tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post2612757559582006282..comments2024-03-28T08:06:43.198-04:00Comments on The Silicon Graybeard: SpaceX Changes Their Mind - SN15 Has Been RetiredSiGraybeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-15595297175568370602021-06-06T12:39:47.316-04:002021-06-06T12:39:47.316-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14066188514432184159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-16658745780509198222021-05-27T11:37:05.078-04:002021-05-27T11:37:05.078-04:00Do you watch the telemetry when the Falcon 1st sta...Do you watch the telemetry when the Falcon 1st stages come down? It's fascinating. <br /><br />The acceleration hovers around zero for awhile, then it comes out of the ballistic trajectory and starts speeding up as gravity takes hold. At a specific instant, they do the entry burn, which brings the velocity down a few thousand kph. But then, flame gone, the drag kicks in and acceleration builds up in the negative direction.<br /><br />The interface between air and space is much more defined than my gut tells me it should be. And no, I don't have any friends who stare at telemetry readouts for fun...and my wife is certain that I'm crazy.Malatropehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06130944283006020214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-28032622042280863412021-05-27T11:04:52.759-04:002021-05-27T11:04:52.759-04:00Thanks for that insight. If that's right, and...Thanks for that insight. If that's right, and it sounds reasonable, there will be no launches from Boca Chica for a while. <br /><br />SiGraybeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-89575667636043203492021-05-27T09:41:53.931-04:002021-05-27T09:41:53.931-04:00The reason for the move is that all of the cranes,...The reason for the move is that all of the cranes, including the new one that would have to be disassembled again, would have to have been removed from the site for any launch (they are rented). In the case of the one building the orbital launch tower, that would have put two weeks into the schedule unnecessarily.<br /><br />Elon really wants to get to orbit. Any information from a relaunch of SN15 is minimal compared to information from launching BN3 and putting SN20 through the atmosphere entry interface. <br /><br />As I understand it, the height of the stacked system requires using the tower for stability.Malatropehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06130944283006020214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-76859289240433030012021-05-27T02:24:34.255-04:002021-05-27T02:24:34.255-04:00SN15 represented a great leap forward. It deserves...SN15 represented a great leap forward. It deserves a place of honor and remembrance.LLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05538854359365988863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-58036415328900108172021-05-27T00:43:57.872-04:002021-05-27T00:43:57.872-04:00Sad to not see SN15 try again, but I suspected it ...Sad to not see SN15 try again, but I suspected it might happen after looking at the methane fires and flaming insulation from it's launch and landing. But not sad that she's getting a nice retirement. <br /><br />As to the RV park, if you look at an aerial photo of the production site, the RV park looks to be populated by Airstreams and is near the offices and other non-assembly buildings. (Which reminds me of Silver City, the north end of Kwajalein during the late 60's and early 70's that was basically a big mobile home park full of Airstream trailers...)<br /><br />So it's up to SN16 to fly farther, higher (up to 20km or more, from what they report) and hopefully more than once. <br /><br />SpaceX has more cranes of all sizes than any other location short of a shipyard (which, come to think of it, it is...) or a skyscraper.<br /><br />And they're putting windows into the SkyBar on the High Bay. They've put the internal elevator cage into the base of the OLIT and have stacked two of the tower segments together and probably stacking the third by the end of the week.<br /><br />All of the ground support tanks are well on the way to being built, along with manifolds and pipes and hoses and connectors and all sorts of stuff.<br /><br />It's amazing. Every update from the watchers is showing a 20-ring circus of spacey goodness. And it's like watching a multi-ring circus, you can't focus on one place and not miss things happening elsewhere. <br /><br />The camera watchers and RGV aerial photos are doing a truly historic job of keeping visual records of what is going on. From building to unbuilding to making messes to unmaking messes. Damn good job, boys and girls! <br />Beanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.com