Counting down to SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-1 launch...

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luke strawwalker
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#1 Counting down to SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-1 launch...

Post by luke strawwalker »

Things are apparently still going well in the countdown to the first Crew Dragon Demo Flight-1, an unmanned test of the new commercial crew vehicle SpaceX is planning to launch astronauts to the ISS in later this year. DM-1 will mark the first time a crew-capable spacecraft has been launched by the United States since the unmanned Orion test launched on a Delta-IV Heavy on 5 December 2014, just over 4 years ago, and only the second crew-capable vehicle launch since the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet in 2011, 8 years ago.

Weather is currently looking good for the launch, scheduled for 0249 EST (0749 GMT) Saturday. If all goes well, the spacecraft will dock with the ISS sometime Sunday, and remain until late in the week, with a scheduled reentry and splashdown into the Atlantic just off the coast of Florida sometime next Friday...

https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-drago ... ecast.html

It's good to see that progress has been made, and that maybe we're FINALLY going to be capable of launching our own astronauts into space again, instead of sending them to Russia with packed bags and an $80 million dollar check of taxpayer money to buy tickets on Soyuz. That was fine as a "stop-gap" measure, but honestly IMHO it's become a national embarrassment... Kennedy is probably spinning in his grave! It's been a long time coming and here's hoping for all the best for SpaceX, and their competitors in the Commercial Crew program, ULA and their CST-100 Orion clone.

Later! OL J R :)
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#2 Re: Counting down to SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-1 launch...

Post by Commander »

I look forward to their success and the eventual actual launch of a manned flight. Here's hoping somebody makes it above the Karman line. Oh wait, an American man capable craft already has. However that company does little public boasting and showing off. They'll just plod along, but one day....

I know, I know, BE is only suborbital. They're not actually going into space. It's akin to a model rocketeer thinking he is NASA. Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but from where I'm sitting. A lot of model rocketry is doing today what NACA and company did back in the fifties and given a large enough budget and some lax regulations, I wouldn't put it past Jerry Irvine to put someone above the Karman line in a hme brew rocket.

and if someone thinks the plodding method isn't viable, I have a story to tell.
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#3 Re: Counting down to SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-1 launch...

Post by bernomatic »

Beautiful Night Launch :~salud:

:USA: :USA: :USA: :USA:
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#4 Re: Counting down to SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-1 launch...

Post by luke strawwalker »

Well, so far so good... just watched it "live" streaming on YouTube from SpaceX's channel and synced with the delayed video of the same feed from NASA TV (they're always late LOL:)

Beautiful launch, good staging, first stage reentry and landing on the drone ship, second stage shutdown they said was scheduled for +08:59 mission elapsed time (MET) but actually occurred at +09:05 as I was watching it. Don't know what that was about. Dragon 2 separated shortly thereafter and should dock around 6 am...

SpaceX will be broadcasting live from their YouTube channel, and I guess NASA TV will cover it as well. Launch replays on right now. That Falcon 9 is something... modernized Saturn IB, more or less...

Here's hoping things continue to go well... "My finely wrought dream approaches its fulfillment!"... LOL:) Gotta throw in a great Hugo Drax comment there, don't ya know.

That blue burning kerosene ring shortly before staging was GORGEOUS! Never seen that before, but the launches in daytime I guess the bright light obscures it. Kerosene and LH2, THAT is the proper way to power a space launcher (yeah, I know, it's a kerosene upper stage engine-- shame they don't have a hydrogen upper stage, in a way, because it would give a HUGE performance boost to Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy... but of course it'd be a lot more expensive and create more difficulties, so there's something to be said for the simplicity of kerosene upper stages... The Russians have used them from day 1 and still do! Kerosene, baby! None of that silly solid rocket nonsense!

Anyway, they're on their way, and all I gotta say is, it's about time! I'd bet SpaceX could have had it done a couple years ago, but they've gotta make "granny NASA" happy and prove everything 9 ways to Sunday. I had to laugh during the pre-launch press conference, when they were talking about having to satisfy the Russians about the approach and docking sequence to "protect the station". They didn't seem to have a problem with cobbling together a TV/remote control docking system for their Progress freighters during the Shuttle/Mir program, when they were having trouble getting the Kurs automated docking system parts from Ukraine after the Soviet collapse (because Roscosmos hadn't been paying their bills to the company producing them in Ukraine) and so they cobbled together a "replacement"... of course it was glitchy and the video feed would drop out, and they were then trying to fly the Progress in and dock "blind". Had one guy watching the TV screen with a hand controller, the other guy at the hatch porthole trying to find the Progress and hit it with a laser rangefinder to determine the distance and closing rate... and the two guys shouting instructions/readouts to each other... crazy. One near miss when they lost sight of the Progress and the TV/control had completely glitched out, with the Progress whizzing by a few meters from the Mir wasn't enough-- No, they try it again on a little while later on another launch and have the same nonsense happen, only this time the Progress smashed into one of Mir's modules and holed it, and they were in full panic mode to sever all the wire bundles and hoses going into the module through the open hatch so they could close the hatch before the station completely depressurized! Yet of course NOW *we* have to satisfy those crazy Russians that our spacecraft is "safe" to approach "their" station... LOL:) Ain't international cooperation grand?? LOL:)

Anyway, yall have a good one! Later! OL J R :)
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#5 Re: Counting down to SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-1 launch...

