SpaceX successfully catches both fairings from a launch
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 ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit.
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"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
Capitalism in space: For the first time SpaceX yesterday successfully caught both fairings halves in the nets of their ships as they floated down to the ocean on their parasails.
Previously they have mostly plucked the fairings from the sea, though they have caught a few in the netting of the ships. To catch both simplifies the preparation for the next flight enormously, as they never touched the water.
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Thank you! The number of donations in July, and continuing now at the beginning of August, is too many for me to thank you all personally. Please forgive me by accepting my thank you here, in public, on the website.
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Regular readers can support Behind The Black with a contribution via paypal:
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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 ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit.
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
Capitalism in space: For the first time SpaceX yesterday successfully caught both fairings halves in the nets of their ships as they floated down to the ocean on their parasails.
Previously they have mostly plucked the fairings from the sea, though they have caught a few in the netting of the ships. To catch both simplifies the preparation for the next flight enormously, as they never touched the water.
My July fund-raiser for Behind the Black is now over. The support from my readers was unprecedented, making this July campaign the best ever, twice over. What a marvelous way to celebrate the website's tenth anniversary!
Thank you! The number of donations in July, and continuing now at the beginning of August, is too many for me to thank you all personally. Please forgive me by accepting my thank you here, in public, on the website.
If you did not donate or subscribe in July and still wish to, note that the tip jar remains available year round.
Regular readers can support Behind The Black with a contribution via paypal:
If Paypal doesn't work for you, you can support Behind The Black directly by sending your donation by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman, to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
I recall that during the NASASpaceflight.com webcast yesterday, the point was made that the fairings were to be plucked from the water, that NO attempt would be made to catch them in a net. Obviously a pretty substantial error in their reporting.
Note: I did not stay with the webcast, and instead switched to Spacex’s own coverage, which I prefer, before the launch. So it is possible that information was later corrected.
A short piece of video with highlights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeEecVZbL4A
Looks like the ‘chutes auto-detach when the fairings hit the net, very slick! Now, if they could only recover the parachutes after landing…
Just quickly reel in the lines on one side. Will collapse the cute.
Congratulation to SpaceX on another successful milestone. Its amazing what can be done when vision, engineering and ambition are combined.
I’m sure the answer is No. To make sure I have not missed an announcement, is any of the SLS going to be recovered for future flights?
jfm asked: “I’m sure the answer is No. To make sure I have not missed an announcement, is any of the SLS going to be recovered for future flights?”
You are right about the answer being “no.” Even the solid rocket boosters, which were reused on the Space Shuttle, will not be reused. The cost of refurbishing them saved little money, so instead of learning from the experience, SLS is a throw away rocket.