Topic: Dragon capsule scheduled for 2nd flight.

[Nemesis]

Link to full article

SpaceX took a big step toward a fully reusable launch system earlier this year by re-flying a used Falcon 9 booster, and it is making progress toward eventually recovering the rocket's upper stage and payload fairing. Now, the company is set to try to recover another key component of its space hardware—a Dragon cargo spacecraft. The launch window for the supply mission opens on Thursday, June 1, at 5:55pm ET (10:55pm BST).

This particular Dragon spacecraft was sent to the International Space Station in September 2014, and it delivered nearly 2.5 tons of cargo to the orbiting laboratory. The Dragon returned to Earth about a month later, splashing down into the ocean. It is not clear how much processing SpaceX has had to undertake to ready the spacecraft for its second flight to the station, nor has the company released a cost estimate. It also had to manufacture a new "trunk," the unpressurized rear section of the vehicle, and solar panels.

[Nemesis]

It has gone up.  Still has to return. 

[Nemesis]

Consider the cost savings.  Reusable 1st stage.  Reusable capsule.  Both done.

Planned.  Reusable cargo fairing.  Reusable 2nd stage. 

For the first stage he claims they can make it work with a 24 hour turnaround time.  10 trips between refurbishing and a 100 trip life span.  If he can achieve this just for the 1st stage the savings for orbital missions would be enormous.  If for all the components I mentioned it should make SpaceX the company that makes it possible to industrialize and commercialize space.  The true beginnings of a Space age. 

If he can do the same with the proposed ICT?  He will go down in history side by side with Columbus, even if he never travels in space himself.

[NJAntman]

Fun watching how they got this far...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvim4rsNHkQ

[Javora]

Unscheduled Rapid Disassembley...   

[Nemesis]

Ever read of how the X15 kept exploding?  They used leather gaskets which became soaked in liquid oxygen and any impact made them go up like a bomb. 

SpaceX during its learning phase has lost rockets but has yet to kill anyone. 

They are making the Space Age real.  Naturally I'd prefer it to be a Canadian company but at least it isn't China, Iran, North Korea, Russia or a long list of other nations I'd prefer not to hold the keys to space. 

Well done SpaceX.

[Brush Wolf]

Ever read of how the X15 kept exploding?  They used leather gaskets which became soaked in liquid oxygen and any impact made them go up like a bomb. 

SpaceX during its learning phase has lost rockets but has yet to kill anyone. 

They are making the Space Age real.  Naturally I'd prefer it to be a Canadian company but at least it isn't China, Iran, North Korea, Russia or a long list of other nations I'd prefer not to hold the keys to space. 

Well done SpaceX.

It would be even better if they were getting away from the straight up launch but this is a huge step forward.

[Nemesis]

Straight up gets you above the air resistance quickest and saves fuel. 

Now it they used a magnetic catapult to launch it to the edge of space before the rockets cut in that would be better but the land costs would be prohibitive. 

Other techniques are on the cutting edge and too expensive and too unreliable with current tech. 

[Brush Wolf]

Straight up gets you above the air resistance quickest and saves fuel. 

Now it they used a magnetic catapult to launch it to the edge of space before the rockets cut in that would be better but the land costs would be prohibitive. 

Other techniques are on the cutting edge and too expensive and too unreliable with current tech. 

I understand the technology limits but straight up is not the most fuel efficient particularly when you are landing the lower stage for reuse.

[Tus-XC]

Actually, straight up is the most efficient, for launch and recovery since it minimizes excess weight, minimizes drag, maximizing you fuel use and your Delta V.  It doesn't make it the easiest for recovery though. What launch and recovery method given current technological constraints do you think is more efficient? Are you referring air launched vehicles?  their payload capacity is limited by that of the launch platform (read plane) they use, Pegasus being the most used in the US, has a very small payload capacity, and is not reusable.  Space ship one, while cool, has not actually orbited.