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Vger
Active Member
Still getting used to the feeling of these rockets behaving like VTOL aircraft; looks so freaky, but so graceful at the same time!
I wonder if they were deliberately perturbing the rocket attitude on the ascent to test maneuvering, or if it was a response to wind gusts.
I wonder if they were deliberately perturbing the rocket attitude on the ascent to test maneuvering, or if it was a response to wind gusts.
A guy over at NSF mentioned that these are called grid fins and have been used in precision guided bombs and missiles. And yeah, it's super cool. I love that SpaceX is willing to experiment so much, truly a treat to watch their progress.
SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion THREAD 2
SpaceX McGregor Testing Updates and Discussion THREAD 2
Skotty
2014 S P85 | 2023 F-150L
Interesting. It appears they can be used to invoke rotation by varying their pitch, although I'm not sure how much need there would be to make sure a rocket was oriented in a spefic manner along it's rotational axis like that.
I wonder if the ultimate goal is to counter rotational forces as it's initially descending, so that they don't have to try and do with thrusters alone... or carry as much fuel for them. Out of control rotation was one of the things that have had to work on when an earlier test on a production launch booster was not controllable.
It also seem that were varying the deployment angle as they got close to landing... I wonder if that allows for some additional stability control by vectoring any thrust "bounceback" from the ground...
(Oh, and "Moo!")
I wonder if the ultimate goal is to counter rotational forces as it's initially descending, so that they don't have to try and do with thrusters alone... or carry as much fuel for them. Out of control rotation was one of the things that have had to work on when an earlier test on a production launch booster was not controllable.
It also seem that were varying the deployment angle as they got close to landing... I wonder if that allows for some additional stability control by vectoring any thrust "bounceback" from the ground...
(Oh, and "Moo!")
It seemed to me that the video from the rocket and the one from the ground might not have been the same launch? In the one from the rocket, you can clearly see the ground (well, really the rocket, but you know what I mean) rotating, and not much if any side-to-side, whereas from the ground, looking at the legs, no apparent rotation but plenty of back-and-forth.
CliffG
Member
<sigh /> I couldn't help thinking of that quote from O Brother Where Art Thou:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a33sr9UGvo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a33sr9UGvo
That was awesome. I'm wondering if they intentionally created instability on the launch to test the grid fin system. My instincts say this was just a very basic initial test. I'd think you'd want to make the fins more aerodynamic during the launch phase.
All of this just makes me love what SpaceX is trying to do even more. The old companies were so complacent in what they were doing. Any innovation was only done when the government was funding them to do so. The old companies had no goal to achieve more than what they were already doing.
All of this just makes me love what SpaceX is trying to do even more. The old companies were so complacent in what they were doing. Any innovation was only done when the government was funding them to do so. The old companies had no goal to achieve more than what they were already doing.
I'm sure that was the same test shown first from the top of the rocket looking down and then from a ground based camera.
That is awesome. I feel so fortunate to be living now and being allowed to see the development of the first fully reusable rocket. This is historic in every sense of the word.
For an explanation of the grid fins see Grid fin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Those rockets were tiny and on strings. They did fire up my youthful imagination and the desire to see the real thing. It took 50 years but it finally seems to be happening, with no strings attached.
Skotty
2014 S P85 | 2023 F-150L
Uh...are you serious? -- UPDATE -- Oh, good. Apparently not. What's it in reference to? I must have missed some other somewhat goofy remark.
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