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SpaceX Launch Postponed

Posted by samzenpus on from the second-time's-a-charm dept.

An anonymous reader writes with news about SpaceX's launch today and second attempt to land its Falcon 9 rocket on a platform floating offshore in the Atlantic ocean. "You can watch live as SpaceX launches its Falcon 9 rocket and attempts to recover the first stage portion via an automated, barge-based landing plan in the Atlantic ocean, with the first take-off attempted scheduled for 4:33 PM ET, provided conditions remain good and pre-flight checks go well. A big part of this mission, designated CRS-6 and designed primarily as a resupply flight for the International Space Station, is getting a second chance at recovering Falcon 9's first stage rocket. Once the second stage and the Dragon spacecraft detach from that first stage rocket, it'll undergo a controlled descent as it attempts to touch down with SpaceX's ocean-borne landing platform." Update: 04/13 21:43 GMT by S : The launch was scrubbed because of lightning in a nearby cloud. It's been rescheduled for tomorrow at 4:10PM ET.

77 comments

  1. Re:I can picture it now by grnbrg · · Score: 1

    ... what's your point?

  2. I could use that job! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... attempts to recover the first stage portion via an automated, barge-based landing plan in the Atlantic ocean,...

    Fucking robots! Can't get a break man! Aren't these new industries supposed to be hiring all of us unemployed?!

    -Ned Ludd

  3. Re:I can picture it now by EETech1 · · Score: 1

    7 second difference between time on feed and my computer! Can anyone else confirm this error?

      is this a problem with systemd:)

  4. Re:I can picture it now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... what's your point?

    Bitterness.

  5. Re:I can picture it now by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 3, Funny

    Elon Musk insists on all his employees working 7 seconds in the past so he can feel like he's living in the future.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  6. One second launch window? by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

    I thought I heard the commentator mention a one second launch window. Did I hear that right?

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    1. Re:One second launch window? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, you only have to read half of the post to see that minor detail.

    2. Re:One second launch window? by zwede · · Score: 1

      Yes, that is correct.

    3. Re:One second launch window? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep. They have to match orbit with the ISS and once they're on-orbit, they don't have that much delta-v. So, one-second launch window.

    4. Re:One second launch window? by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      Where does it say so?

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    5. Re:One second launch window? by bledri · · Score: 1

      I thought I heard the commentator mention a one second launch window. Did I hear that right?

      Yes, that's correct. Technically I think it's actually a one minute launch window, but there is not really any scenario where that matters. This is because if there is a launch hold the clock cycles back to T-13 minutes. There is no practical way to have a hold at T-13 or less, resolve the problem, and then target a new launch time within that one minute window. So the launch targets the specific second which optimizes rendezvous with the ISS.

      They also call this an instantaneous launch window.

      --
      Some privacy policy Slashdot.
    6. Re:One second launch window? by 0123456 · · Score: 1

      The shuttle also used to have really short launch windows to ISS (~5 minutes?). That just meant they started the countdown early and added longer holds to allow time to fix any problems that showed up; if the problem took longer than the allowed hold time, it was complex enough that they would probably have to scrub anyway.

    7. Re:One second launch window? by WuphonsReach · · Score: 1

      +/- 5 minutes was the shuttle's window and it cost 1100kg of payload to have a window that large (reference link).

      The dog-leg cost of slipping into the proper inclination orbit with a launch that is mistimed can huge. On the order of hundreds of dV required to fix the issue.

      So for robotic launches, where you don't have crew sitting in a capsule / vessel, and scrubs are relatively cheap as a result, it's better to go for a very small launch window (~1 second) to maximize payload.

      --
      Wolde you bothe eate your cake, and have your cake?
  7. Re:Misleading by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 1

    What's misleading? TFS says it won't be launched until 4:33 PST. Which is still hours away....

    --

    "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
  8. Not exactly live by arobatino · · Score: 1

    Getting just a few seconds of video and then having to hit reload, over and over, isn't exactly my idea of live.

    1. Re:Not exactly live by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      Working fine for me.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    2. Re:Not exactly live by arobatino · · Score: 1

      Ah, I don't have to reload, flipping between different resolutions is faster.

  9. Re:Misleading by Dins · · Score: 1

    "attempted scheduled for 4:33 PM ET"

    Only a few minutes from right now.

  10. Aborted by WoodburyMan · · Score: 1

    Aborted due to weather at T- 3:07

  11. Scrubbed! by captnjohnny1618 · · Score: 1

    Damn! Got my hopes up.

  12. Hold due to weather by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Same bat time, same bat channel tomorrow

  13. Scrubbed Weather by EagleRider70 · · Score: 1

    They aborted because of an "Anvil Cloud".

    1. Re:Scrubbed Weather by almitydave · · Score: 1

      And I thought hail was bad!

      --
      my, your, his/her/its, our, your, their
      I'm, you're, he's/she's/it's, we're, you're, they're
    2. Re:Scrubbed Weather by ganjadude · · Score: 4, Funny

      dang coyote and his wacky acme schemes!!!!

