Falcon 9 Launch & Recovery Operations Options

[monty python]

Question: Was recovery of the first stage even attempted, or am I confused & thinking of F1?

At the conference, someone asked him if they had recoverd the first stage. He replied something like - Why do you have to add a sour note to an otherwise great day. Nobody has ever recovered a liquid fueled stage in good shape before. But on this flight we got much better telemetry from the stage and we had a black box with cameras and sensor data on it to find out where the weak spots in the design are, and we will fix them. Our goal is to recover and re-use first stages.

Brian

[monty python]

I should also add that they had 2 ships in the atlantic which I assume were ther for recovery opps since telemetry came from the cape and New Hampshire.

[nprev]

...thanks!

Yeah, that would have been extreme icing on the cake. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised they even tried given the necessary focus on Dragon.

[lyford]

I just want to know who the totally awesome mustachioed 70's dude in their webcast?

[helvick]

That would be Kevin Brogan, Space-X propulsion engineer, definitely a rocket scientist with a sense of style.

[lyford]

Thanks for the ID- SpaceX has certainly assembled an A-Team!

[monty python]

It's a wheel of cheeeese!

[climber]

Whole flight report here: http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=35548
On top of pictures there is a video (clicable picture link to the video) of the flight including Lift off, MECO,SECO, Dragon separation, video over Hawaii, splash down and recovery. Worth a look.

[qraal]

Will be interesting to see if SpaceX throw a Dragon around the Moon like Apollo 8. They could orbit a TLI stage with the Falcon 9 Heavy. A modified 2nd stage should be able to boost a Dragon into a free-return trajectory. Any suggestions for payload, since an unmanned test-run like the Russian Zonds would make the most sense initially?

[ElkGroveDan]

Will be interesting to see if SpaceX throw a Dragon around the Moon like Apollo 8. They could orbit a TLI stage with the Falcon 9 Heavy. A modified 2nd stage should be able to boost a Dragon into a free-return trajectory. Any suggestions for payload, since an unmanned test-run like the Russian Zonds would make the most sense initially?

It's an interesting thought and I suspect he might do something like that some day, but in the near term you are looking at years of development on your "TLI booster" alone, at a time when they are gearing up for ISS supply contracts. And I might add, to what end? SpaceX has been working steadily toward regular operation of commercially viable launch vehicles. The lunar orbiting stunt would make space fans everywhere cheer, but it would be capital intensive with not much new to add to their lucrative commercial Earth orbit target the company has laid out for the near term.

Down the road Elon has some great ideas on his wish list, but developing his launch company now to build infrastructure and capital for later things I believe is their present goal. It's no secret that “Mars is the ultimate goal of SpaceX," in Musk's own words. I could easily imagine them skipping the moon altogether.

[DDAVIS]

'Any suggestions for payload, since an unmanned test-run like the Russian Zonds would make the most sense initially?'

A full HD camera, with lots of storage.

[climber]

I guess, this enter in this topic.
Watch the video, Falcon 1st stage hit the barge right in the center:

http://spaceref.biz/company/spacex/elon-mu...isassembly.html

[DEChengst]

Best drone footage ever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nDyns4EOEQ

[algorithm]

Incredible!!

Such a great example of human tenacity.

[climber]

Rocket cam landing: http://youtu.be/UuRqj4AeZq0