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X-37B, F9 landing video
Hello All,
Today's successful launch (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...1&v=9M6Zvi-fFv4 ) of one of Boeing's X-37B spaceplanes aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 (the first time an X-37B has ridden aboard a Falcon 9) actually benefited somewhat from the USAF-required cutoff of coverage of the second stage's portion of the ascent: While the coverage of the second stage stopped just after it separated, the on-board camera coverage of the first stage's "flip-over" maneuver, boost-back burn, coasting, re-entry burn, re-entry, landing burn, and touchdown were more extensive than what we usually see. The first stage's ascent was a pretty "lofted" one, for it didn't take long for it to "draw a bead" on Cape Canaveral from high above, as was shown by the camera mounted above the grid fins. The split-screen coverage of the final descent and touchdown at LZ-1 (Landing Zone 1) included a nice close-up of the landing with excellent natural lighting and sea & sky background. Also: This video includes--beginning at about 6:26--a brief Boeing presentation about the X-37B, which includes inflight and landing views, some of which were shot from on-board during previous X-37B flights. One test (from the previous OTS-4 mission) that was highlighted was that of a new Hall Effect Thruster (a type of ion engine), which was mounted on the rear fuselage of the spaceplane, next to its rocket nozzle. Such an electric thruster could--like the ion drive of the atmosphere-skimming GOCE satellite (see: http://www.google.com/search?source...1k1.7PoeE4ni9wM )--enable the X-37B to operate as a satelloid, orbiting indefinitely at *constant* altitudes far lower than can unpowered satellites.
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Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185 http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050 http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511 All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com. NAR #54895 SR |
#2
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I never get tired of those booster recoveries and the generally great HD footage of SpaceX missions.
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I love sanding. |
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Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185 http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050 http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511 All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com. NAR #54895 SR |
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I have seen powered landings in person and up close. it is astounding. (Lunar Lander, 2 entrants)
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If any of the landers can't hover (like the Falcon 9 first stage, whose thrust exceeds its weight when its tanks are so nearly empty), they have only one shot at "sticking" a successful landing, by utilizing their downward momentum against thrust in order to reach zero altitude and velocity ^gently^. But even if they *can* hover, it's still not easy, especially if there's any appreciable wind (New Shepard's booster can hover before touchdown, and Blue Origin had to write some sophisticated guidance software to enable it to compensate for winds aloft -and- surface winds). Also: Even Surveyor 1, launched on Memorial Day, 1966, was given only a 1-in-10 chance of succeeding (NASA would have been satisfied if its radar had simply detected the Moon and triggered the spacecraft's descent sequence). This small hope diminished even more when one of its two low-gain antenna booms failed to extend after launch, as some engineers feared that its off-center mass might prevent the lander's control system from keeping the spacecraft stable during powered descent. JPL was very pleasantly surprised when the descent and landing not only succeeded, but went exactly as planned, and after touchdown even the stuck antenna boom was found to have finally deployed. (Many years ago, someone built a model rocket motor [motors] powered Surveyor scale model that made several successful rocket-braked landings until--like Surveyor 2--one of its three vernier retro-rockets failed to ignite, causing it to tumble and crash.) In addition: The entrant landers in the various lunar lander prize competitions (see: http://www.google.com/search?source...1.A n5MmenajxE ) that can compensate for winds would be "over-qualified"--which is a *good* thing!--for lunar landings, where that factor isn't present.
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Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185 http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050 http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511 All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com. NAR #54895 SR |
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