Jebediah Kerman (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
number1_kerbal) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
omegafriends2014-06-02 08:18 pm
number1_kerbal) wrote in omegafriends2014-06-02 08:18 pm
Text-Jebediah's offical Space Blog
Well, it's about that time again. I can safely say that we've checked all the boxes, crossed all the Ts and locked down the K-2 test rocket until tomorrow morning when we'll resume the countdown. It's been a hectic Monday after the weekend, making sure everything still worked and getting it ready for fueling tomorrow, but our ducks are all in a row.
It's going to be an important test tomorrow, even if the rocket in question is small. K-2 is going to test the new Mainsail engine, a reaction control system, an autopilot, a new capsule's basic re-entry characteristics, and even our new escape tower. Though with luck, the last one won't be needed until stage separation to pull the capsule away from the rocket.
We're going to fly a banana shaped course-first away from town, then curving back and slightly north of the city limits to drop all the debris into some unoccupied ocean. Our recovery ship and helicopters will be standing by-if you stand on one of the taller towers downtown, you should be able to watch the entire operation, from launch to splashdown, in less than 15 minutes start to finish, tomorrow afternoon. We've got three parachutes for touchdown, and can actually land safely with two-in theory. There's a lot of theory here, and normally we would test it all separately. But I think that an all-up test will let us knock over a lot of targets at once, and I do have confidence in the stuff our organization has put together.
I'll be watching events from the blockhouse and the control center-but who knows, maybe if everything goes right, I can talk Gene into letting me fly the next one at the end of the month if this goes according to plan. Of course, that depends on getting Bill and Bob to go along with it, and Bob won't OK me without an absolutely perfect test. But I'm sure that's going to be a piece of cake after tomorrow.
[[OOC: Responses can be from people either turning up to watch the launch on Tuesday or logging on to leave either anonymous or public comments on the blog.]]
It's going to be an important test tomorrow, even if the rocket in question is small. K-2 is going to test the new Mainsail engine, a reaction control system, an autopilot, a new capsule's basic re-entry characteristics, and even our new escape tower. Though with luck, the last one won't be needed until stage separation to pull the capsule away from the rocket.
We're going to fly a banana shaped course-first away from town, then curving back and slightly north of the city limits to drop all the debris into some unoccupied ocean. Our recovery ship and helicopters will be standing by-if you stand on one of the taller towers downtown, you should be able to watch the entire operation, from launch to splashdown, in less than 15 minutes start to finish, tomorrow afternoon. We've got three parachutes for touchdown, and can actually land safely with two-in theory. There's a lot of theory here, and normally we would test it all separately. But I think that an all-up test will let us knock over a lot of targets at once, and I do have confidence in the stuff our organization has put together.
I'll be watching events from the blockhouse and the control center-but who knows, maybe if everything goes right, I can talk Gene into letting me fly the next one at the end of the month if this goes according to plan. Of course, that depends on getting Bill and Bob to go along with it, and Bob won't OK me without an absolutely perfect test. But I'm sure that's going to be a piece of cake after tomorrow.
[[OOC: Responses can be from people either turning up to watch the launch on Tuesday or logging on to leave either anonymous or public comments on the blog.]]
no subject
Hello.
[He's scanning the launch site with his own binoculars, and when he's not doing that, he's looking at updates on his phone.]
MOAR UPDATES
[And indeed, the last few engineers are sprinting for the van near the pad and putting some distance between them and the laucher.]
no subject
[ He'd have flashed his fellow spectator a smile, but with the launch literally seconds away he didn't think he could afford to take his eyes off the launchpad. ]
Surprising there aren't more people up here.
no subject
no subject
no subject
Most people need to have some reason why it's immediately relevant to them personally, I suppose.