SpaceX Crew Dragon Launch Live Thread Launch: Wednesday, May 27, 4:33 p.m. ET

[kevindavis007]

I know this is a bit early, but why not!


Finally, after how long, we get to see Americans get to launch from American Made Rockets, from American soil.


SpaceX Live Feed: https://www.spacex.com/launches/


NASA Live Feed:
https://youtu.be/21X5lGlDOfg

ABC News & Nat Geo:
https://youtu.be/VJ7-UjXO8hw

I'm sure there are others. If you find anything else post them here..

Shepard's Prayer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVIs1bnIcCY

[Cyber Liberty]

 

[Elderberry]

https://www.spacex.com/launches/

    SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, May 27 for Falcon 9’s launch of Crew Dragon’s second demonstration (Demo-2) mission from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This test flight with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on board the Dragon spacecraft will return human spaceflight to the United States.

    The instantaneous launch window opens at 4:33 p.m. EDT, or 20:33 UTC, with backup instantaneous launch opportunities available on Saturday, May 30 at 3:22 p.m. EDT, or 19:22 UTC, and on Sunday, May 31 at 3:00 p.m. EDT, or 19:00 UTC. Tune in here to watch the launch webcast. Coverage will begin about 4 hours before liftoff.

    Countdown
    Min/Sec         Event
    - 45:00         SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
    - 42:00         Crew access arm retracts
    - 37:00         Dragon’s launch escape system is armed
    - 35:00         RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
    - 35:00         1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
    - 16:00         2nd stage LOX loading begins
    - 07:00         Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
    - 05:00         Dragon transitions to internal power
    - 01:00         Command flight to begin final prelaunch checks
    - 01:00         Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
    - 00:45         SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
    - 00:03         Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
    - 00:00         Falcon 9 liftoff

[Elderberry]

Timeline: How Nasa, SpaceX prepared for this week's historic launch to space

Houston Chronicle by  Andrea Leinfelder May 26, 2020

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/NASA-SpaceX-launch-space-historic-high-stakes-15290196.php

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — This week's liftoff of NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken is a complicated, high-stakes endeavor.

Take Mission Control. The astronauts won't just be talking to Houston throughout their mission. They'll also be talking to Hawthorne, Calif., home to Elon Musk's SpaceX. The private company owns the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft that will propel Hurley and Behnken to the International Space Station. So control rooms in three time zones — Florida, Texas and California — will be involved.

And their flight, scheduled to launch Wednesday at 3:33 p.m. CT, is actually a test flight. It's the final major milestone before SpaceX receives NASA certification to begin more routine launches to the space station.

It’s a joint project years and countless hours of work in the making, with both NASA and SpaceX helping with program costs, vehicle development and crew training. The final preparations started almost two weeks ago. Here is a glimpse at the timeline, with details on the expected launch and overall mission objectives:

May 13: Quarantine

Hurley and Behnken went into quarantine. While this is standard protocol to prevent carrying a virus into space, their quarantine has additional safeguards due to the new coronavirus. All who interact with Hurley and Behnken during their two-week quarantine are being screened to ensure they don’t have a fever or other COVID-19 symptoms. The astronauts themselves, as well as anyone in direct, close contact with them, are being tested for the virus.

More at link.

[kevindavis007]

Here are some ways to watch tomorrows launch:
https://www.isn-news.com/2020/05/spacex-and-nasa-launch-date-time-tv.html

[mystery-ak]

Can't wait to see it..

[kevindavis007]

Can't wait to see it..

I'm not a praying man, but I'm giving those two a prayer.

[mystery-ak]

I'm not a praying man, but I'm giving those two a prayer.

Discovery Channel will televise it starting 2pm est

[kevindavis007]

Good Morning

[Elderberry]

NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2: Preflight Checkouts, NASA Administrator Briefing and Launch Weather

NASA - Commercial Crew Program

https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2020/05/26/nasas-spacex-demo-2-preflight-checkouts-nasa-administrator-briefing-and-launch-weather/

Only one day remains until the planned liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying two American astronauts, Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, on NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff is targeted for Wednesday, May 27, at 4:33 p.m. EDT from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch window is instantaneous.

Prior to tomorrow’s targeted launch of the Crew Demo-2 mission, SpaceX will bring the rocket horizontal to perform additional preflight checkouts of Falcon 9, Crew Dragon, and the ground support system, including an inspection of the ground-side chilled water radiator feed that keeps Crew Dragon cool before launch. Today’s checkouts do not impact the flight system or targeted launch date, and the vehicle is scheduled to go vertical later tonight.

Tune in to NASA TV and watch online at 10 a.m. EDT as NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, and astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Nicole Mann discuss the upcoming SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station and answer questions from reporters.