      --
      have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  14. Aborted! by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

    Cancelled due to weather (anvil clouds) at T-00:03:07.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  15. Aborted by rroman · · Score: 1

    Weather is bad, launch has been aborted. Tomorrow is the next chance (IIRC).

  16. Headline got ahead of itself by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 4, Informative

    SpaceX Launches CRS-6 Resupply Rocket and Tries Drone Ship Recovery

    That'll teach you to use the present tense for something that hasn't happened yet.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  17. Aborted at T-00:03:07 by compro01 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Weather doesn't want to cooperate. Anvil clouds within 10 miles of launch site.

    Tune in tomorrow for next attempt.

    --
    upon the advice of my lawyer, i have no sig at this time
    1. Re:Aborted at T-00:03:07 by ClickOnThis · · Score: 1

      Weather doesn't want to cooperate. Anvil clouds within 10 miles of launch site.

      Tune in tomorrow for next attempt.

      Next lift-off attempt is tomorrow at around 4:10 PM EDT, if I heard correctly.

      --
      If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
    2. Re:Aborted at T-00:03:07 by Sowelu · · Score: 1

      Today's attempt, they expected a 60% chance of clear enough weather. Tomorrow they expect 50% chance, so...fingers crossed?

    3. Re:Aborted at T-00:03:07 by MattskEE · · Score: 1

      Weather doesn't want to cooperate.

      Don't try to anthropomorphize the weather. It hates that.

  18. scrubbed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    due to weather. sad smiley.

  19. Launch Scrubbed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Cloud rule violated. Launch scrubbed for the day. Nothing to see here.

    1. Re:Launch Scrubbed by Thud457 · · Score: 1

      holy crap Elon, do I have to show you how to do everything?!!
      It's Florida. We have lightning. Learn to deal.
      1. Launch a sounding rocket from a nearby pad to trigger the lightning, thereby temporarily draining the local electrostatic potential.
      2. GO BABY GO GO GO!
      like a Boss that ain't 'fraid of no litenin'
      3. PROFIT.


      You can send my usual consulting fee to the usual account.

      --

      the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    2. Re:Launch Scrubbed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      echo "$0" >dev/null

  20. Launch Scrubbed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Anvil clouds + lightning violated their 10 mile window, launch was scrubbed at 3 minutes to launch.

  21. Launch has been scrubbed by ZeroSerenity · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Way to jump the gun there.

    --
    For those who seek perfection there can be no rest on this side of the grave.
  22. Re:Misleading by Tim+the+Gecko · · Score: 2

    Looks like it's been aborted for today due to the weather. The anvil cloud rule was violated. Next try is 4.10pm EDT tomorrow.

    Quick question. There are four towers, each with a cylinder on top. Around the cylinder there is some kind of spiral between the bottom and top. What are these cylinders called and what do they do?

  23. Another delay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Another delay. Why am I not surprised.

  24. blah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Step 1: make your rocket not have to deal with this weather shit

    1. Re:blah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not possible

  25. Why a one-second launch window? by gman003 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I've seen short launch windows before, but not for ISS-bound launches. I remember previous Dragon launches having significantly longer windows to launch. Am I remembering wrong, or is there something about this launch that requires a shorter window?

    1. Re:Why a one-second launch window? by cbhacking · · Score: 2

      You're remembering wrong. Most ISS launches have windows a few seconds wide, at most. There's a lot of stuff in LEO, all moving very fast, If you want a course that will hit the ISS at exactly the right speed, and not come too close to anything else, you've got a narrow window to do it in. You *can* launch outside that window (space is a big place), but it eats into your fuel and safety margins and usually there's no reason to do that.

      --
      There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
    2. Re:Why a one-second launch window? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Weather

    3. Re:Why a one-second launch window? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Space-X probably wants to launch it as soon as possible with their schedule packed with launches, meaning any opportunity even if it's a small one. I remember they had a recent previous launch attempt with a 1 second window that was cancelled also. Really, with how delays are so common in launches, why not try launching at any opportune time even if it is small?

    4. Re:Why a one-second launch window? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It has to do with the incidence of the high orbital inclination of ISS (to accommodate Vladimir Putin) and the launch azimuth and the boosters delta-V margin. Sometimes the windows are instantaneous, sometimes they last a few minutes.

    5. Re:Why a one-second launch window? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Incorrect

    6. Re:Why a one-second launch window? by idji · · Score: 1

      the get to ISS in hours with this window, rather than days with the window you remember.

    7. Re:Why a one-second launch window? by jae471 · · Score: 1

      The first part of the ISS was launched in 1998, and orbital parameters were set long before that. Boris was president, not Vlad.

    8. Re:Why a one-second launch window? by gman003 · · Score: 1

      That makes sense, and I recall that this is the most heavily-loaded Dragon yet, so less dV for orbital maneuvers would make for a shorter launch window.

      And I did seem to be remembering things wrong - every previous CRS flight I could find a launch window for had an instantaneous launch window. I must have been thinking of the non-CRS flights.

