Keith’s note: SpaceX had a short albeit successful hot fire of its Falcon 9 today.
According to @elonmusk on Twitter: “Woohoo, rocket hold down firing completed and all looks good!!”

Biologist, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Biologist and Payload integrator, Editor of NASAWatch.com and Astrobiology.com, Lapsed climber, Explorer, Synaesthete, Former Challenger Center board member 🖖🏻

9 replies on “SpaceX Hotfire Completed”

  2. Folks:

    Good all-up test by Spacex. This launch integrates Dragon operation to the procedure so it’s way more complex. If this flight goes well than Spacex may be able to afford the fuel margin on Dragon to have two launch opportunities a day on future cargo runs to ISS.

    tinker

    1.  … except they would have missed their T-0 instant launch window . Had this been the real deal, they would’ve had to stand down and launch another day to ISS.

      1. You are Soooo right!!!! That’s why they are smart enough to do the test to Increase the odds they are flying at 940 Monday May 7th

        We agree!!!

        Didn’t I read here once a lesson many have learned from NACA agh NASA was test test test and test again till you get it right?

        1. Until Apollo convinced NASA there was no need for testing. They could do it all on paper, by the magic of systems engineering. 

          Have things changed? Here’s a clue. The failure rate of the SLS is known to three decimal places, because the failure rate has been specified, and the contractor must meet the spec.

  3. 4/29/12 Spacex 

    Tomorrow Spacex will test it’s falcon engines and then it is one week till a dragon lifts from the cape on it’s way to ISS.

    I feel like a kid again counting the days to the next NASA space mission. Just like in the old days everything must go right for the space machine to complete it’s tasks.
    There’s risk involved, lots is on the line. 

    I just read where Mr. Bolden said he thinks we will land on mars by 2030. Elon Musk has said much the same thing? I wonder how it will all play out?
     A mystery 🙂

    Questions

    On the last dragon flight did Spacex relight the falcon first stage engines and attempt to turn the booster around??? Did they get it turned? My guess is that they got it going in the other direction only to run out of fuel before getting it slow enough.

    What are their first stage recovery testing plans for this flight?

    How soon do they plan to put a draco on the booster to flip it faster? (I forgot the name of that flip maneuver?)

    I was just looking at the pictures of Spacex mating dragon to the falcon boosters and wondering if it were possible (in the future) to fly dragons second stage, trunk, and dragon close to ISS. Separate trunk and dragon for ISS docking, then have dragon put the trunk back on the second stage before reentering earths atmosphere leaving a spacecraft in Leo that just needs fuel and a dragon trunk mission. What would be needed to make that possible???? 

    Anyway, from his comments it seems Mr. Bolden realizes Spacex is the critical path to mars and that NASA should play an NACA type supporting role.

    Lol about time! lol

    Curious George  

    Out!!!!!!

    Cancel SLS

    Cancel Orion

    We need money to go to mars!!!

  4. 4/30/12 Spacex
    I was just looking at the pictures of Spacex mating dragon to the falcon boosters and wondering if it were possible (in the future) to fly dragons second stage, trunk, and dragon close to ISS. Separate trunk and dragon for ISS docking, then have dragon put the trunk back on the second stage before reentering earths atmosphere leaving a spacecraft in Leo that just needs fuel and a dragon trunk mission. What would be needed to make that possible???? 

    Isn’t using falcon 2nd stages with dragon trunks the cheapest way to create robot capability in   LEO now??? Shouldn’t NASA or Spacex be designing now, a Leo junk/fuel depot beam to be flow on a falcon heavy soon. 

    Dragon trunk missions 

    Deorbit and salvage or rescue satellites for Earth. Clean up our Leo construction site!

    Just as Mr. C said, robots first (falcon 2nd stage plus trunk) humans next. Just add a dragon capsule and let’s pickup in LEO where we left off with the Gemini program. 

    Where is the Bigelow garage so ISS crew can help repair, test, and rescue satellites and future vehicles.

    Where is the ISS Bigelow greenhouse to drive down the cost of feeding humans.

    With this first Spacex mission lets use it to start planning smart programs that build infrastructure

    Inner Solar System Railroad  Inc.

    Your space transportation provider.
     
    ME! Isn’t this the solution to being able to save an important mission like the Mars Grunt mission the Russians just lost in the very near future???

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