Space and Science BS Thread

Just had another thought. If controlled the boil off venting might provide a measure of the thrust needed and if the supply ship is sunward off the receiving ship it provides shade as well as propellant transfer pressure. Venting will occur no matter what, might as well get something out of it and the more the better. Probably still need true thrusters initially both to dock and because the tanks would start in free fall but vent control would diminish the amount of thruster fuel needed to continue the transfer. It may seem insignificant but even a very small push would be enough to keep propellant in place over the transfer ports.

 

Another thing I just thought of is that it could be the prevailing sea wind blowing the darker exhaust, or the exhaust shows the pad avoidance maneuver, or a little of both.

What is the mating collar for the space plane going up on December 10th?

 

I’d put Story behind John Young in the 1 and 2 slots of bad ass Apollo/Early Shuttle era astronauts:
https://x.com/nasahubble/status/1732052865319903350?s=46

 

Looking like a busy month on the West Coast. Tentative launch schedule is the 8th, 11th, 14th, 19th, 20th and 28th. Four SpaceX, one MDA, one Firefly

 

Can't stop the signal!

 

Transfer will be from header tank to main tank.

 

The spaceflight log has that booster being dedicated to Starlink being launched tomorrow. I dont know anything about a space plane.

 

https://www.space.com/space-force-x-37b-spacex-falcon-heavy-1st-launch-dec-2023

 

Source?

 

First I've ever heard of that and I definitely have never done any work to support that operation.

 

Pad avoidance could explain it, maybe. It starts right at the booster skirt clearly to one side and grows with the plume extending beyond the exhaust tail. May not be a thing but it’s certainly a noticeable assymetry. I know there’s Ship boil off venting and CO2 flushing of the thrust section and either of those could explain it as well. Other than here I’m not on any threads or chats so if you are maybe you could ask about it?

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1gJxx5Q3a8
~00:32 seconds in.

 

I wouldn’t expect to hear much about it. Certainly not more than any other DOD launch and probably less other than it’s that vehicle on that delivery system.

 

Yeah, I can ask some people. Do you have a video and time stamp where it's pretty easily visible?

 

About 00:24 seconds in on this one.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PQYaW-c05bQ
From some angles it can appear more even but I think that might be just the perspective on the plume.
This one from Tim Dodd is from the other side but not completely. It’s almost belly on. About 3:30
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv5AMNYGql4&pp=ygUPU3RhcnNoaXAgbGF1bmNo
I think it’s most pronounced when viewed with the port or starboard flaps centered(tiles on one side, SS on the other) rather than belly on or from behind the tower. The reverse angle views indicate to me that it’s concentrated on the belly(tower) side which I would assume would be the side the vents are on to avoid tiles and plasma on reentry. I’ve no idea where CO2 flushed gasses exit the booster puck area.

 

And you are talking about the dark exhaust trail after the rocket fire? Or the white plumes coming down one side of the Booster from further up?

 

The dark exhaust that seems to be concentrated on the topside (facing the tower). Close ups only show the rocket and Mach diamonds and views not from the side show it more evenly spread out. I’m not really concerned that it’s there, just curious why it appears as it does. I would think “fuel rich” would show it almost the same from every angle. Might start out as one of the white plumes(one being LOX venting and the other Methane venting) and darken as it passes the superheated booster exhaust or it might be CO2 mixed with propellant from the thrust section that does the same thing as it mixes with the atmosphere. Don’t know if it’s one of those or something else entirely.

 

For all I know it could be a small leak associated with the damage to the QD.

 

The lunar assault begins:
https://x.com/spcplcyonline/status/1732183331557843101?s=46

 

Hmmm. I wonder if it is just the carbon in the air from the burning CH4? And only on one side due to the pad avoidance, prevailing wind and the turn downrange? No one I have talked to seems to have an answer either.

We really haven't seen Methalox rocket launches up till now, so it may just be normal.