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Mar 20, 2021 04:42 AM
(This post was last modified: Mar 20, 2021 04:59 AM by Yazata.)
Boca Chica cartoons! This cartoonist is good! The Daily Hopper!
https://twitter.com/daily_hopper ![[Image: Ew20fDxWQAUfgZK?format=jpg&name=large]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ew20fDxWQAUfgZK?format=jpg&name=large) ![[Image: EwyDQJvXIAIXMHw?format=jpg&name=large]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EwyDQJvXIAIXMHw?format=jpg&name=large)
Mar 21, 2021 06:45 PM
(This post was last modified: Mar 21, 2021 10:22 PM by Yazata.)
After examining many sheep entrails (and road closures and tfrs), the haruspex has determined that the signs are that Sn11's flight is being planned for Wednesday! That's presumably dependent on a successful static fire penciled in for Monday. (Elon damnably fails to make his plans known. So all that people can do is chart the planets, observe birds flying overhead and consult crystal balls and sheeps livers to divine the future.)
But Sn11 is a plucky one. Despite knowing full well what happened to 8,9 and 10, it's dancing! (Watch the little video below with the sound on.) Sn11 really did this as it tested out its fin actuators, though I think that the video was edited a bit and sped up a bit to fit the music. But probably not all that much since it always surprises people how quickly it can flap its flippers. https://twitter.com/TrevorMahlmann/statu...4404129792 Edit: Mary has received her overpressure warning notice for tomorrow, but not an evacuation warning. That's consistent with the expected Monday static fire. https://twitter.com/BocaChicaGal/status/...4257277954 https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_1_7831.html
Mar 22, 2021 05:42 PM
(This post was last modified: Mar 22, 2021 06:47 PM by Yazata.)
Good static fire about 8 AM Texas time. Tomorrow's road closure (static fire backup day) has been canceled. (These Starship static fires are really just engine ignition tests They can't do full duration static fires like SLS did, since they have no flame ducts at the pads.)
https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/stat...5593248769 In the little video in the tweet above, note the medieval trebuchet in the foreground! Some unknown people put it out there and it's kind of fitting. All indications are that Sn11's flight is go for Wednesday. And this morning when Hoppy was doing announcements, they were prefaced by "Attention Starbase!" I like it. Elon's sci-fi influence.
Mar 23, 2021 03:27 AM
(This post was last modified: Mar 23, 2021 03:36 AM by Yazata.)
Speaking of Hoppy, Here's today's Daily Hopper
https://twitter.com/daily_hopper/status/...8116781058 (The FTS is the Flight Termination System, a plastic explosive charge to blow the rocket up in flight if it goes out of control and heads for a populated area. It's installed on a rocket before a flight and removed as part of the safeing process.)
Mar 24, 2021 02:59 AM
Today they performed tests on the tank farm.
And over in the build area they were installing the bridge crane in the high bay (a big job). But that being said, the launch for tomorrow and for the backup day on Thursday have been cancelled. Reason seems to be winds in the vicinity of 30 mph forecast. By all accounts 11 is in good health. Friday remains a possibility.
Mar 25, 2021 04:57 PM
(This post was last modified: Mar 25, 2021 05:19 PM by Yazata.)
Apparently the problem is more than excessive wind. A new engine (identified as raptor #46) has been photographed on its way to the launch area where it's being installed as we speak. SpaceX never issues a schedule for events, but talk is that an engine swap will require a new static fire which will probably happen tomorrow (Friday 3-26).
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/stat...5568347139 Rumors are that they hope to launch a flight on Friday too, but conducting a static fire and a flight on the same day is cutting things awfully close. There are flight tfrs for Saturday and Sunday, but I suspect those days are unlikely because the county likes to preserve beach access for locals on weekends. So I would guess (purely speculation) that they will try to fly on Monday (3-29). It's believed that Elon really wants to fly this thing (and land it safely) before the end of the Month (next Wednesday). More speculation is that one of the engines failed to light in that bad static fire on Monday March 15. They apparently thought that they had a handle on why and there were no engine swaps before the good static fire a week later on March 22. But they apparently have been examining their data and saw something that made them decide to pull the offending engine to increase the probability that 11's flight is successful.
Mar 26, 2021 02:24 AM
(This post was last modified: Mar 26, 2021 02:46 AM by Yazata.)
Verification that they do intend to conduct both a static fire and a flight test tomorrow.
![[Image: ExW0u0pU8AAZNeg?format=png&name=small]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ExW0u0pU8AAZNeg?format=png&name=small) https://www.cameroncounty.us/order-closi...-march-26/ Which is bad news for me, since I have to go get my second covid jab tomorrow afternoon. Here's something strangely moving from the Daily Hopper... Poor Hoppy's lost lots of friends recently. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ExL2BpJVoA0k...ame=medium 
Mar 26, 2021 05:06 AM
(Mar 26, 2021 02:24 AM)Yazata Wrote: Verification that they do intend to conduct both a static fire and a flight test tomorrow. No good memories about my 2nd, but you'll probably be alright. The older, the more unscathed (usually). Quote:Here's something strangely moving from the Daily Hopper... Poor Hoppy's lost lots of friends recently. Hoppy may never get a permanent buddy. Even if SN11 is the first one that doesn't explode, it probably won't be lingering around on site any more than the later hoppers only missing a nose-cone and fins. At best, might be transported to a special, "do not touch this" rocket boneyard for a future SpaceX museum.
Mar 26, 2021 03:14 PM
Single engine static fire took place about 8 AM CDT (6 AM PDT!). Looked good, but now they have to examine their data. If it looks good, then Mary will get word to evacuate Boca Chica. (She's still there right now.)
Mar 26, 2021 04:48 PM
(This post was last modified: Mar 26, 2021 06:50 PM by Yazata.)
Update 10:45 AM CDT: Mary has received the Boca Chica evacuation warning and is leaving. So they do plan to try to fly later today.
Update 12:00 AM CDT: Canada's musical astronaut Chris Hadfield is watching Lab's cams https://twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield/status...8587284489 |
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