The U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron now predicts a 60% chance of favorable weather conditions for NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 launch. The primary weather concerns for launch are flight through precipitation, anvil and cumulus clouds.

FORECAST DETAILS

Clouds                      Coverage           Bases (feet)             Tops (feet)
Cumulus                    Scattered            3,000                          10,000
Cirrostratus                 Broken             25,000                       28,000

Weather/Visibility:  Rain showers/5 miles
Temperature:  82 degrees

NASA and SpaceX will provide live coverage of the launch activities beginning Wednesday, May 27 at 12:15 p.m. leading up to the lift off of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelling the SpaceX Crew Dragon carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley on their way to the International Space Station.

NASA and SpaceX will provide joint, live coverage from launch through arrival at the space station at 11:39 a.m. on Thursday, May 28.

This will be SpaceX’s final test flight for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and will provide critical data on the performance of the Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon spacecraft, and ground systems, as well as in-orbit, docking, and landing operations.

[Elderberry]

SpaceX crew launch comes with new weather constraints for downrange aborts

SPACEFLIGHT NOW 5/26/2020

https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/05/26/spacex-crew-launch-comes-with-new-weather-constraints-for-downrange-aborts/

Mission managers will be closely monitoring the weather for the first launch of astronauts aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, not just around the Kennedy Space Center, but along a corridor stretching thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean in case the crew capsule has to escape from its Falcon 9 rocket during the climb into orbit.

The parameters to screen for acceptable weather downrange were added on top of the standard launch weather rules that track cloud, lightning and wind conditions at Cape Canaveral.

The official weather outlook for Wednesday’s launch opportunity — set for 4:33 p.m. EDT (2033 GMT) — calls for a 60 percent chance of favorable conditions for liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center with astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on-board.

But those odds only take into account the weather forecast at the launch site. SpaceX and NASA officials will consider weather conditions downrange in the Atlantic Ocean during Wednesday’s countdown before making the final decision to launch.

“We have a really complicated way of weighting different locations, depending on how much risk they have in terms of an escape,” said Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX’s vice president of build and flight reliability. “For the landing, there are also special parameters: winds, waves and wave direction.

More at link.

[EdinVA]

 

[Elderberry]

Tropical Storm Bertha forms off the South Carolina coast

https://wgnradio.com/news/tropical-storm-bertha-forms-off-the-south-carolina-coast/

 Tropical Storm Bertha formed Wednesday morning off the coast of South Carolina, becoming the second named storm before the official start of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.

A tropical storm warning has been issued for South Carolina’s coast and the storm was expected to bring heavy rainfall, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Bertha’s maximum sustained winds were near 45 mph (75 kph) but it was expected to weaken to a tropical depression after moving inland. The storm was centered about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, and was moving northwest near 9 mph (15 kph).

The TV weatherman this AM said that this depression may also affect Launch Areas.

[catfish1957]

I'm not a praying man, but I'm giving those two a prayer.

Read a recent article here, (maybe yours), about where the engineers and designers have quantified the risk of a Dragon malfunction at a tiny  fraction of the STS flights.  Let's hope that's not false bravado. 

[catfish1957]

Tropical Storm Bertha forms off the South Carolina coast

https://wgnradio.com/news/tropical-storm-bertha-forms-off-the-south-carolina-coast/

 Tropical Storm Bertha formed Wednesday morning off the coast of South Carolina, becoming the second named storm before the official start of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.

A tropical storm warning has been issued for South Carolina’s coast and the storm was expected to bring heavy rainfall, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Bertha’s maximum sustained winds were near 45 mph (75 kph) but it was expected to weaken to a tropical depression after moving inland. The storm was centered about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, and was moving northwest near 9 mph (15 kph).

Bad thing about these small storms and depressions is that you can get 30+mph wind gusts over as much as a 300-400 mile radius as they make landfall. 

[catfish1957]

Anyone else taking comfort that we are (hopefully) going to be able to give the Russians the finger in relying on their good graces to supply the ISS?

[kevindavis007]

Anyone else taking comfort that we are (hopefully) going to be able to give the Russians the finger in relying on their good graces to supply the ISS?

 

[kevindavis007]

[kevindavis007]

Dragon Dawn

from r/space

https://www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/gr0p8e/dragon_dawn_credit_elon_musk/

[catfish1957]

Dragon Dawn

from r/space

https://www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/gr0p8e/dragon_dawn_credit_elon_musk/

Not a Musk fan due to his tax payer subsidized car company.  OTOH, this SpaceX stuff is 3 levels above cool.  Hey Elon....    Make this part of your business go public....   I'll buy.