    9. Re:Why a one-second launch window? by DerekLyons · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You're remembering wrong. Most ISS launches have windows a few seconds wide, at most. There's a lot of stuff in LEO, all moving very fast, If you want a course that will hit the ISS at exactly the right speed, and not come too close to anything else, you've got a narrow window to do it in.

      You're explaining wrong. It has nothing to do with "other stuff" in LEO, and everything to do with the ISS's high inclination orbit. The plane of the orbit only passes over Cape Canaveral at intervals, and if you miss that window it will take excessive energy to match planes with the ISS.
       

      You *can* launch outside that window (space is a big place), but it eats into your fuel and safety margins and usually there's no reason to do that.

      Um, no. The width of the window is determined by the performance (available energy) of the booster and payload - you can't launch outside of it at all and reach the target. That's why windows exist in the first place.

    10. Re:Why a one-second launch window? by cbhacking · · Score: 1

      Nothing to do with other items in orbit, I can believe. The ability to launch a little outside the window and still make it, though, should be valid unless they are running on a lot less margin than I expect. I know the first stage, at least, has *some* margin, or it wouldn't be able to do the deceleration and landing burns.

      --
      There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
    11. Re:Why a one-second launch window? by WuphonsReach · · Score: 1

      Yes there is margin.

      But not launching on the exact instant when the ISS inclination is properly aligned with the launch site is expensive. The shuttle launches had to sacrifice 1100kg of payload in order to have a 10 minute wide launch window.

      For a robotic launch where you can easily safe the vehicle after a scrub and don't have to unload passengers from the capsule, delaying 23h37m is not a huge deal. So you go with a much shorter launch window and gain a lot more payload to orbit. And if things don't go as planned, you scrub for a day and try again.

      --
      Wolde you bothe eate your cake, and have your cake?
    12. Re:Why a one-second launch window? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The previous CRS launch also had an "instant" launch window. This appears to be a requirement for the much shorter time between launch and docking.

    13. Re:Why a one-second launch window? by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

      Matching the orbital planes (due to a mismatch caused by launching outside the window) is performed by the payload once in orbit - not by the first stage during boost. That's the margin problem - the payload hasn't enough delta-V.

  26. they'll try again tomorrow at 4:10:40pm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    anvil cloud complications

  27. Next attempt will be tomorrow @ 1610 EST by Last_Available_Usern · · Score: 1

    nt

  28. Re:Misleading by wooferhound · · Score: 1

    UPDATE: Today’s launch was scrubbed for today due to weather, the next opportunity for a launch will be tomorrow at 4:10 PM ET, weather permitting.

    --
    We are Dead Stars looking back Up at the Sky
  29. SCRUBBED by brindafella · · Score: 1

    SpaceX had to scrub its launch today. The launch was 'racing' to beat a weather system moving through the area ('attached anvil cloud') and had to scrub the launch with just 3min to launch. There will be another try, tomorrow. http://www.spacex.com/

    --
    Looking at space, radio, science and computing from a 'down-under' amateur enthusiast perspective.
  30. Attached-anvil clouds by ClickOnThis · · Score: 3, Informative

    The launch was scrubbed due to attached-anvil clouds and lightning risk.

    For the curious, attached-anvil clouds are also known as cumulonimbus clouds.

    --
    If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
    1. Re:Attached-anvil clouds by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      For the curious, attached-anvil clouds are also known as cumulonimbus clouds.

      What are they known as if you're not curious? Not that I care...

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    2. Re:Attached-anvil clouds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "stupid clouds"

    3. Re:Attached-anvil clouds by Ryanrule · · Score: 1

      also know as i hope you have a garage for your car.

  31. Re:Misleading by TWX · · Score: 1

    So, our anonymous reader that sent in the article swung and completely missed with their headline...

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  32. Re:Misleading by zamboni1138 · · Score: 1

    Lightning rods.

  33. Re:Misleading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Thanks for the info - makes sense! When you have a big spiky container of rocket fuel that's taller than anything else around, then thunderbolts and lightning are very, very frightening :)

  34. Re:Misleading by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

    What's misleading is the use of the present tense in the headline.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  35. Re:Misleading by zamboni1138 · · Score: 1

    Not a problem. You might want to look into the Apollo 12 flight. It was hit by lightning twice shortly after liftoff.

  36. Re:Misleading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, but that was back when real men built American spacecraft, not half-a-fag Silicon Valley hipsters.

  37. Re:Misleading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Lightning rods.

  38. Thunderheads by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They're known as thunderheads around these parts for the non-curious...

  39. Re:Misleading by WuphonsReach · · Score: 1

    Those four towers are the lightning protection system.

    For more details, search for "rolling sphere" lighting protection system design. The idea is that if you roll a sphere of size X (usually 150ft or 45.7m) across the points of the masts, the area below the ball will be ~95% protected against a strike of power level Y. That is, any leader passing through the sphere will be more attracted to the mast, then to something below that point.

    --
    Wolde you bothe eate your cake, and have your cake?