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Space x Launch tonight
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Member Posts: 69,539 ✭✭✭✭
7.30 Eastern Discovery channel
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Another successful Spacex launch. Kinda neat watching the first stage land. Bob
Watched it . Wonder why nasa never mastered some of this stuff
Government efficiency.
I always amazed of all the on-board camera work. I remember John Glen's flight. Landing the 1st stage on the "barge" is really something. The government programs just tossed them into the ocean. Welcome private enterprise! 😀
When you compare the technology and materials that are being used today to what they had in 1961 it makes it amazing what NASA was able to accomplish almost 60 years ago. Now there is probably more computer power in one of today's spacecraft than all the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and space shuttles added together. Bob
Right Bobjudy, we probably have more computing power in our smart phones than they had in '61. When I went to work for Allison Gas Turbine in the '60's, we had H-P computers in a standard 6' high equipment rack. The replaceable drive was about 2" thick and 10" in diameter! They even had an analog operational computer. Yes, things have come a long way.
We do have more computing power in a cell phone than any of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs had.
This is exactly what NASA needed.........a big shot in the A&& by private industry.
Don't forget that much of the technology we enjoy today - including computing power - cam about because of the space program.
here is a good read... btw Tang the drink was not invented because of it. However NASA might have saved Tang by taking it to space. I drink a glass every morning.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Tang_(SS-306)
The Dragon capsule flawlessly made an autonomous docking with the ISS last night. If you think you're a hot stick pilot, you can try to do the same thing under manual control simulation here... (Just be prepared to be totally embarrassed.)
https://iss-sim.spacex.com/
I was with NASA when the idea of landing the first stage was first advanced. Every rocket engineer in the business howled in derision of the idea. Impossible was the unanimous consensus.
When top people in any profession agree on something, they are usually right. But not always. In this case, they and their traditional assumptions were proven wrong. That does not mean that any left-field idea that defies conventional wisdom can succeed, mind you. Just that hidebound assumptions may not always be correct.
As SpaceX has now shown us 65 times. And as RocketLab is about to start attempting on their next launch. The next launch of an Electron rocket from New Zealand will try to parachute back down and be recovered from the ocean. Their rocket is too small to carry enough fuel for a propulsive landing, but they want to see if an unpowered stage can survive re-entry and splashdown as a first step towards reusability. Eventually, they may snag the booster out of the air with a helicopter (which they have already tested with a dummy stage.)
Done great going in real slow totally lined up and at 12 meter the dock station went totally off the target to the 5 oclock position. I stopped the procedure backing the docking up and quit .
Given the limited computing power and the control surface actuator reaction time back then their derision was not totally undeserved, but the RNS Engineers said Hey this wont work with our current tool set, lets design computers, actuators and thruster systems that can accomplish this. And they got it done. Great Job!!
Back in the 60s we could and DID go the MOON... l dont think we can do that TODAY🤢