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It is now confirmed that a helium leak caused the scrub of the Falcon 9 May 10 launch.

8:48 am

It is now confirmed that a helium leak caused the scrub of the Falcon 9 May 10 launch.

According to reports, no damage occurred, but tracing the leak has apparently taken longer than expected, which explains the slip in the announced schedule.

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 

The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
 

"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

3 comments

3 comments

  • geoffc
    May 21, 2014 at 10:59 am

    FAA Experimental permit for DragonFly vehicle at McGregor,TX site:
    http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/media/20140513_DragonFly_DraftEA%28Public%29.pdf#page=2&zoom=auto,-12,214

    I preferred the notional DragonRider vs DragonFly due to the Pern reference, (And an endless series of available names, Ramoth, Mnemneth, Ruth, etc)

    Highlights:

    – up to four steel landing legs
    – weighs 14000 lbs unfueled
    – maximum proplellant load is 400 gallons

    Four kinds of test flights expected:
    – propulsive assist landing (dropped from helicopter with chutes)
    – fully propulsive landing (dropped from helicopter)
    – propulsive assist hop (self launched, parachute deploys)
    – fully propulsive hop (like Grasshopper)

    This is gonna be totally AWESOME! The cows at McGregor are in for a series of scary days. (Or else they will be the most jaded cattle on the planet).

    Faster please! (As Glenn Reynolds likes to say).

  • geoffc
    May 21, 2014 at 11:09 am

    Great thread on this topic at NasaSpaceflight.com

    http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=34800.0

    Calling out the high points. This is going to be so much fun!

  • Pzatchok
    May 22, 2014 at 6:17 am

    I can’t wait until they have launches backed up. Launches every week or two.

    Then if something like this happens they can just role the rocket off the launch pad and role the next one on for a minimal delay between launches. They are only making money of things fly.

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