4 ms·
Here is a CRS-3 launch and ascent event list. Please note that all timings and values are approximate, as I have based them on a mix of CRS-2 profile telemetry
by Arjuna 13y ago
Here is a CRS-3 launch and ascent event list. Please note that all timings and values are approximate, as I have based them on a mix of CRS-2 profile telemetry and CRS-3 mission notes.
T-00:00:00 - Falcon 9 lift-off. Stage 1's nine Merlin engines produce 1.3M pounds of thrust.
T+00:00:07 - Falcon 9 clears the launch tower.
T+00:01:00 - Altitude: 6km, Velocity: 241m/s, Downrange distance: 1km
T+00:01:10 - Falcon 9 achieves supersonic speed.
T+00:01:23 - Falcon 9 achieves maximum dynamic pressure (Max Q).
T+00:02:00 - Altitude: 30km, Velocity: 1km/s, Downrange distance: 23km
T+00:02:30 - Altitude: 51km, Velocity: 1.8km/s, Downrange distance: 59km
T+00:02:41 - MECO (Main Engine Cut-Off) Altitude: 80km, Velocity: Mach 10
T+00:02:44 - Stage 1 separates from Stage 2.
T+00:02:45 - Stage 2's single Merlin engine ignites.
T+00:03:25 - Dragon's nose cone is jettisoned.
T+00:04:21 - Altitude: 148km, Velocity: 3.2km/s, Downrange distance: 346km
T+00:05:22 - Altitude: 182km, Velocity: 4km/s, Downrange distance: 541km
T+00:06:24 - Altitude: 200km, Velocity: 4.6km/s, Downrange distance: 767km
T+00:07:31 - Altitude: 210km, Velocity: 5.6km/s, Downrange distance: 1,080km
T+00:09:40 - SECO (Second-stage Engine Cut-Off)
T+00:10:15 - Stage 2 separates from Dragon.
- FD3SA 13y agoElon has just confirmed [1] that they will be attempting to recover the first stage. This is the first flight with the landing leg module attached to the first stage. The landing legs will be deployed over sea for a soft landing in preparation for a land-based recovery. This will be a historic moment if the recovery succeeds, ushering in a new era of space travel due to the massively reduced operating costs of recoverable engines. 1. https://twitter.com/elonmusk https://twitter.com/elonmusk
- joezydeco 13y agoIs Musk planning to have his drones watch the landing? I'm guessing that's what the "recovery ship" would be doing, although his twitter feed is saying that heavy seas might make that difficult.
- BrandonMarc 13y agoThat would be awesome. I was astounded the first time I saw one of their McGregor, Texas rocket tests from the point-of-view of a hexacopter flying near the rocket's flightpath. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZDkItO-0a4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZDkItO-0a4 In this video, the copter is actually HOVERING ABOVE the rocket as the rocket descends back down to the launchpad. The only time I've ever seen something like that before was Hollywood (Apollo 13, and then when the footage was re-used in Austin Powers 2).
- toomuchtodo 13y agoQuadcopters don't have the endurance to hover in the recovery zone, unless one of the SpaceX recovery ships were to deploy them. Ideally, you'd use something like a Predator or Reaper with long endurance and stabilized optics. At $4MM per drone (new), that's not outside the realm of possibility.
- SEJeff 13y agoYou don't buy a single predator, you buy a set of them, along with all of the support gear including the ground control station, and support from the manufacturer. - former shadow 200 military drone pilot
- toomuchtodo 13y agoCan you rent time from a non-military agency? I know NASA has at least one Global Hawk.
- toomuchtodo 13y agoAddition/Edit: They own at least two: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/aircraft/GlobalHawk/index.html http://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/aircraft/GlobalHawk/in...
- SEJeff 13y agoHighly unlikely, the big UAVs tend to contain top secret avionics and we don't always want the world to know the capabilities of their payloads. It might be possible, but it would be a lot easier to call IAI or Northrop and ask if they would rent it to you.
- FD3SA 13y agoUpdate from Elon [1]: "Last known state for rocket boost stage is 360 m/s, Mach 1.1, 8.5 km altitude and roll rate close to zero (v important!)" So it appears it may be a failure, we'll find out soon what went wrong this time. More from Elon regarding what success would be, telemetry wise: "Rocket boost stage reaching 0 m/s in one piece :) Will know soon. Odds not high." [1] Regardless, they've demonstrated that the landing-leg module can survive the stresses of liftoff and fully powered flight, particularly at Max Q. This is quite an achievement, and vital for future tests. 1. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/with_replies https://twitter.com/elonmusk/with_replies
- mikeyouse 13y agoI think you're reading more into his comment than he intended. The first tweet, Last known state for rocket boost stage is 360 m/s, Mach 1.1, 8.5 km altitude and roll rate close to zero (v important!) Was a very upbeat message in the context of their previous attempts. This rocket was only doing 360 m/s, but importantly, wasn't rolling at all -- Their last 'test' failed when the rocket started rolling at a very high rate of speed and they lost engine power. Musk was then asked: if anything could go better, what would it be? To which he replied: Rocket boost stage reaching 0 m/s in one piece :) Will know soon. Odds not high. The first line is just a joke that the test would go better if the rocket got to the surface in 1 piece. I think his 'odds not high' statement is just to dampen excitement a bit, since they went into this with a ~40% chance of success for the landing stage.
- JohnnyBrown 13y agoI believe the 0 m/s refers to the boost stage's speed after a successful landing.
- nardi 13y agoSince this is over the ocean, I interpreted this to mean reaching a state of stable hover.
- 13y ago
- TrainedMonkey 13y agoYour SECO timing was off only by 4 seconds, pretty impressive.
- chrisBob 13y agoBut it doesn't reach the space station until some time on Sunday? Can someone explain the long maneuvering time once it is in orbit?
- krasin 13y agoin short, they save fuel/money at the cost of time. Instead of going to ISS directly, they have put the Dragon to some cheaper point in the space with some speed vector. After that, it will turn around Earth multiple times, until the orbits of the Dragon and the ISS are closer. But it's very short and partially incorrect (as they may also have a few correction boosts)
- Arjuna 13y agoIt is primarily due to the fact that changes in altitude with regard to achieving orbital synchronization take time. This is also related to the concept of a launch window. Today's launch had an instantaneous launch window, required to reach all mission objectives, and for Dragon to achieve its precise window of opportunity in space. This means that the launch had to occur at an exact moment, down to the exact second of accuracy. For a more exhaustive understanding, further explanation and exploration, you will enjoy the following: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_mechanics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_mechanics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_speed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_speed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_plane_%28astronomy%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_plane_%28astronomy%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbit_phasing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbit_phasing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohmann_transfer_orbit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohmann_transfer_orbit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_rendezvous https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_rendezvous https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docking_and_berthing_of_spacecraft https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docking_and_berthing_of_spacec... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Launch_window https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Launch_window
- stcredzero 13y agoObligatory: Then play some KSP.