Launch News SpaceX Falcon 9 F3 COTS2+ Updates

[PhantomCruiser]

Well, they still have to open the hatch, unload/load Dragon, and close out, depart, and deorbit/splashdown, but I'd say the lion's share of the tough hurdles, the launch itself, the COTS 2 maneuvers, and the final approach/capture/berthing means we can pretty much call this a huge success. I'm confident that the remaining hurdles will be easily handled, and at splashdown/recovery, this one's going into the books as a textbook success.

Elon touched on this a bit during the press conference afterward. The return to Earth is fairly easy. He also mentioned the parachutes, that (to me) it the remaining "big-ticket" item. Also recovery in the target area, better in a large spot in the Pacific rather than a middle school gymnasium somewhere.

 

[Codz]

Looks like Elon got his own screencap.:lol:

http://twitter.com/#!/elonmusk

 

[mojoey]

I think what happened today is truly remarkable. Now...if they can do it twice...

 

[orb]

Elon touched on this a bit during the press conference afterward.

The conference:

NASA: SpaceX Dragon Attached to Space Station in Spaceflight First

 

[SiberianTiger]

I'm stepping over my jealosity towards SpaceX and congratulate them on this technologically great and historically remarkable success! :thumbup:

 

[FADEC]

The conference:
SpaceX Progress Updated for Media - YouTube


NASA: SpaceX Dragon Attached to Space Station in Spaceflight First

I like the emotions at SpaceX. Other than NASA people who mostly appear a little too serious/boring (during conferences).

 

[Urwumpe]

I'm stepping over my jealosity towards SpaceX and congratulate them on this technologically great and historically remarkable success! :thumbup:

I especially congratulate SpaceX for the speed in which they got things done. We had not even stopped laughing about the CEV schedule in late 2004, when Musk announced the Dragon and gave us a target for more ridicule... now, it is time to maybe let Elon be the one with the last laugh.



It took 8 years... without a multibillion budget, without taxes.

 

[N_Molson]

without taxes.

You can't honestly say that. SpaceX has received a substantial amount of money from the US governement (and that one is not against SpaceX, but against the idea that paying taxes to help great achievements is bad).

 

[Urwumpe]

You can't honestly say that. SpaceX has received a substantial amount of money from the US governement (and that one is not against SpaceX, but against the idea that paying taxes to help great achievements is bad).

Not that much compared to traditional contractors. The USA had been customers, not accountable and responsible financiers. If SpaceX failed, it would have hit Musk and his co-owners of SpaceX first of all, not the tax payer.

 

[N_Molson]

Yes OK, not that much, but not "without taxes". Lets be clear on that.

 

[Andy44]

You can't honestly say that. SpaceX has received a substantial amount of money from the US governement (and that one is not against SpaceX, but against the idea that paying taxes to help great achievements is bad).

Urwumpe is asserting that SpaceX, given a suitable investment by a customer, can get things done by offering a service, and he is correct.

The fact that the only customer for Dragon right now happens to be government is kind of sad, but it's the elephant in the room.

I'm so happy to see this happening, hopefully the US can get back in the game quicker.

 

[Urwumpe]

Yes OK, not that much, but not "without taxes". Lets be clear on that.

well, but in a different way. Nobody will have to stuff money into SpaceX, if it would have failed today. It isn't a senators pet.

You are right, the only big customer of SpaceX is using taxes. But not that much, did you divide the budget NASA has for SpaceX by the number of resupply flights? It is pretty low.

 

[N_Molson]

You are right, the only big customer of SpaceX is using taxes. But not that much, did you divide the budget NASA has for SpaceX by the number of resupply flights? It is pretty low.

I was not arguing that point, just saying it was not true to write that the US taxpayer had not paid a cent to make the Dragon fly. It makes a difference for me. That's all.

 

[Codz]

Urwumpe is asserting that SpaceX, given a suitable investment by a customer, can get things done by offering a service, and he is correct.

The fact that the only customer for Dragon right now happens to be government is kind of sad, but it's the elephant in the room.

I'm so happy to see this happening, hopefully the US can get back in the game quicker.

The government is the only entity that has plans to expand into the solar system. The only other market are tourists and commercial satellites.

 

[Capt_hensley]

I was not arguing that point, just saying it was not true to write that the US taxpayer had not paid a cent to make the Dragon fly. It makes a difference for me. That's all.

You're from France, why do you care if I had to donate a few dollars to the cause. I'm glad it's being done this way, I get to claim I own a sliver of every success or failure SpaceX has concerning this and many more flights. I've owned a sliver of every US and Joint National venture that NASA has undergone since 1982, the year I started paying federal income taxes. My father owend a sliver of every venture before that since he started paying taxes in the 40's.

It's a privilege the I and every US citizen enjoy very much, Go Space X and Go NASA!

Lets talk about todays events, and those yet to come. I can't wait for hatch opening, what time is that?

 

[Urwumpe]

You're from France, why do you care if I had to donate a few dollars to the cause.

Especially it has to be mentioned that France is one of the countries with the biggest public sector - almost every Euro there is running through a government owned company.

 

[N_Molson]

Especially it has to be mentioned that France is one of the countries with the biggest public sector - almost every Euro there is running through a government owned company.

Please, be smart (and you sure are) and don't add a layer in there. Look in the "NASA future..." thread.

 

[Urwumpe]

Please, be smart (and you sure are) and don't add a layer in there. Look in the "NASA future..." thread.

No need for a lengthy excursion. I just planted a sign, yes, I was aware what I was doing with that post. See it as a hint.

I don't want to get into spaceflight economics here, the results speak for themselves today.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

The fact that the only customer for Dragon right now happens to be government is kind of sad, but it's the elephant in the room.

Not completely so. They do have a manifest with other customers here:

http://www.spacex.com/launch_manifest.php

But, yeah, they are getting a lot of support and the "services" purchased by the government are really test flights. But in the end, that is the proper role of NASA and the government, to absorb some of the commercial risk to get the industry off the ground. Otherwise you have a chicken-or-egg problem - SpaceX would have no customers to buy their rockets, and the potential customers won't buy their rockets because they were untested. The government support is essential at the start to cut through this and get the needle off zero.

And, BTW, the government/NASA does get some return in that *some* cargo is getting moved to/from the ISS. In some projects the government gets nothing for its seed money.

 

[orb]

Lets talk about todays events, and those yet to come.

All right. A couple of pictures from behind the scenes of Dragon approach and capture at NASA's ISS Mission Control Room:

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Notice the amount of mice at CAPCOM's station. :blink: