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US Commercial Crew spacecraft: Boeing Starliner OFT decision

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  • #16
    Crew Dragon static fire video (slo-mo)

    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

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    • #17
      1) Sounds like Crew Dragon DM2 carries a crew to ISS first. This includes extra crew training.

      Chris G - NSF @ChrisG_NSF
      NASA says they've done everything to allow #DM2 (SpaceX's crew test flight) to stay for a long duration mission on ISS. NASA is just waiting for time to pass as the vehicles work through final certifications for flight. #SpaceX #Dragon #NASA

      https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/statu...80893470109697

      2) Boeing Starliner scheduled its OFT (orbital un-crewed) test flight for December 19 at 0659 Eastern. This delayed from December 17 because of a problem with the Atlas V N22* rocket

      * N22 = No fairing, 2 solid boosters, 2-engine Centaur upper stage
      Dr. Mordrid
      ----------------------------
      An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

      I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

      Comment


      • #18
        Crew Dragon schedule alert!!

        Stephen Clark @StephenClark1 (SpaceFlightNow)
        Hello from Hawthorne. Got to see the Dragon for the Demo-2 crewed mission. SpaceX aims to ship it out of factory by the end of year for thermal vacuum testing. Gwynne Shotwell says the target date for the in-flight abort test is Jan. 4. She says Demo-2 as soon as February.

        Dr. Mordrid
        ----------------------------
        An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

        I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

        Comment


        • #19
          Von Braun -> John Glenn = 17 years
          Space shuttle -> now >= ~9 years

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          • #20
            Some say it should have only been 7 years, but in doing that the nitrogen tetroxide/titanium incomparability discovered during the DM1 test fire may not have been discovered. NASA's already looking at it as a possible cause of some unexplained failures.
            Dr. Mordrid
            ----------------------------
            An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

            I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

            Comment


            • #21
              Titanium is a fairly reactive metal. When I worked for Pratt and Whitney, there were many solvents which couldn't be within 3 Feet/ 1M of titanium, Trichloroethane was one of them, Tri-Sodium Phosphate was another. Nitrogen Tetroxide's reactivity with Titanium has been known since the 1950's. What is new is that "printed" and Metal Injection Molded are somewhat unpredictable with how they interact in these acidic/basic environments (with their fairly amorphous structures) and with the binders which are used to make the base material more formable. Right now, a lot of research is going on to artificially age Printed and MIM parts and see how they change over time, structurally and chemically. Right now, MIM has some fairly strict part size limits, but as technology marches on, the parts will get ever-larger, and as they do these research projects will be crucial to determining the suitability of metal Printing/MIM processes for ultimate durability.

              Case in point: Phosphoric Acid (Naval Jelly) will reduce iron and steel parts made with the Metal Injection Molding process to crumbly bits in a few hours, where conventional cast and forged parts are virtually invulnerable to Phosphoric Acid after a few minutes (after the Phosphoric Oxide forms). The mechanisms that make the damage possible in MIM are a result of manufacturing process itself... the binders make the base metal more porous, and often have (many, many) layers of oxides which the acid can attack.
              Hey, Donny! We got us a German who wants to die for his country... Oblige him. - Lt. Aldo Raine

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              • #22
                AIUI, the old paper noted NTO/Ti flammability, but they found it wasn't self-propagating at thruster line pressures. Apparently they didn't test at the pressures used in the SuperDraco pressurization system. When a slug of NTO leaked into that line and it was pressurized during SD startup, the slug slammed into the Ti valve and <boom>.
                Dr. Mordrid
                ----------------------------
                An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

                Comment


                • #23
                  The SpaceX Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort test is now NET January 11, and...

                  Jim Bridenstine ✔ @JimBridenstine
                  Great news!
                  https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1209201762596356096 …

                  SpaceX ✔ @SpaceX
                  Yesterday the team completed the 10th successful multi-chute test in a row of Crew Dragon’s upgraded Mark 3 parachute design – one step closer to safely launching and landing @NASA astronauts

                  IMG_20191223_190346.jpg

                  Dr. Mordrid
                  ----------------------------
                  An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                  I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Assuming the In-Flight Abort test goes as planned in mid-January, the Crew Dragon & booster for DM-2 should arrive at KSC in February. After that it's reviews & certs before astronauts take their ride.
                    Dr. Mordrid
                    ----------------------------
                    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcre...date-update-3/

                      SpaceX In-Flight Abort Test Launch Date Update

                      NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Saturday, Jan. 18, for an In-Flight Abort Test of the Crew Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, pending U.S. Air Force Eastern Range approval. The new date allows additional time for spacecraft processing.

