Video: SpaceX Dragon Parachute Deploy And Splashdown (May 31, 2012)

 This video is still nothing like the fancy one from the 2010 helicopter test drop and splashdown of the SpaceX Dragon, but it's waaaay better than the first video released of the actual and historic return from space of Dragon on May 31st. This video begins with Dragon descending at a fairly high rate of speed with the two drogue chutes out. These drogues help slow the spacecraft down, keep it stabilized in preparation for the big parachutes to deploy, and then they are used to extract those big parachutes.

 I was raised around parachutes and skydiving so I find the opportunity to watch the main parachute deployment to be ultra cool. It's especially important here too because a proper deployment of the parachutes was a critical last benchmark for making this SpaceX demonstration flight to the ISS so successful. And while I don't know the details of the reefing system (a system used to dramatically slow the inflation of a parachute to prevent damage to the parachute and/or the payload) you can clearly see that the area where the lines attach to the parachutes is held to a rather small size for 15 to 20 seconds before the parachutes are finally allowed to inflate freely. The reduction in airspeed during that time of reefing is significant... and it appears that the system worked very well.

 The video continues to splashdown, tho it's not very clear to see when that happens. Additional videos may eventually be released but at least this one shows some very critical systems working exactly as needed. Again I say to the people at SpaceX - Bravo! 

 Description of the video from the ReelNASA youtube page:  During the reentry of SpaceX's Dragon capsule, NASA and the United States Navy flew a P-3 Orion Cast Glance aircraft to capture airborne views of the spacecraft's descent. The aircraft, based at the Navy's VX-30 squadron at the Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif., was able to record Dragon's reentry, parachute chute deployment and the capsule in the water. Dragon splashed down at 11:42 a.m. EDT on May 31 in the Pacific Ocean, more than 560 miles off the coast of Baja California. During its mission, Dragon became the first commercial spacecraft the rendezvous and berth with the International Space Station, paving the way for future commercial cargo delivery flights.

Video screenshot of the SpaceX Dragon successfully returning to Earth May 31, 2012

Video: Round Trip Success - SpaceX Dragon Capsule Splash Down! (May 31, 2012)

 
 The SpaceX Dragon capsule was launched on a Falcon 9 rocket on May 22nd, and after spending 5 days connected to the ISS (delivering cargo on a test mission) Dragon returned to Earth today (May 31, 2012) with a successful splashdown southwest of California in the Pacific Ocean. An excellent end to an excellent mission!

 The video above is pretty much all that's available at the moment of the descent under parachutes for Dragon... it's not fast paced or very good quality imagery, but I'd like to think they spent the money on the spacecraft hardware rather than on the expensive task of trying to capture high quality video of the splashdown. My understanding is that you never know exactly where the capsule will land, so being in the right place at the right time is very difficult. What's important is that this re-usable spacecraft, designed and built by a private company, has proven itself to be up to the task on every front in its first ISS demonstration. Bravo SpaceX!

Dragon spacecraft in the Pacific Ocean after splashdown May 31, 2012 (photo: SpaceX)

 The much nicer video below shows a test drop of the Dragon capsule in August 2010 from an Erikson Air-Crane at 14,000 off the coast of Morro Bay, California. This video gives an excellent idea of what today's successful recovery likely looked like. Very impressive stuff! 

NOTE: the video above is a test drop from 2010 and not the splashdown from today.

Video: Enter The Dragon - ISS Crew Answers Questions From Inside The SpaceX Dragon

 The youtube channel for NASAtelevision has been posting a lot of great videos of what's been taking place with the Dragon spacecraft at the International Space Station in the last few days. The Dragon is the first commercial/private spacecraft to demonstrate the capability of resupplying the ISS, and is expected to add the capability of being a manned capsule sometime in the next three years.

 Dragon left Earth as part of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch on May 22nd and thus far the mission has been extremely successful. Three members of the six person ISS crew are seen in this video answering questions from reporters and sharing their positive feedback on the the design and performance of Dragon. The videos posted by NASAtelevision aren't flashy entertainment pieces, but they are excellent viewing for anyone with a serious interest in space and the fantastic events currently taking place in the cooperative effort between SpaceX and NASA... I hope you'll take some time and check it al out!

Video screenshot showing 3 ISS crewmembers inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft

Video: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) Successful Falcon 9 Launch May 22, 2012

 At a time when many of the forward-thinking people in America have been kicking around dust with the toe of their shoe wondering what really is next for the United States and space exploration (Shuttle Program retired, Constellation Program termination) - today brings some sunlight out from behind a darkened planet... SpaceX has successfully launched their ambitious, unmanned Falcon 9 spaceflight launch system. Liftoff came at 3:44 am EDT at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Congratulations to Elon Musk and the hardworking people who have made this day a reality!

 The real work in developing a truly viable space launch system is really just beginning, but today's successful launch will fuel both the desire and the drive to keep pushing forward toward complete success.

 This video gives a good view of the launch (1:13) and continues on thru main engine cutoff (4:19) - secondary engine cutoff (10:51) - Dragon Spacecraft separation (11:19) - and then solar array deployment (12:52). The best moment comes directly after as you hear thunderous applause and great cheering from the people involved in making it all happen.

 This, this is a good day.