Post by luke strawwalker »

bernomatic wrote: Sat, 02 Mar 19, 08:08 am Beautiful Night Launch :~salud:

:USA: :USA: :USA: :USA:
Yep... and they named their space-suited test mannequin "Ripley"... LOL:)

They also put an Earth globe "beach ball" or something on the center seat as a "zero G" indicator that was supposed to float around in the cabin once they made orbit, but it seemed to be just laying there once the second stage shut down...

Later! OL J R :)
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#6 Re: Counting down to SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-1 launch...

Post by luke strawwalker »

Good docking. I recorded NASA-TV from about 4 am til 9 am local time (CST) so I could watch it this evening. Saw they achieved docking this morning, but I had to go to Shiner to take Mom to church and feed cows, so I didn't have time to watch it any further. Neat to see. REALLY clear pictures from ISS, beautiful shots of the Dragon outside approaching the station.

Now lets hope everything goes as well Friday.

later! OL J R :)
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#7 Re: Counting down to SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-1 launch...

Post by bernomatic »

Space X could have created a lot more hoopla if they had rigged "Ripley" to wave out the window to the ISS upon arrival.
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#8 Re: Counting down to SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-1 launch...

Post by luke strawwalker »

Well I've had a fun time... Heard a loud pop or bang when I was hitting the brakes on the main highway for the last big turn to come out to the farm Tuesday. Nothing seemed wrong so I kept going. Even stopped and pulled the strap of the bales and rolled it up, then drive on to the farm, fed cows, drive the truck over to the house and parked. When I went to leave a little while later, I noticed something didn't feel right, my steering wheel was clocked over at about the 2 o'clock position, and the turn onto the road over the cattle guard felt wrong, so I stopped with the truck steered hard over right. Looked at the suspension, all appeared well, got in pulled forward ten feet steered hard over left, jumped out inspected again, seemed ok so I hoped in and took off, wanted to drive back to Sugarland to see Keira's ball game... Got about a quarter mile up the road near the end of the farm and the right front wheel fell of my truck, and I slid her gradually into the ditch as I stopped. Lower ball joint snapped and the wheel simply feel out from under the truck. Had to walk back a half mile to the barn get the tractor, unhitch the trailer, pull it away from the truck, then pick up the front end with the loader and push it back up the road and across the cattle guard onto the farm, went back and tried to pick up the front of the truck to pick it back too, but the little tractor didn't have enough beans to lift it much... Did manage to push it back off the road. Had to get it hauled to the shop to be fixed. No shop or told to speak of here. Maybe they'll have it by tomorrow I hope.

Watched the hatch closing this morning waiting to watch the undocking now, hope to see reentry in the morning. Hope they have great luck, because mine has sucked this week... Keira got clipped by a player sliding late into third as she was trying to tag her, and got a bad sprain and is on crutches. Betty's car got dropped off at the shop for a tune-up and muffler Monday so hopefully it'll pass smog inspection... Now my truck is in for a pair of new ball joints and had to be towed... Was supposed to go to Lufkin to visit my mom's first cousin in the hospital, he had s heart attack late last week. They had him in limbo trying to figure out what the insurance would pay for and finally sent him to a rehab home in San Augustine... Guess we'll go up there Saturday... That be a 400+ mile day, oh joy...

Oh well... At least I don't have to pay $5200 for a new AC unit like Mom is... Her Central air is kaput...

Later! OL J R
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#9 Re: Counting down to SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-1 launch...

Post by luke strawwalker »

bernomatic wrote: Tue, 05 Mar 19, 01:16 am Space X could have created a lot more hoopla if they had rigged "Ripley" to wave out the window to the ISS upon arrival.
The station crew should have made a "face hugger" out of old paper and tape and taped it to her face plate LOL

Course with the cabin camera, it wouldn't be a surprise... In the old days they did little "gotchas" like that to promote cameraderie but I guess that's over with now days...

Betty said she bets they start selling those "lil Earth" plushies in the visitor center gift shops... Product placement comes to Nasa lol...

The should have had a stormtrooper accompany Ripley back... That would have been funny...

Later! OL J R
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