New SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch CG

[Mark_Nguyen]

http://youtu.be/4Ca6x4QbpoM

A look at what Falcon Heavy launch and all-stage retrieval will look like. I'm buffaloed as to how cool this looks. Fully recoverable rockets with all landings close to the launch pad? 140 tons to LEO? Yipe!

Mark

 

[sojourner]

Not much we didn't already know from SpaceX in that video.

 

[DarthTom]

http://youtu.be/4Ca6x4QbpoM

A look at what Falcon Heavy launch and all-stage retrieval will look like. I'm buffaloed as to how cool this looks. Fully recoverable rockets with all landings close to the launch pad? 140 tons to LEO? Yipe!

Mark

What's amazing though, is Saturn V still had more thrust and could lift more pounds than Falcon Heavy can yet Saturn V is 50 year old technology.

 

[Admiral2]

http://youtu.be/4Ca6x4QbpoM

A look at what Falcon Heavy launch and all-stage retrieval will look like. I'm buffaloed as to how cool this looks. Fully recoverable rockets with all landings close to the launch pad? 140 tons to LEO? Yipe!

Mark

What's amazing though, is Saturn V still had more thrust and could lift more pounds than Falcon Heavy can yet Saturn V is 50 year old technology.

Falcon trumps by being able to lift its smaller load more than once before discarding the launch vehicle...in theory...

 

[YellowSubmarine]

Saturn V is tiny compared to MCT. The advances that happened in those 50 years become more visible when you realise MCT is developed by a private company without any guaranteed revenue or customers (for the Mars transporter, at least). SpaceX are just incrementally getting the grip on how to build rockets, and doing so at a fast pace. Falcon 1 was also smaller than the Sputnik rocket and it was also 50 years later.

 

[DarthTom]

Falcon trumps by being able to lift its smaller load more than once before discarding the launch vehicle...in theory...

Don't get me wrong, I think Falcon Heavy is awesome - best of all it's being developed by a billionaire who unlike with government funding won't be swayed to stop the project because of shifting political priorities.

Musk wants to go to Mars some day. I have a feeling that he will eventually make that dream come true.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

...And he'll do with with a suit of powered armor. You KNOW he will. After the hyperloop, of course.

Anyway, the video is a new one. Conceptually it's remarkable, and it beats the old Soviet Energia concept which also would have had a fully recoverable booster (plus shuttle!), which never made it to fruition. The public consciousness has never really conceptualized an intermediate step between traditional rocket stages and Star Trekkish single stage to orbit methods, so this is great to see finally make it.

Mark

 

[DarthTom]

.
Anyway, the video is a new one. Conceptually it's remarkable, and it beats the old Soviet Energia concept which also would have had a fully recoverable booster (plus shuttle!),
Mark

I thought this is more than just conception? Falcon Heavy is scheduled to launch later this year - late spring IIRC,

Now whether the booster rockets make it back in once piece is another story The test late last year failed and the boosters blew up.

 

[sojourner]

^Are you referring to the landing attempt from early this year? The first attempt to land on a barge in the middle of the ocean? The one that missed by only a few yards only then breaking up in the collision with the barge? I wouldn't exactly call that a failure.

 

[publiusr]

They'll get there.

In terms of the video, I can buy the strap-ons returning to land, but the core might well need the barge depending on who you talk to.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

^Are you referring to the landing attempt from early this year? The first attempt to land on a barge in the middle of the ocean? The one that missed by only a few yards only then breaking up in the collision with the barge? I wouldn't exactly call that a failure.

He's basically performing a gymnastics trick in low earth orbit. Takes ALOT of practice to learn how to stick the landing.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

By "conceptually", I mean that the concept of what they're doing is cool, not that they're ages from actually doing it. The space shuttle was also a cool concept. For the 1960s.

<duck>

Anyway, I'm wondering what a future evolution of Falcon would be. Additional re-usable sections? Quicker turnaround times?

Mark

 

[sojourner]

Considering we have yet to see a turn around, quicker ones would go without saying.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

Anyway, I'm wondering what a future evolution of Falcon would be. Additional re-usable sections? Quicker turnaround times?

Well, somewhat depending on what you mean by "a future evolution of Falcon":
- Judging by Falcon 9 1.1: A substantially modified (or totally new) vehicle called Falcon 9 1.1b that looks identical to 1.1 and is virtually unannounced.
- Judging by the new Dragon V2: It will ship with an actual bus in the fairing, with large windows, touchscreens and beer. And hopefully cheese. Also the fairing would be able to land propulsively to be recovered after the second stage.
- Who wants another Falcon?

 

[Metryq]

Who wants another Falcon?

With the square antenna, or the original round one?

 

[YellowSubmarine]

The best update from SpaceX so far. It's not yet Heavy, but it's better.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

Yeah, they're 0 for 2 on attempts now. That's okay though - this is how we learn things!

SpaceX still launches a payload successfully to the ISS, and a failure doesn't cost the American taxpayer money. They're getting closer all the time. All good.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32313179

Mark

 

[YellowSubmarine]

My favourite YouTube (I think) comment: Why are they wasting our money by trying this?

 

[Hyperspace05]

Here is the full quality video:

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhMSzC1crr0[/yt]

Sooo close! Poor thrusters trying in vain to keep it upright.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

At first I was thinking "what thrusters?". Then I saw it and I started laughing at your comment.