I’m sure they will but I still think NASA made a mistake scrapping the Saturn series.
It’s not like it’s rocket surgery...
Here’s hoping the early morning wakeup isn’t wasted this time. Will snap a pic or two for FR from Daytona.
Whether they fly or not is irrelevant....the design with nine motors is atrocious.
Their sequencing of said motors is a nightmare.
They should have bit the bullet and designed another engine to reduce it to three instead of multiplying the possibility of failure.
I think NASA has to look elsewhere....probably the Atlas.
Not it is not, but I'm rooting for SpaceX - it has a good plan and overall strategy.
I may not be awake for the launch (I'll try though) but regardless go Falcon 9 and Dragon!!!
so what happened??????
Fingers crossed for a flawless launch and insertion.
Sputnik changed all that and for kids like me, our new heroes were the X-plane pilots and the astronauts. These were very heady days filled with both triumph and failure. It is hard to imagine it took only 11 years, from the Sputnik of 1957, to the Apollo Moon Lander in 1969.
When the Saturn V was scrapped to fund the Space Shuttle, manned space flight was effectively put in the deep freeze (where it has remained) for 35 years.
If Burt Rutan is correct (and I think he is), the commercialization of space will usher in a Golden Age of manned space flight. The big government space agencies are too bureaucratic, too inflexible, too lacking in vision, and just too stupid to do this job. Besides, NASA’s main job is now “Muslim outreach” according to POTUS Obozo.
Jack Hydrazine checking in. I’m definitely staying up for this launch. Have a feeling it’ll lift off this time.
They’re really really happy. I’m glad for them.
Fellow nerds...Check out the heavens-above website. SpaceX Dragon and ISS both visible for next week. Dragon magnitude 1.0 tomorrow AM at my location.
Dragon/ISS docking tomorrow morning early.
Email from SpaceX:
SpaceX to Webcast Dragon’s Visit Space Station
SpaceX is planning to webcast Dragon’s historic attempt to visit the space station live tomorrow morning starting at approximately 4:30 AM PT / 7:30 AM ET. Times may change so check back for updates.
Update from SpaceFlightNow.com:
FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2012
0155 GMT (9:55 p.m. EDT Thurs.)
The International Space Station mission management team just gave a “go” for integrated operations between the space station and Dragon spacecraft.
Integrated operations will begin around 3 a.m. EDT (0700 GMT), after which the space station control team in Houston will have authority over the progress of the mission. SpaceX controllers in California will continue sending commands to Dragon after approval from Houston.
We will have live streaming video and comprehensive updates on Dragon’s progress beginning at 2 a.m. EDT (0600 GMT).
THURSDAY, MAY 24, 2012
1430 GMT (10:30 a.m. EDT)
All systems are in good shape for tomorrow’s rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station, according to NASA and SpaceX officials.
The commercial Dragon spacecraft flew about 8,000 feet directly beneath the space station this morning after astronauts and engineers successfully proved the ship’s relative GPS navigation system and tested a communications link between the craft and the station crew.
In a news conference from Houston and SpaceX headquarters in California, officials said today’s activities went as expected.
Dragon fired its thrusters to enter a looping trajectory around the space station, eventually arriving at a point below and behind the complex - much like it did earlier today - to start a second rendezvous with the outpost.
Update from SpaceX website:
SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH KICKS OFF SPACEX’S HISTORIC MISSION
May 22, 2012
Hawthorne, CA – Today, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon spacecraft to orbit in an exciting start to the mission that will make SpaceX the first commercial company in history to attempt to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station — something only a handful of governments have ever accomplished.
At 3:44 a.m. Eastern, the Falcon 9 carrying Dragon launched from SpaceX’s launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Now Dragon heads toward the International Space Station. On that journey it will be subjected to a series of tests to determine if the vehicle is ready to berth with the station.
Broadcast quality videos, including video inside of the SpaceX factory, may be downloaded at vimeo.com/spacexlaunch and high-resolution photos are posted at spacexlaunch.zenfolio.com.
At a press conference held after the launch, SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk began, “I would like to start off by saying what a tremendous honor it has been to work with NASA. And to acknowledge the fact that we could not have started SpaceX, nor could we have reached this point without the help of NASA… It’s really been an honor to work with such great people.”
The vehicle’s first stage performed nominally before separating from the second stage. The second stage successfully delivered the Dragon spacecraft into its intended orbit. This marks the third consecutive successful Falcon 9 launch and the fifth straight launch success for SpaceX.
“We obviously have to go through a number of steps to berth with the Space Station, but everything is looking really good and I think I would count today as a success no matter what happens with the rest of the mission,” Musk said.
He continued by expressing his gratitude to the more than 1,800 SpaceX employees. “People have really given it their all.” Describing the scene inside of SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, he said, “We had most of the company gathered around SpaceX Mission Control. They are seeing the fruits of their labor and wondering if it is going to work. There is so much hope riding on that rocket. When it worked, and Dragon worked, and the solar arrays deployed, people saw their handiwork in space operating as it should. There was tremendous elation. For us it is like winning the Super Bowl.”
Explaining the significance of the day, Musk stated, “This mission heralds the dawn of a new era of space exploration, one in which there is a significant commercial space element. It is like the advent of the Internet in the mid-1990s when commercial companies entered what was originally a government endeavor. That move dramatically accelerated the pace of advancement and made the Internet accessible to the mass market. I think we’re at a similar inflection point for space. I hope and I believe that this mission will be historic in marking that turning point towards a rapid advancement in space transportation technology.”
This is SpaceX’s second demonstration flight under a 2006 Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) agreement with NASA to develop the capability to carry cargo to and from the International Space Station. Demonstration launches are conducted to determine potential issues so that they might be addressed; by their very nature, they carry a significant risk. If any aspect of the mission is not successful, SpaceX will learn from the experience and try again.
Mission Highlights: During the mission, Dragon must perform a series of complex tasks, each presenting significant technical challenges (dates subject to change):
May 22/Launch Day: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launches a Dragon spacecraft into orbit from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
May 23: Dragon orbits Earth as it travels toward the International Space Station.
May 24: Dragon’s sensors and flight systems are subjected to a series of complicated tests to determine if the vehicle is ready to berth with the space station; these tests include maneuvers and systems checks in which the vehicle comes within 1.5 miles of the station.
May 25: NASA decides if Dragon is allowed to attempt berthing with the station. If so, Dragon approaches. It is captured by station’s robotic arm and attached to the station, a feat that requires extreme precision.
May 25 - 31: Astronauts open Dragon’s hatch, unload supplies and fill Dragon with return cargo.
May 31: After approximately two weeks, Dragon is detached from the station and returns to Earth, landing in the Pacific, hundreds of miles west of Southern California.
Don’t forget to check these two websites out!
http://vimeo.com/spacexlaunch
http://spacexlaunch.zenfolio.com/