Author Topic: Falcon Heavy Test Flight  (Read 47006 times)

Offline Bryanpoprobson

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Falcon Heavy Test Flight
« on: February 06, 2018, 04:05:18 PM »
Wow, just amazing especially the simaultaneous landing of the two boosters.
"Wise men speak because they have something to say!" "Fools speak, because they have to say something!" (Plato)

Offline Zakalwe

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Re: Falcon Heavy Test Flight
« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2018, 04:29:57 PM »
Epic. No other words.
"The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.' " - Isaac Asimov

Offline Bryanpoprobson

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Re: Falcon Heavy Test Flight
« Reply #2 on: February 06, 2018, 04:32:27 PM »
Hearing unconfirmed reports that they have lost the centre core.
"Wise men speak because they have something to say!" "Fools speak, because they have to say something!" (Plato)

Offline Apollo 957

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Re: Falcon Heavy Test Flight
« Reply #3 on: February 06, 2018, 04:45:16 PM »
Seriously impressive.

Even if the centre core missed the barge, they seem to float OK. The previous launch, where they planned to simply abandon a used Falcon 9, it was found floating and recoverable.

Offline Bryanpoprobson

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Re: Falcon Heavy Test Flight
« Reply #4 on: February 06, 2018, 04:59:41 PM »
Seriously impressive.

Even if the centre core missed the barge, they seem to float OK. The previous launch, where they planned to simply abandon a used Falcon 9, it was found floating and recoverable.
It seems that the report of losing the core was just referring to the telemetry feed. But there is no definitive news yet.
"Wise men speak because they have something to say!" "Fools speak, because they have to say something!" (Plato)

Offline AtomicDog

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Re: Falcon Heavy Test Flight
« Reply #5 on: February 06, 2018, 05:23:30 PM »
Watching the live feed of Starman in his Tesla. Earth's getting smaller and smaller.


"There is no belief, however foolish, that will not gather its faithful adherents who will defend it to the death." - Isaac Asimov

Offline Apollo 957

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Re: Falcon Heavy Test Flight
« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2018, 06:55:43 PM »
Even if the core stage was lost ... to the tune of the Meatloaf song (italics are the chorus);

We launched it (launched it)
To orb-it (orb-it)
But it seems as if the core, it just didn't make it
But don't be sad (don't be sad)
'Cause two out of three ain't bad

Offline Apollo 957

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Re: Falcon Heavy Test Flight
« Reply #7 on: February 06, 2018, 06:57:02 PM »
I've just read somewhere else there's a copy of Hitch-hiker's Guide and a towel in the glovebox ....

Offline Apollo 957

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Re: Falcon Heavy Test Flight
« Reply #8 on: February 06, 2018, 07:09:20 PM »
RIP core stage; at press conference, Musk says not all its engines lit up, and it ditched in the drink ...

Offline VQ

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Re: Falcon Heavy Test Flight
« Reply #9 on: February 06, 2018, 10:57:54 PM »
RIP core stage; at press conference, Musk says not all its engines lit up, and it ditched in the drink ...

With the longer burn before core stage separation, was this a more energetic reentry than they have done before on a 1st stage recovery attempt?

Offline raven

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Re: Falcon Heavy Test Flight
« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2018, 01:36:22 AM »
Well, the core stage was the big unknown. The others were not only flight tested hardware, but also extensively flight tested procedurally.  Still, overall, I'd definitely call this a success in almost all parameters.
They'll get this.

Offline smartcooky

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Re: Falcon Heavy Test Flight
« Reply #11 on: February 07, 2018, 02:49:21 AM »
With the longer burn before core stage separation, was this a more energetic reentry than they have done before on a 1st stage recovery attempt?

Yes

Have a look at the broadcast, and take special note of the altitude and velocity telemetry of  the centre core/upper stage at staging.




It was 9500 km/hr at an altitude of 90km. Normal staging for a Falcon 9 is about 5,500 @ 115km for LEO and 7,500 @ 100 km for a launch to GTO. The centre core was travelling much faster and lower than usual, narrowing the margins for error.

Another thing to consider is that when cores land at sea on the drone ship, they usually use the existing ballistic trajectory (no boostback burn) and simply have a re-entry burn and landing burn. However at this case, with the extra velocity, the ballistic trajectory would have taken the centre core to over 1000miles off the Atlantic Coast, so they decided to use a boostback burn.

Perhaps the faster speed lower altitude and the need for and additional burn led to a miscalculation of the amount of triethylaluminium it needed to ignite the engines three times.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2018, 02:52:05 AM by smartcooky »
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Offline VQ

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Re: Falcon Heavy Test Flight
« Reply #12 on: February 07, 2018, 03:09:20 AM »
Perhaps the faster speed lower altitude and the need for and additional burn led to a miscalculation of the amount of triethylaluminium it needed to ignite the engines three times.

Damage from reentry seems more likely to me if this was new territory velocity-wise.

Offline gwiz

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Re: Falcon Heavy Test Flight
« Reply #13 on: February 07, 2018, 05:48:04 AM »
Wasn't some guy going to ride a rocket to somehow prove the Earth is flat?  Looks like SpaceX just raised the bar on that one.
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...the ascent module ... took off like a rocket - Moon Man

Offline Count Zero

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Re: Falcon Heavy Test Flight
« Reply #14 on: February 07, 2018, 09:16:35 AM »
Wow, just amazing especially the simaultaneous landing of the two boosters.

THIS is what the 21st century was supposed to look like.
"What makes one step a giant leap is all the steps before."