[Elderberry]

https://www.patrick.af.mil/Portals/14/Weather/Falcon%209%20Dragon%20Crew%20Demo-2%20L-0%20Day%20Forecast%20-%2027%20May%20Launch.pdf?ver=2020-05-27-100120-897

Launch Mission Execution Forecast

Mission: SpaceX Falcon 9 Dragon Crew Demo-2

Issued: 27May2020/ 1000L (1400Z)

Valid: 27 May2020/1633L (2033Z)

ForecastDiscussion:Residual moisture with the passing low pressure system andincreasedlow-level convergence will threatenthe Space Coast with showers and thunderstormsthis afternoon. Tropical Storm Bertha has just formed off the coast of South Carolina and is advecting inland over the next 6 hours. The primary concerns for launch are flight through precipitation, as well as the anvil and cumulus cloud rules associated with the afternoon convection.On Friday, the subtropical ridge builds into the region and begins to re-assert its influence. Although convection will still belikely, the ridge axis near the Space Coast will allow the east coast sea breeze to move further inland, keeping the storms farther from the Spaceport. A similar set up is expected this weekend, with the ridge axis being over or just north of the Spaceport. Convection will initiate inland, allowing for a potential clearing around the Spaceport. The primary weather threats for launch will be flight through precipitation, the anvil cloud rule, the cumulus cloud rule associated with afternoon convectionfor Saturday, and including thick cloud rule for Sunday.

27-May

Probability of Violating Weather Constraints    50%
Primary Concerns: FlightThrough Precipitation, Anvil Cloud Rule, Cumulus Cloud Rule

[Elderberry]

Launch Day Arrives for NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2

Anna Heiney Posted on May 27, 2020 Categories Commercial Spaceflight, International Space Station, Kennedy Space Center, NASA, NASA Astronauts, SpaceXTags Commercial Crew Program, Crew Dragon, Demo-2, Douglas Hurley, Falcon 9 rocket, International Space Station, Kennedy Space Center, Launch Complex 39A, NASA, Robert Behnken, SpaceX

https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2020/05/27/launch-day-arrives-for-nasas-spacex-demo-2/

Countdown clocks are ticking toward the launch of a new era in human spaceflight. With today’s scheduled launch of NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, American astronauts will once again launch on American spacecraft from American soil to the International Space Station. Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley is targeted for 4:33 p.m. EDT from Kennedy’s historic Launch Complex 39A.

Don’t miss a minute of today’s events. Follow the countdown live starting at 12:15 p.m. EDT on NASA Television, on the web at http://www.nasa.gov/live and here on the blog.

Behnken and Hurley are spending the morning in the Astronaut Crew Quarters inside Kennedy’s Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, where they’ll sit down for a preflight meal five hours prior to launch. The crewmates will receive a weather briefing at approximately 12:15 p.m., then begin suiting up in the crew quarters’ Suit Room around 12:30 p.m.

Here’s an overview of the countdown milestones ahead:

-04:15:00       Crew weather brief
-04:05:00       Crew handoff
-04:00:00       Suit donning and checkouts
-03:22:00       Crew walk out from Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building
-03:15:00       Crew transportation to Launch Complex 39A
-02:55:00       Crew arrives at pad
-02:35:00       Crew ingress
-02:20:00       Communication check
-02:15:00       Verify ready for seat rotation
-02:14:00       Suit leak checks
-01:55:00       Hatch close
-00:45:00       SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
-00:42:00       Crew access arm retracts
-00:37:00       Dragon launch escape system is armed
-00:35:00       RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
-00:35:00       1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
-00:16:00       2nd stage LOX loading begins
-00:07:00       Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
-00:05:00       Dragon transitions to internal power
-00:01:00       Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
-00:01:00       Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
-00:00:45       SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
-00:00:03       Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
-00:00:00       Falcon 9 liftoff

The Demo-2 mission will serve as an end-to-end flight test to validate the SpaceX crew transportation system, from launch to docking to splashdown. It is the final flight test for the system to be certified for regular crew flights to the station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

[catfish1957]

Cumulus Cloud Rule?

Crap...  that could cancel 90%-95% of  summer flights south of the 35th latitude. Look out the window any given summer afternoon.

[Elderberry]

Countdown clock @ 11:41 CDT 03:51:58

[Elderberry]

What could keep Falcon 9 from sending Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to space are the possibilities of flight through precipitation, the anvil cloud rule and the cumulus cloud rule.

•   Flight through precipitation: Do not launch within 5 nautical miles of disturbed weather clouds that extend into freezing temperatures and contain moderate or greater precipitation, unless specific time-associated distance criteria can be met.

•   Anvil cloud rule: Do not launch within 10 nautical miles of an attached thunderstorm anvil cloud, unless temperature and time-associated distance criteria can be met.

•   Cumulus cloud rule: Do not launch within 10 nautical miles of cumulus clouds with tops that extend into freezing temperatures, unless specific height-associated distance criteria can be met.