see the launch. But I did get to watch the first stage land (on NASA TV), which was cool. And now they're replaying the launch from different views. Successful mission so far!
posted by Secretariat at 7:04 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Secretariat at 7:04 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
So, why did they pick this particular launch pad? Because of the appropriate combo of launch window and weather, or because it would be cool and meaningful to see this launch pad used again? That's probably a naive question, I haven't been following along very closely with recent missions. But it sounds like mission control is in California, and rockets are manufactured in California.
Although, I may have just answered my own question- their launch location in California, Vandenberg Air Force Base, has rain in the forecast today. So weather, maybe?
posted by Secretariat at 7:16 AM on February 19, 2017
Although, I may have just answered my own question- their launch location in California, Vandenberg Air Force Base, has rain in the forecast today. So weather, maybe?
posted by Secretariat at 7:16 AM on February 19, 2017
Canaveral is farther south than Vandenberg, so you get a bit of a speed boost at launch for free, and your flight path goes over the ocean, so you don't have to worry as much about debris falling on people if something goes wrong.
posted by phooky at 7:32 AM on February 19, 2017
posted by phooky at 7:32 AM on February 19, 2017
I see- I think I misunderstood what was different about this mission. Looks like SpaceX usually launches from Canaveral, but this time they used a different launch pad?
(I saw that the difference was launch location, googled to see where SpaceX has launch facilities, and Canaveral and Vandenberg came up.)
posted by Secretariat at 7:51 AM on February 19, 2017
(I saw that the difference was launch location, googled to see where SpaceX has launch facilities, and Canaveral and Vandenberg came up.)
posted by Secretariat at 7:51 AM on February 19, 2017
And the reason for using (historic!) LC-39A instead of SLC-40 is because SLC-40 was damaged in last September's explosion. I think I'm piecing it together.
posted by Secretariat at 8:05 AM on February 19, 2017
posted by Secretariat at 8:05 AM on February 19, 2017
why did they pick this particular launch pad?IIRC a combination of a few things:
They've been working on refurbishing this pad for years, for bigger (Falcon Heavy) launches and for increased flight rates. They just got it finished, fortuitously because:
They trashed their Canaveral pad last year in the explosion, and it's not repaired yet.
They're not yet done building their new Boca Chica site, and don't expect to be for another year or two.
Launching from California is only appropriate for polar orbits, where they can launch to the south. People get antsy when your launch path overflies populated land instead of empty ocean, and for more equatorial orbits you need to launch to the east, so you need an east coast launch site.
posted by roystgnr at 10:18 AM on February 19, 2017
Oh, and I guess for completeness:
Years ago SpaceX decided not to upgrade their Kwajalein atoll launch site to handle Falcon 9 launches, presumably because of the extra cost of keeping a bunch of their operations staff halfway around the world, so they haven't launched anything from there since Falcon 1.
posted by roystgnr at 10:22 AM on February 19, 2017
Years ago SpaceX decided not to upgrade their Kwajalein atoll launch site to handle Falcon 9 launches, presumably because of the extra cost of keeping a bunch of their operations staff halfway around the world, so they haven't launched anything from there since Falcon 1.
posted by roystgnr at 10:22 AM on February 19, 2017
Thank you, roystgnr!
posted by Secretariat at 1:32 PM on February 19, 2017
posted by Secretariat at 1:32 PM on February 19, 2017
Kwaj is also a right pain in the ass because the air is basically saturated with salt. Yes, even more than on a beach in Florida. After having at least one Falcon 1 RUD thanks to corrosion, they decided maybe a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific wasn't the best place to launch from after all.
Even after they do get Boca Chica up and running, there will only be a limited number of launches there because they can only close the nearby beach a certain number of times per year. (6, IIRC, but don't quote me on that). Still, it is a good idea from their perspective to have another launch facility because the KSC range is also used by others, so there is a limit to how many launches they can do there. Plus it's always good to have an extra pad or three in case one gets damaged for some reason.
posted by wierdo at 4:09 PM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Even after they do get Boca Chica up and running, there will only be a limited number of launches there because they can only close the nearby beach a certain number of times per year. (6, IIRC, but don't quote me on that). Still, it is a good idea from their perspective to have another launch facility because the KSC range is also used by others, so there is a limit to how many launches they can do there. Plus it's always good to have an extra pad or three in case one gets damaged for some reason.
posted by wierdo at 4:09 PM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
« Older You must always caulk the wagon. | Ice Dragon boat | Bateau dragon sur glace Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
Aborted at T-minus 13 seconds. "Out of an abundance of caution"
posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 7:04 AM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]