                      The demonstration of Crew Dragons in-flight launch escape system is part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program and is one of the final major tests for the company before NASA astronauts will fly aboard the spacecraft.
                      >
                      Dr. Mordrid
                      ----------------------------
                      An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                      I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        @SpaceX
                        Static fire of Falcon 9 complete – targeting January 18 for an in-flight demonstration of Crew Dragon’s launch escape system, which will verify the spacecraft’s ability to carry astronauts to safety in the unlikely event of an emergency during ascent

                        Dr. Mordrid
                        ----------------------------
                        An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                        I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Boeing's Starliner won't be doing this test - they're depending on a simulation.

                          Date: January 18
                          Time; 0800-1200 Eastern





                          SpaceX, NASA Gear up for In-Flight Abort Demonstration

                          NASA and SpaceX are preparing to launch the final, major test before astronauts fly aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. The test, known as in-flight abort, will demonstrate the spacecraft’s escape capabilities - showing that the crew system can protect astronauts even in the unlikely event of an emergency during launch. The uncrewed flight test is targeted for 8 a.m. EST Saturday, Jan. 18, at the start of a four-hour test window, from Launch Complex 39A in Florida.

                          SpaceX performed a full-duration static test Saturday, Jan. 11, of the Falcon 9 and completed a static fire of the Crew Dragon on Nov. 13, setting the stage for the critical flight test.

                          Prior to launch, SpaceX and NASA teams will practice launch day end-to-end operations with NASA astronauts, including final spacecraft inspections and side hatch closeout. Additionally, SpaceX and NASA flight controllers along with support teams will be staged as they will for future Crew Dragon missions, helping the integrated launch team gain additional experience beyond existing simulations and training events.

                          After liftoff, Falcon 9’s ascent will follow a trajectory that will mimic a Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station matching the physical environments the rocket and spacecraft will encounter during a normal ascent.

                          For this test, SpaceX will configure Crew Dragon to intentionally trigger a launch escape prior to 1 min, 30 seconds into flight to demonstrate Crew Dragon's capability to safely separate from the Falcon 9 rocket in the unlikely event of an in-flight emergency. Once the launch escape sequence begins, Falcon 9's first stage Merlin engines will shut down and Crew Dragon’s SuperDraco thrusters will begin their firing sequence. The launch vehicle and spacecraft will separate, and Crew Dragon's SuperDracos will burn to completion.

                          After Crew Dragon's SuperDracos shutdown, the spacecraft will passively coast to apogee, the highest point in its arc. Near apogee, Crew Dragon's trunk will separate and the smaller Draco thrusters will re-orient the spacecraft for reentry and parachute deploy. At the appropriate conditions, Dragon’s drogue and main parachutes will sequence to provide for a soft landing in the Atlantic Ocean near SpaceX Dragon recovery teams.

                          Following Crew Dragon’s separation, Falcon 9 is expected to aerodynamically break up offshore over the Atlantic Ocean. Expected breakup time will vary based upon a number of factors, including day of launch winds and expected minor variations in vehicle attitudes and positions, but could occur shortly after separation or later upon reentry from the upper atmosphere. In either scenario, a dedicated team of SpaceX Falcon 9 recovery personnel will be staged and ready to begin recovering debris immediately after breakup.

                          As part of the Dragon recovery operation, Air Force Detachment-3 personnel will work with the SpaceX recovery team to observe Crew Dragon and practice their initial approach to the spacecraft in the open ocean, mimicking an actual rescue operation before the SpaceX team recovers Crew Dragon for return to Cape Canaveral.

                          SpaceX's uncrewed in-flight abort demonstration test of Crew Dragon's launch escape capabilities is designed to provide valuable data toward NASA certifying SpaceX's crew transportation system for carrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
                          Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 14 January 2020, 00:21.
                          Dr. Mordrid
                          ----------------------------
                          An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                          I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Heads up;

                            IF the Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort from LC-39A doesn't launch on Saturday it's possible it could launch on Monday morning, a few hours before the StarLink 3 mission from LC-40. Unlikely, but possible.

                            Yeah, two in one day from the same range
                            Dr. Mordrid
                            ----------------------------
                            An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                            I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort rollout

                              @spaceflightnow
                              SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule have arrived at pad 39A in Florida, where the vehicle will be lifted vertical in preparation for an in-flight test of the human-rated ship’s launch escape system Saturday. https://t.co/e9tMYft6Jd https://t.co/5y6fLudCmp



                              IMG_20200116_152933.jpg
                              Dr. Mordrid
                              ----------------------------
                              An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                              I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Originally posted by Dr Mordrid View Post
                                Boeing's Starliner won't be doing this test - they're depending on a simulation.
                                That's just straight up loony.

                                Here is an interesting article about how Boeing bought out McDonnell Douglas and McDonald Douglas essentially took over Boeing (and not for the better).

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