Rocket updates

Steverino

Steverino

black sheep
I hope you guys don't mind me doing this.

The parts I'm involved with (support) are from 06:53 - 10:28 and 12:46 - 13:52 since I'm now working between two Centers. One is testing the engines, the other is building the Core stage. Aerojet-Rocketdyne is building the engines and Boeing is building the Core stage. Lockheed Martin is building the Orion Crew Capsule (also at the New Orleans facility).

I hear rumblings, mainly from folks who see the program from the outside, that things are dragging along too slow. I get that, believe me, from here it can be agonizing. So when I see a video like this, it recharges me.


Btw, we also just tested the AR-22 engine, ten days in a row, ten firings, for DARPA. That's never been done before.

I hear that the locals are actually enjoying hearing (and feeling) all the testing going on again. Seems they missed hearing all the activity from the Shuttle days.
 
mongooz said:
i certainly don't mind you posting these things. it's really cool stuff, imo.
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Thanks man.

I don't post this stuff anywhere else. Sometimes I feel the need to tell someone.

We tested and verified the EGSE Forward Skirt Flight Termination System last week. We sent a team of 4 guys to do the testing. They did an outstanding job. Last February, we went to see the system for the first time to see if we could do the work. I took over 3 hours of video as the Boeing guys demonstrated the system. Damn good thing too, because you can forget a lot in the months inbetween.
 
Steverino said:
Thanks man.

I don't post this stuff anywhere else. Sometimes I feel the need to tell someone.

We tested and verified the EGSE Forward Skirt Flight Termination System last week. We sent a team of 4 guys to do the testing. They did an outstanding job. Last February, we went to see the system for the first time to see if we could do the work. I took over 3 hours of video as the Boeing guys demonstrated the system. Damn good thing too, because you can forget a lot in the months inbetween.
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lots of people know what NASA stands for. darn few have the slightest clue what all goes into a launch. i have a minor idea from my days in USAF.
i think it's a good thing to see these pics and vids.
 
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APPROVED!

As @mongooz stated, few people not in the business have any clue what it takes to put assets on orbit.

It pains me to no end knowing that 75% of our launches are currently slated out of Russia & India. FFS.
 
335clone said:
It pains me to no end knowing that 75% of our launches are currently slated out of Russia & India. FFS.
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Me too. I'm hoping that the way this finally shakes out is SpaceX will handle all LEO stuff, including human spaceflight, and NASA will focus on deep space missions, manned and unmanned. I'll probably be retired by the time that comes to fruition.

Both are working like crazy now though, and in this unique position we're in here at SSC, it seems we're involved in just about all of it, as we support anything that requires calibration at both Centers. SpaceX is here too.
 
Yeah, Space-X and Rocket Lab are exceptions, but launch scheduling is at least a year out venture unless you are small and nimble enough to take spots when others slip off the manifest. Rocket Lab being the most exciting (who could say no to going to NZ for a launch campaign?). Space-X has a long way to go to cut PSLV off at the knees, however. For small sats, they are the go-to provider right now.
 
335clone said:
Yeah, Space-X and Rocket Lab are exceptions, but launch scheduling is at least a year out venture unless you are small and nimble enough to take spots when others slip off the manifest. Rocket Lab being the most exciting (who could say no to going to NZ for a launch campaign?). Space-X has a long way to go to cut PSLV off at the knees, however. For small sats, they are the go-to provider right now.
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Speaking of small sats, check out what DARPA is doing. This is what we were testing the AR-22 for. We test fired it 10 times in 10 days.

https://www.space.com/29287-xs1-experimental-spaceplane.html
 
Steverino said:
Speaking of small sats, check out what DARPA is doing. This is what we were testing the AR-22 for. We test fired it 10 times in 10 days.

https://www.space.com/29287-xs1-experimental-spaceplane.html
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We'll see about that. 10 launches in 10 days at 5M each? Hmmm. Very ambitious, especially for a space version of a Waymo...


5850429cca7f0c1c008b5618-750.jpg


Also, I think we have different concepts of 'small'

Dove_in_orbit.jpg

<6.0 kg.
 
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xStonr said:
Space X Starship was partially successful. Launch and landing went well except is blew up shortly after landing.
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So after the poor bastards riding in that thing touch down and think they have safely arrived at their destination: KABOOM!
 
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