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SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashes Down After Historic Test Flight

scientificamerican.com

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Re: SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashes Down After Historic Test Flight

#11

Post by influx »

Tuna-Fish wrote: post #7
ChuckMcM wrote: post #4

This is a better article on the recovery than the one I linked from TechCrunch. I would like to reiterate the point made before which is that SpaceX is on the verge of being in a place that no company has ever been before with regard to space. The are on the cusp of having a capsule that they can send into orbit for days and then return to Earth. They already have rockets capable of putting tons of material into ever…

They are unlikely to do this at this point. The big problem is that while the capsule will be reusable, since NASA killed the propulsive landing for Dragon 2, it now needs to splash down in saltwater and therefore is not considered safe for humans after the first use. This makes Dragon 2:s too expensive for large-scale space tourism. Unless there is suddenly a huge market for this, I think SpaceX would prefer to sell…

Why did they force the requirement for saltwater splashdown?

Re: SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashes Down After Historic Test Flight

#12

Post by sandworm101 »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #4

This is a better article on the recovery than the one I linked from TechCrunch. I would like to reiterate the point made before which is that SpaceX is on the verge of being in a place that no company has ever been before with regard to space. The are on the cusp of having a capsule that they can send into orbit for days and then return to Earth. They already have rockets capable of putting tons of material into ever…

SpaceX is breaking new ground, but it isn't the first corporation to launch large rockets. The Saturn 5 wasn't built by the air force, nor was shuttle constructed by Nasa. These objects were built by contractors, corporations working under government contracts. The differences between SpaceX today and the corporations that built, and largely launched, the big rockets of the past is largely a legal distinction.

Space launch is also heavily regulated. SpaceX isn't free to launch anything. Every launch is subject to tight government controls on everything from the technology involved to the specifics of the range. Nobody is going up without US government permission. Their ability to "do" space tourism is not that different than previous space tourists on other rockets. That a corporation is selling the seats, and the passenger lists then being vetted by a government, rather than a national government doing both is again only a legal distinction.+

Re: SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashes Down After Historic Test Flight

#13

Post by huehehue »

rsj_hn wrote: post #8
Tuna-Fish wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are unlikely to do this at this point. The big problem is that while the capsule will be reusable, since NASA killed the propulsive landing for Dragon 2, it now needs to splash down in saltwater and therefore is not considered safe for humans after the first use. This makes Dragon 2:s too expensive for large-scale space tourism. Unless there is suddenly a huge market for this, I think SpaceX would prefer to sell…

That's interesting. I always assumed that most of the damage happened on re-entry and not the splashdown. Can you elaborate on why the splashdown kills re-use?

"Although water retrieval has been attempted, it is not recommended due to the adverse effect that salt water has on avionics, electronics, and structures. This approach was abandoned due to the elevated cost associated with refurbishing salt water damaged components. By avoiding water retrieval, the engines would avoid maintenance that would have resulted from the corrosive nature of the salt water and thereby expedite turnaround time. When considering recovery of reusable systems, salt water is much more severe than returning to land at the launch site."

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/201700...

Re: SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashes Down After Historic Test Flight

#14

Post by bahmboo »

rsj_hn wrote: post #8
Tuna-Fish wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are unlikely to do this at this point. The big problem is that while the capsule will be reusable, since NASA killed the propulsive landing for Dragon 2, it now needs to splash down in saltwater and therefore is not considered safe for humans after the first use. This makes Dragon 2:s too expensive for large-scale space tourism. Unless there is suddenly a huge market for this, I think SpaceX would prefer to sell…

That's interesting. I always assumed that most of the damage happened on re-entry and not the splashdown. Can you elaborate on why the splashdown kills re-use?

I live by salt water. Salt water destroys everything. Sometimes quickly but always eventually. Ok, maybe not fish.

Re: SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashes Down After Historic Test Flight

#15

Post by rhcom2 »

influx wrote: post #11
Tuna-Fish wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are unlikely to do this at this point. The big problem is that while the capsule will be reusable, since NASA killed the propulsive landing for Dragon 2, it now needs to splash down in saltwater and therefore is not considered safe for humans after the first use. This makes Dragon 2:s too expensive for large-scale space tourism. Unless there is suddenly a huge market for this, I think SpaceX would prefer to sell…

Why did they force the requirement for saltwater splashdown?

IIRC they were concerned about having retractable legs beneath the heat shield so in terms of complexity the water landing is safer.

Re: SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashes Down After Historic Test Flight

#16

Post by slg »

influx wrote: post #11
Tuna-Fish wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are unlikely to do this at this point. The big problem is that while the capsule will be reusable, since NASA killed the propulsive landing for Dragon 2, it now needs to splash down in saltwater and therefore is not considered safe for humans after the first use. This makes Dragon 2:s too expensive for large-scale space tourism. Unless there is suddenly a huge market for this, I think SpaceX would prefer to sell…

Why did they force the requirement for saltwater splashdown?

I am curious about this as well. Was the propulsion the problem? Did they just want a water landing? Did they specifically want an ocean landing to increase the acceptable margin for error in the splash down location? Is there some specific property to the salt water like buoyancy that is important? Would a landing in fresh water like the Great Lakes (or Lake Victoria if they need something more equatorial) meet NASA's requirements and allow the capsule to be reusable?

Re: SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashes Down After Historic Test Flight

#17

Post by phkahler »

slg wrote: post #16
influx wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why did they force the requirement for saltwater splashdown?

I am curious about this as well. Was the propulsion the problem? Did they just want a water landing? Did they specifically want an ocean landing to increase the acceptable margin for error in the splash down location? Is there some specific property to the salt water like buoyancy that is important? Would a landing in fresh water like the Great Lakes (or Lake Victoria if they need something more equatorial) meet NASA…

+1 for splashdown in the great lakes. Now let's throw in launch pad on the shore of lake superior for getting in polar orbits. ;-)

Re: SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashes Down After Historic Test Flight

#18

Post by sourkremlin »

Tuna-Fish wrote: post #7
ChuckMcM wrote: post #4

This is a better article on the recovery than the one I linked from TechCrunch. I would like to reiterate the point made before which is that SpaceX is on the verge of being in a place that no company has ever been before with regard to space. The are on the cusp of having a capsule that they can send into orbit for days and then return to Earth. They already have rockets capable of putting tons of material into ever…

They are unlikely to do this at this point. The big problem is that while the capsule will be reusable, since NASA killed the propulsive landing for Dragon 2, it now needs to splash down in saltwater and therefore is not considered safe for humans after the first use. This makes Dragon 2:s too expensive for large-scale space tourism. Unless there is suddenly a huge market for this, I think SpaceX would prefer to sell…

where did you hear that dragon 2 is not safe for humans after splashdown? that's not accurate

Re: SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashes Down After Historic Test Flight

#20

Post by lenocinor »

bahmboo wrote: post #14
rsj_hn wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's interesting. I always assumed that most of the damage happened on re-entry and not the splashdown. Can you elaborate on why the splashdown kills re-use?

I live by salt water. Salt water destroys everything. Sometimes quickly but always eventually. Ok, maybe not fish.

It's really true. In your home it'll even happen to your indoor stuff if you're not careful.
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