Orion Test Flight

[kham]

NASA TV has it live if anyone is up; the Orion spacecraft atop a Delta IV Rocket for it's first test flight. Mission Plan is launch and 2 complete orbits, then splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, about 600nm out from Baja
Launch Window opens at 0705 EST

[kham]

Orion Vehicle compared to Apollo
FYI, in spite of what it says, Orion is not intended to carry crew to the ISS

[muddworg]

Sorry no longer support NASA to me it's a massive tax payer money sucking black hole . Let private company's go into space if they want the government and NASA should play a support roll if any.!

[Duncan Edwards]

Sorry no longer support NASA to me it's a massive tax payer money sucking black hole . Let private company's go into space if they want the government and NASA should play a support roll if any.!

The US Federal government itself is one giant tax payer money sucking black hole. NASA, the entire budget, including the first "A" for aeronautics, gets one half of one percent of federal outlays and actually returns a great deal in technology development and knowledge for all mankind. You can say that a about few other things in government at any level and they burn through far more money.

I've been a devoted follower of all things space related all my life. I guess it's my second fetish. There's a great deal of hype surrounding this first test of Orion but I'll take it.

[kham]

1 software-assisted wx hold, 3 tech tech holds (got to T-189sec last one) but in work for reset recycle for new T-zero as we speak. I get not wanting to blow up a billion dollar test, but its a TEST. NASA used to have more balls. Press the goddamned ON switch

[kham]

Sigh
New T-Zero set 0944
Silly stupid part, was literally waiting to no time left to spare, to knee the automated WX hold system in the balls, and decide that if they blow this one, we done for the day...
Cmon boys....

[kham]

And thats it for today, scrubbed

24 hr reset

[BSink42]

1 software-assisted wx hold, 3 tech tech holds (got to T-189sec last one) but in work for reset recycle for new T-zero as we speak. I get not wanting to blow up a billion dollar test, but its a TEST. NASA used to have more balls. Press the goddamned ON switch

My guess is their skittish after the last rocket launch practically blew up on the launch pad seconds after it launched on Wallops island a couple of months ago.

[Duncan Edwards]

1 software-assisted wx hold, 3 tech tech holds (got to T-189sec last one) but in work for reset recycle for new T-zero as we speak. I get not wanting to blow up a billion dollar test, but its a TEST. NASA used to have more balls. Press the goddamned ON switch

My guess is their skittish after the last rocket launch practically blew up on the launch pad seconds after it launched on Wallops island a couple of months ago.

They aren't skittish. Mission rules for flying a Delta 4-H have been written for years. If you exceed launch criteria then you wait for another day. The Antares that blew up was about as related as I am to a teenage rap star.

Weather look iffy for tomorrow morning but they might give it a try. It's a test flight and the next Orion won't fly before 2018 so there's no rush.

The real cool flight coming up 16 Dec. is Spacex making the grocery run to the ISS and then going try landing the first stage on a barge for reuse.

[kham]

40% odds for good weather doesn't look that awesome. And makes the automated wind detection/hold software look even more retarded. Considering the wind was barely -and I mean barely -- out of limits , like 1 knot -- the switch to manual monitoring when it was too late and pretty much everyone knew the day was done is something worthy of getting smacked in the back of the head. Considering it WAS manual until just a couple years ago, more so.
Plus, they need to get their shit wired way better; the idiotic imbecile that ALWAYS seems to blunder into the fucking Range Area because they retards, chasing fish, or dont care just has to stop. Maybe vaporizing the next one with a Hellfire next time they testing their low-IQ score might get the point through. Really annoying final point there, turned out it WASN'T really a violation. Seems go-fever now swapped for anal-retentive stupidity. Ay yi yi

Reset for 0705 EST Friday. If they blow that one, would be Sunday for next