SpaceX Big Day T Minus 1Hr

Well it comes back to wanting to launch in the same direction as the Earth’s rotation (doesn’t have to be at the equator— an equatorial launch just lets you do a little more with less, so to speak) and doing so from VAFB puts a lot more folks at risk, particularly in the early days of the space program. It’s not that you can’t launch westward (I launched a MinuteMan III ICBM aimed at Kwajalein from Vandy) but you take a huge hit in range performance compared to the same payload and fuel going eastward. The non-ICBM launches from VAFB are typically polar orbits.
 
Those space suits are just advanced pressure suits for safety in the event of cabin depressurization and are not designed for EVAs. The benefits of technology development and innovation since the heyday of the shuttle program.
 
Yes they have advanced. But also not built to do things that they aren’t intended to do - thus they are light weight.

They are pressure suits in case of capsule depressurization. They are not made to be used outside of capsule such as for a space walk.

Heck - the shuttle astronauts for a while were flying in basically flight jump suits. Then upgraded to the orange pumpkin survival pressure suites with built in parachutes after the Challenger accident.
 
i think the suits look silly. More effort into making them look like battle star galactic or something...than in making them functional, comfortable, etc...

regardless, I'm happy they are doing manned flights again. I've not seen the plan...is this an orbital flight?
 
They hold a vacuum inside of them. Or maybe they hold the vacuum of space out of them :p
 
Brad W said:
i think the suits look silly. More effort into making them look like battle star galactic or something...than in making them functional, comfortable, etc...

regardless, I'm happy they are doing manned flights again. I've not seen the plan...is this an orbital flight?
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They will dock with the international space station and stay for up to 110days
 
Tantalum said:
Could it have gone from Vandenberg? Was there a requirement for it to be launched from Florida other than Apollo and space shuttle nostalgia?

If I recall correctly I believe SpaceX does plenty of flights out of Vandenberg

In addition, the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan is nowhere near the equator.. yet they don't seem to have any issues getting stuff in space from there

I have to think this Cape Canaveral thing was mostly a nostalgia play, not that there's anything wrong with that.. and given the scale of this I imagine taking every possible precaution necessary is the wise thing to do
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I’m sure the optics had something to do with it. Maybe SpaceX required it be there. A bit more sexy than Vandenberg. And having worked at the Kazakhastan cosmodrome on satellite programs(U.S.) in a former life, let me tell you, it’s nowhere near anything except endless desert. They can crash and spew toxic chemicals all over and nobody but the camels(and camel spiders) would care. Before YouTube, there was little evidence anyway. But I’m glad SpaceX came along. I absolutely loved my adventures there, but relying on the Proton and Soyuz was absolutely insane. They failed way too much, and we’d had to stand down and return to the U.S. after the prior launch failed to get the payload to orbit. Plus we were literally close enough to get knocked over by the shockwave during launch, which was cool as a 20 something, not so cool as I look back on it. Luckily a rocket didn’t fall on our heads(wasn’t there for that one a few years back, which IS all over YouTube).

Anyway, good for SpaceX, hope it turns out well.
 
weirdjim said:
I have a stupid question to ask. When you build a multi-billion dollar space launch facility, and thunderstorms/lightning are concerns, why in the hell do you build it in the middle of the biggest thunderstorm/lightning part of the world?

Jim
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Its all the strip clubs around Cocoa Beach. Did a little time launching Trident C4's out of Port Canaveral. About 12min after we secured the maneuvering watch half the crew was probably at the clubs LOL.
 
weirdjim said:
I have a stupid question to ask. When you build a multi-billion dollar space launch facility, and thunderstorms/lightning are concerns, why in the hell do you build it in the middle of the biggest thunderstorm/lightning part of the world?

Jim
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I actually worked on Dragon Avionics When I was at SpaceX (Electrical Engineer). Can’t speak for SpaceX. It in general companies launch from Florida because it’s one of the closest areas to the equator in the USA with actual infrastructure. This gives it a small boost for Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO) and GEO launches. It’s home of the Eastern Range which means the government already has experience and precedent launching from there so they are likely to let a company launch from there too. Lastly, the support services, infrastructure, and skilled workforce already based there from NASA. Hard not to want to go there. In CA for polar orbits the Western Range is based out of Vandenburg AFB. Hence why many launch from there too.

no one LIKES building a vehicle for Florida Weather. The amount of lightning protection I’ve had to design into some of those circuit boards doesn’t even really matter IMHO for Vandy where it almost never has lightning.
 
Bell206 said:
Curious. If they offered you a trip into space at the risk of looking "silly" in your suit, would you decline the trip?
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look most certainly would not be a deciding factor for me. When I was younger I always used to say I'd go in a second if I ever had the opportunity. A lot of folks have told me "no way, they'd never do that.."
 
