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SpaceX test fires rocket ahead of ISS cargo launch
Yahoo News ^ | 04/30/12

Posted on 04/30/2012 6:24:20 PM PDT by KevinDavis

SpaceX on Monday successfully test-fired its Falcon 9 rocket in a dress rehearsal for the May 7 launch of its Dragon spacecraft on a cargo-bearing mission to the International Space Station.

The test, known as a static fire of the rocket's nine main engines, lasted just two seconds, but allowed engineers to "run through all countdown processes as though it were launch day," SpaceX said on its website.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Science
KEYWORDS: space
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There will be a live thread (If anyone is interested) next week...

Also here is the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz366w0IE78
1 posted on 04/30/2012 6:24:34 PM PDT by KevinDavis
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To: Jack Hydrazine; ELS; ToxicMich; Cronos; A_perfect_lady; Art in Idaho; perplyone; TheOldLady; ...

2 posted on 04/30/2012 6:27:30 PM PDT by KevinDavis (Go Mitt Go!!!)
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To: KevinDavis
Private enterprise sending rockets into space? Insane. You must be listening to that crazy Gingrich again. Everybody here knows we can't afford it, and says so.
3 posted on 04/30/2012 6:28:16 PM PDT by hinckley buzzard
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To: KevinDavis
It will be kind of nice to get back to real rockets.

Photobucket
4 posted on 04/30/2012 6:28:23 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: cripplecreek; All

I agree..


5 posted on 04/30/2012 6:32:22 PM PDT by KevinDavis (Go Mitt Go!!!)
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To: KevinDavis

The Shuttles were great but we became over reliant on them when we should have kept using the Saturn series. Now we’re stepping backward to step forward.

The Saturn series were real bad asses.


6 posted on 04/30/2012 6:35:11 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: cripplecreek
Agreed. However, at least somebody is doing something in the meantime. I'm glad to see Space X take the lead.

BTW, Apollo 4, the first time a Saturn V was launched, it was November 9th, 1967. My grandfather passed away that same day in Jacksonville and my uncle, who worked for NASA, could not get away from the launch to handle the funeral until my father could get down them. My aunt had to start the ball rolling until my uncle's shift was over.
7 posted on 04/30/2012 6:39:10 PM PDT by Nowhere Man (General James Mattoon Scott, where are you when we need you? We need a regime change.)
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To: cripplecreek

Yes, and they’re really improving the fuel, which matters a lot. I knew a guy who worked on the “fuel handlers safety manual”, which was mostly about the elaborate chemical suits you had to use around the stuff that was just downright nasty and toxic.

Today it is a lot better, far less dangerous, but with as good or better a power delivery curve.

For the long term, I figure that they will invent a “durable engine” shuttle, that will be assembled in space, then fueled and used to take other spaceships from Earth to Lunar orbit and back, remaining in orbit when not in use. This will give the ships the shuttle transports the ability to carry a lot more cargo instead of fuel.

Eventually it will be used to do the same thing, but to Mars, getting the spaceship there and back much faster than it could do on its own.


8 posted on 04/30/2012 6:40:59 PM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy
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To: Nowhere Man

My grandfather had business dealings with Jim McDivitt who flew 2 of the Gemini missions.


9 posted on 04/30/2012 6:48:19 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us
10 posted on 04/30/2012 6:51:53 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: cripplecreek; All

I heard a rumor that Fritz Mondale ordered the blueprints of the Saturn 5 to be destroyed.. Is that true??


11 posted on 04/30/2012 6:57:50 PM PDT by KevinDavis (Go Mitt Go!!!)
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To: KevinDavis

Maybe he thought we would use them to nuke Russia.


12 posted on 04/30/2012 7:08:14 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: hinckley buzzard

just “Hie Me to Kolob” ... on a Saturn V ...


13 posted on 04/30/2012 7:18:36 PM PDT by Patton@Bastogne (Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin "will win" the 2012 GOP Nomination in Tampa !)
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To: KevinDavis

I am hoping for a very successful mission


14 posted on 04/30/2012 7:21:53 PM PDT by GeronL (The Right to Life came before the Right to Pursue Happiness)
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To: KevinDavis

bump


15 posted on 04/30/2012 7:24:55 PM PDT by NonValueAdded (SpaceX Dragon launch to ISS, Cape Canaveral AFS, May 7, 9:38 AM EDT)
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To: cripplecreek

The Saturn V was, IMHO, the most beautiful launch vehicle ever designed and built. Had a he!! Of a track record. 100% successfull launch rate. Only three engines malfunctioned, though didn’t impact flight safety. Those that rode them loved them.


16 posted on 04/30/2012 7:31:54 PM PDT by NCC-1701 (In Memphis on January 20, 2009, pump price were $1.49. We all know what happened after that.)
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To: KevinDavis

I bet those engines firing for two seconds would be able to power Al Gore’s mansion for... what, maybe a day?


17 posted on 04/30/2012 7:42:46 PM PDT by wastedyears (There can be only one.)
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To: Nowhere Man; cripplecreek
I'm glad to see Space X take the lead.

A California based company.

The shuttle idea was born and designed in CA. I'm glad to see CA getting back into the aerospace industry.

BTW, the shuttle program was good, but orbiting the earth about 21,000 times was a bit much and the program was reduced to resupplying the ISS.

We should have built a small lunar exploration base, and put men on Mars during that period.

18 posted on 04/30/2012 7:55:23 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: KevinDavis
Why is SpaceX doing this and not NASA? Perhaps the feelings of nationalism or patriotism is less when a private enterprise does launches? There has to be some reason Obama has all but killed NASA. Think about it. Obama supports everything being taken over by the government so why is this being done by SpaceX? I'm thinkin' there's a certain psychology in play here that benefits the progressives ultimate goal of killing American patriotism.

Would be nice to see 'UNITED STATES' on this thing or a BIG American flag.. Oh that's right, it's SpaceX.. Open for business to anyone. This isn't an American thing, unlike NASA. Oooops, bye bye NASA. Mission accomplished.

19 posted on 04/30/2012 7:58:09 PM PDT by GeorgeWashingtonsGhost
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To: cripplecreek

You forgot Apollo 18!


20 posted on 04/30/2012 8:13:42 PM PDT by GraceG
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