A New Step Into Space

Discuss all things 'aviation' that do not fit into a more appropriate forum
Spiny Norman
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A New Step Into Space

Post by Spiny Norman »

Looking forward to a return by America to launching its own humankind space missions.

Hopefully weather will not prevent a call-off.

Crew Dragon Demo-2 possibly visible over UK, as it's rendezvousing with the ISS which is visible tonight.

ETA for blast-off is 9.32 PM BST.

https://www.nasa.gov/content/live-launc ... ce-station

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pbeardmore
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by pbeardmore »

Weather not playing ball at the moment, hope it clears.
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by FlankerPhoto »

Launch scrubbed.

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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by timuss »

Next launch scheduled for Saturday a lot earlier 15.22 ET.
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ianf
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by ianf »

Launch will be an hour earlier than this one at 15. 22 EST or 20.22 BST
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138EAW
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by 138EAW »

They are saying about a 50% chance of launch at 20.22
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138EAW
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by 138EAW »

Gone to 70% chance of launch
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ianf
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by ianf »

Crew arm is retracting, next they arm the escape system then fuel. The weather is go. T minus 42 mins to launch
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keithjs
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by keithjs »

Will we be able to see it here in the UK as it would have been on Wednesday? The ISS is due over tonight about 10.15.
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gamecock
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by gamecock »

Supposed to be going over Cornwall around 20:40 but conditions not great for viewing apparently.

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Ewart
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by Ewart »

Gosh that was exciting.

FarnboroJohn
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by FarnboroJohn »

I'll be damned. I really didn't believe this would work. (So far so good, I don't want to jinx it.)

To someone who remembers Apollo, these pictures are incredible.

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ianf
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by ianf »

Dragon is now in orbit. Stage 1 landed back on remote ship. John I remember watching Gemini and Apollo too. Some things the same looking other totally different. The cockpit and the space suits look more at home in a Sci fi movie!😃
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HeyfordDave111
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by HeyfordDave111 »

my word, 'impressive' doesnt quite explain what i have just seen on my i-pad.

Smooth journey, and the booster landed perfectly. It's like watching Thunderbirds on telly as a kid..... almost the same feeling of amazement and exhileration.
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FarnboroJohn
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by FarnboroJohn »

ianf wrote:
Sat 30 May 2020, 7:39 pm
John I remember watching Gemini and Apollo too. Some things the same looking other totally different. The cockpit and the space suits look more at home in a Sci fi movie!😃
Exactly this. In fact if you compare the Dragon cockpit with e.g. the original Enterprise bridge or the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon the only possible reaction is hysterical laughter.

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keithjs
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by keithjs »

Quite spectacular. I was amazed how smooth the flight was compared to even the Shuttle. And it's fitted with Merlin engines...what more could you want..!
Mind you I do find the names of the landing platforms somewhat humorous....And how precise was the landing back on that. Fascinating!
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ianf
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by ianf »

John if you looked at the rocket in flight, it was fireball XL5 without the lower wings!
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Spiny Norman
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by Spiny Norman »

That was excellent. Smooth as silk. Shame the video cut out for the booster landing but still a considerable technical achievement. Apollo rocketpersons will be looking on enviously.

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phreakf4
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by phreakf4 »

I'm just waiting for the conspiracy nuts to crawl out of the woodwork and claim it was all "fake"
nothing is confirmed at a show until its u/c hits the tarmac or it is running in for its display.....

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BobL
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by BobL »

Spiny Norman wrote:
Sat 30 May 2020, 8:43 pm
Apollo rocketpersons will be looking on enviously.
Not really - they achieved what they did with the technology of the time. Don't forget they had computers with less power than a school calculator to put men on the Moon, not the super computers now in use.
And the Saturn V rocket still holds the record for the most powerful rocket ever built.

In the era of Apollo, by now we were supposed to be living on Mars, using flying cars, travelling to the Moon as regular passengers.

Yet they've only just managed to achieve remote landing of reusable booster stages...
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Spiny Norman
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by Spiny Norman »

BobL wrote:
Sun 31 May 2020, 9:02 am
Spiny Norman wrote:
Sat 30 May 2020, 8:43 pm
Apollo rocketpersons will be looking on enviously.
Not really - they achieved what they did with the technology of the time. Don't forget they had computers with less power than a school calculator to put men on the Moon, not the super computers now in use.
And the Saturn V rocket still holds the record for the most powerful rocket ever built.

In the era of Apollo, by now we were supposed to be living on Mars, using flying cars, travelling to the Moon as regular passengers.

Yet they've only just managed to achieve remote landing of reusable booster stages...
With the reason for stopping Apollo being mainly budgetary, if Apollo engineers could have reused the biggest part of their rocket it might have prolonged the project. Also, by your logic, if they could get to the Moon with calculator-sized computers then landing a rocket stage back on Earth might well have been possible. Who knows, it doesn't really matter, just an idle point of interest.

Yes, it's also interesting that basically the Americans have returned to Gemini levels of putting two astronauts into orbit (last seen over 50 years ago). The Soviets, who supposedly 'lost' the Space Race, have been launching crews throughout that whole time with the same rockets. While Crew Dragons are intended to carry more, you can only wonder what might have been achieved had Saturns and CSMs still been in use all these years.

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BobL
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by BobL »

No doubt the Apollo program was curtailed by budgets and politics. The appetite for going into space declined as well. Once Apollo 11 was old news people didn't watch them until 13 and then it trailed off to the last mission.

I haven't really followed the SpaceX project and assume they only sent two up as that was all they needed on the ISS?

I followed the Gemini and Apollo missions as a wannabe-astronaut and sat up through the night watching Apollo 11 with my dad, so I hope it all does signal a return to more space stuff, even though we should perhaps get the Earth sorted out first.
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138EAW
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by 138EAW »

Docking with ISS is about to happen https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/ ... tml#public
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ianf
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by ianf »

Dragon has soft docked, just going through the hard capture procedure.
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phreakf4
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Re: A New Step Into Space

Post by phreakf4 »

Now hard docked.
nothing is confirmed at a show until its u/c hits the tarmac or it is running in for its display.....

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