The 'good old boy' NASA network would have said; "Third time is a charm, blast off."
 
weirdjim said:
I have a stupid question to ask. When you build a multi-billion dollar space launch facility, and thunderstorms/lightning are concerns, why in the hell do you build it in the middle of the biggest thunderstorm/lightning part of the world?

Jim
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Standard answer: Stateside, Geo location, near an ocean, existing military presence... Blah blah...

Truth: Political Gerrymandering.
 
Tantalum said:
Did anyone notice the suits they were wearing? while they look sharp, and properly sci-fi, they didn't seem that rugged or durable overall, especially the helmets..

Are those meant for potential exposure to vacuum of space? Or are they mostly just flight suits (fire, G's, etc)

Or have a really advanced that much since the suits worn by the shuttle and Soyuz crews?
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I think they were inspired by The Stig (fans of BBC's Top Gear will get the reference!).
 
I'm waiting to see what sort of space suit Tesla comes up with for female astronauts.
 
Summer T-storms often don't make it to the coast due to the seabreeze. Yesterday, there was a strong enough westerly flow to overcome the seabreeze, so the WX pushed out over the water. Many days you have huge Cu-Nims blowing up 10miles inland and clear WX on the coast.
 
Hang 4 said:
Summer T-storms often don't make it to the coast due to the seabreeze. Yesterday, there was a strong enough westerly flow to overcome the seabreeze, so the WX pushed out over the water. Many days you have huge Cu-Nims blowing up 10miles inland and clear WX on the coast.
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True that. More than once I’ve gotten home (15 miles inland) by flying just off the coast at whatever altitude I want and then dashing in between the storms to get home from the coast.
 
Tantalum said:
Could it have gone from Vandenberg? Was there a requirement for it to be launched from Florida other than Apollo and space shuttle nostalgia?

If I recall correctly I believe SpaceX does plenty of flights out of Vandenberg

In addition, the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan is nowhere near the equator.. yet they don't seem to have any issues getting stuff in space from there

I have to think this Cape Canaveral thing was mostly a nostalgia play, not that there's anything wrong with that.. and given the scale of this I imagine taking every possible precaution necessary is the wise thing to do
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Sure we could launch from Vandenburg. However, you'll have first stages dropping into the Rockies and the Sierras like in China. God help anyone around if that first stage carries anything more then RP-1 and LOX. If the launch goes side ways and you're carrying any modern satellite Bakersfield and Victorville will have an orange cloud of insanely toxic nitrogen tetroxide and hydrazine raining down. This is why Vandenburg is used only for expensive polar orbit launches, retrograde orbits, and ICBM tests towards Kwajalein Atoll.

The most likely choice for a SpaceX launch facility would be Boca Chica outside of Brownsville, TX. KSC and the Cape is the cheaper alternative at the current moment.

Bailkonur is due to Russia not having the historic ability to launch from Cuba due to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also it allowed them the ability to conduct launches in secret. USSR orbits had high inclinations due to this and the need to keep the spacecraft over Russia as long as possible for ground station tracking.

The closet launch site to the equator I believe is ESA's French Guiana site or the Russian/US/Boeing Sea Launch Company. However, Sea Launch hasn't conducted a launch since 2014.
 
Bell206 said:
FYI: Cape Canaveral has been under military/government ownership since the 40s. They've been shooting missles over the water there since before NASA was even thought of.
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And back in the 1950s when they were testing it, the ocean off the Cape was known as "Snark infested waters". :p
 
Lots of cumulus clouds along the coast. Seabreeze is supposed to overcome the westerly flow, which might keep the cape clear. Not sure how far away the Cu nimbs need to be for their launch criteria.

EDIT - I looked at the radar and there's a couple cells right near Kennedy. Still looks better overall than Wednesday
 
Half Fast said:
I'm waiting to see what sort of space suit Tesla comes up with for female astronauts.
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How long will they be up there for?
 
Briefly saw their zero-G testing device, a sparkly dragon.


Now, should we dare sending Monkey once @kath is done with her tour of the CONUS?
 
ARFlyer said:
If the launch goes side ways and you're carrying any modern satellite Bakersfield and Victorville will have an orange cloud of insanely toxic nitrogen tetroxide and hydrazine raining down.
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But are these any worse than chemtrails? :D
 
the space dudes are on their way back home. I tweeted nasa that I am instrument rated and working on commercial, just in case they need any help.

live stream
 
Very interesting TFR. It’s like a bullseye. I’m amazed they’re only 30 miles off shore to the center of the TFR. Shows you how far Space Flight has come since the Gemini days. They literally lost a crew for an hour because they splashed down 45 miles short.

If they overshoot, Pensacola will get an awesome view.
 

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Interestingly, Jules Verne writing in 1865 in From the Earth To the Moon, had his spaceship launching from Tampa, almost exactly the same latitude as Cape Canaveral.
 
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