We had two launches today and managed to not see either one of them. The first one was more intentional. That was the Falcon Heavy
launching the Psyche probe to the metallic asteroid it's named for, lifting
off at 10:19 AM. The reason for not even trying to see the launch is
visible in the background of this SpaceX photo at liftoff. It was
completely cloudy, horizon to horizon to horizon to horizon. As
usual, that means we only hear the rocket's rumble once it gets high enough to
drop the two boosters and then hear the sonic booms when the boosters are
landing back on the cape.
Liftoff from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center this morning. Image credit: SpaceX
We watched that one online with coverage first from Spaceflight Now and switched over to NASASpaceflight.com later to watch the satellite deployment. As we watched the satellite get deployed, I couldn't help but think "this is the last time anyone will see that probe." Not counting if parts of the probe show up in photographs of itself. The Psyche mission won't get to the asteroid itself for six years, and I can only hope that the JPL will still be there to run the mission and that we'll be alive to see it. Overall, though, my impression of watching the Falcon Heavy do another successful launch, is man, that's one magnificent machine.
The day's second launch was from SLC-40, just down the beach on Cape Canaveral, at 7:01PM, a Falcon 9 carrying the Starlink 6-22 mission, a load of Starlink satellites. This one I overlooked because we started watching a show on The Blaze and didn't notice the time. By the time we hear the rumble from the boosters, it's getting to be too late to watch the launch so we watched the replay on NASASpaceflight.com. All three boosters from today's flights landed successfully and will be processed for reuse. Two landed at Landing Zones 1 and 2 on Cape Canaveral, a bit farther south on the cape than SLC-40, while the third landed offshore on their drone ship ASOG - A Shortfall Of Gravitas.
Stunning! This is the Spaceflight they promised us as kids. It's like Musk took a cranky old Ford flathead, and turned into a DOHC, 4-valve-per-cylinder, screamer that sets the standard others aspire to.
ReplyDeleteI watched the Psyche launch this morning through the Spaceflight Now link. A typical (for SpaceX) perfect launch, with the two boosters landing a few seconds apart at the Cape. Yeah, what we were promised as kids. So cool to see it now.
ReplyDeleteToo bad the one year launch delay will mean a different path and a 2029 arrival. I won't be around to see it, but the fact that this got done is still a buzz for me. If Elon can just get FAA/EPA approval for Starship, we may see boots on the moon again, something I so enjoyed in 1969. My Dad took me to the Cape to see that launch, as well as some other Apollo flights. There will be humans on the moon again, and as before, I want them to be US astronauts.
That was a very poignant observation about whether JPL will be around to listen to it by the time it gets to Psyche. Like Wall-E, the abandoned robot.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of the odds of economic collapse of the US - which might well lead to total collapse. I wouldn't bet it couldn't possibly happen. If there's no way to pay for the JPL to be there, the mission is dead.
DeleteBesides a perfect launch by the big bad Heavy, I noticed a rather large time stagger in the landing of the two boosters. I wonder why?
ReplyDeleteA friend and I were talking about that. It's usually 1 or 2 seconds but this one was 9 or 10. I always thought the 1 or 2 seconds was for appearances - it's absolutely incredible to see two boosters tracking alongside each other and landing. That leads to maybe they have evidence that the leading booster affects the second one and the longer delay keeps them from affecting each other. Maybe the wave front from the sonic boom can affect the other?
DeleteThat's purely a guess.
How evenly matched are the rate of burns on the boosters? Could it be that one had a bit more oomph at separation?
DeleteOr, after separation, the lagger started drifting and needed a bit more wrangling back on track to touchdown?
Or, the first fell with a greater aerodynamic precision.