Video screenshot of the successful SpaceX Falcon 9 launch May 22, 2012

Video: Shuttle Enterprise Being Lifted Off Of The 747 At JFK

 When I posted the video of Shuttle Discovery being mounted on top of the 747 for transport to the National Air & Space Museum (5th and last video in that post) I noticed the rather massive structure that's used in lifting the Shuttle into place onto the back of the 747. I wondered right then about what's used when they move a Shuttle to a random location such as a museum. So I was really interested in seeing this silent video that shows the Shuttle Enterprise (the glide test Shuttle that never went into space) after it has been moved out of the Air & Space Museum (to make room for Discovery) and was transported to JFK to eventually work its way to the deck of the USS Intrepid WWII aircraft carrier, the foundation for the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

 The crane and associated apparatus used here seems nicely simplified compared to that massive scaffold structure, but also easily up to the task of safely lifting the Shuttle off of the 747 and then down to the ground. A job well done I'd say.

 If you're interested in checking out Enterprise in her new home, the Space Shuttle pavilion at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum is scheduled to open on July 19, 2012.

Shuttle Discovery Makes Final Flight To Air And Space Museum (5 Videos)

Yesterday (April 17, 2012) while I was at the 70th Reunion of the Doolittle Raiders at the Air Force Museum getting pictures of the 20 B-25's gathered there, the Space Shuttle Discovery made its final flight... this one atop the 747 repositioning it from Florida to Dulles Airport. You probably already saw all about this in the news, but I thought I'd find a good collection of videos from the event and post them here. So here are the five videos I found that I think are worth your time to check out.

 The first one above is short and has a good views of the takeoff in Florida, plus some close in passes made with this interesting pair of flying machines.

 This video shows the pair making several passes over the Washington D.C area and is presented without any narration or other distractions. The destination of Dulles Airport brings Discovery to the Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy facility to replace the Shuttle Enterprise (the glide test Shuttle) that has been on display there for many years. Enterprise will soon be moved to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York.

 This video is a GoPro style view from the chase plane as Discovery and the 747 made their passes over the D.C. area. Definitely some pretty amazing views even if we never really get up as close as we'd all like to see.

 Video number 4 has the landing at Dulles and taxiing on the airport to the stopping point. It's not a fast pace after the touchdown but it does offer many great views of the pair while moving around the airport.

 This final video is actually my favorite even tho we never see the pair in the sky. It shows the loading of discovery onto the 747 prior to making the final flight to Dulles. This video is not fast paced either but if you're any kind of geek for Shuttle details then I think you'll find it a really interesting one to watch.

 I'm looking forward to the day when I can get to Udvar_Hazy and see Discovery up close and personal. I'm actually beginning to plan an AirPigz meetup sometime late in the fall of 2012 at the Air and Space Museum, so maybe I'll see you there too : )

CoolPix: Looking Back At Pilots Who Were Looking Ahead

NACA test pilot George Cooper with a North American F-100 Super Sabre

(click pic for hi-res) 

 There's something so very cool and special to me about the images from the big experimental jet age of the 50's and 60's, images like this one showing NACA test George Cooper suited up in front of a NACA F-100. Maybe it's the fact that many of these images are black and white... maybe that adds a mystique or intrigue to me that color doesn't. But I think it's bigger than that. This era was so incredible for how we as a nation were advancing forward, pushing the limits of what could done at the time, and somehow the images reflect that to me. There's a different way the people hold themselves and a special look in their eyes.

 It's such a journey into the past to see these images, especially when they are available in hi-res like the one I posted here as a CoolPix. If you like this stuff like I do, I've got good news. Hop over and check out the test pilot category at Jet Pilot Overseas for an impressive collection of vintage images from this amazing era. Test pilots are very special people who live life on the bleeding edge... and in this past era, there was a lot of that bleeding edge to go around.

Video: To The Edge Of Space & Back On The Solid Rocket Boosters (Must See)

 This video has been very popular in the last week but with my vacation to California I didn't get around to posting it here. In fact, I didn't even get around to watching it myself until just now. Wow. This is one of the coolest videos I've seen in a long time. You just never know how people will react to an experience like this, but for me, seeing video images from multiple cameras (and truthfully from two different launches) that show both the ascent and the descent of the Solid Rocket Boosters is simply stunning. It amounts to a real-time experience to the edge of space and back (about 145,000 feet) while getting to see the Shuttle and Main Tank from several points of view as well as the other separated SRB at times.

Video screenshot showing the Shuttle and main tank after SRB separation
 

 The standout visual for me in the video is the deployment of the three recovery parachutes. I really enjoyed seeing some of the reefing process used on the parachutes to control the rate at which they fully inflate. As a parachute guy in a past life, that's really cool stuff. This is just something you never get to see from this perspective... and actually, the whole SRB recovery process has been a bit of a mystery thru the Shuttle era. It's really cool to have so much of the process shown in this video.

Screenshot of the awesome SRB recovery parachutes deploying
 

 For more interesting SRB info check out my post from a year ago: NASA Releases First-Ever HD Footage of SRB Recovery Mission that includes another great video.

 And for this video, it doesn't hurt that the sounds accompanying it have been tweaked by the folks at Skywalker Sound (Lucasfilm) to maximize the experience. According to the video description tho, these are the actual sounds picked up by the camera mics, they've just been optimized to take it all to a much higher level. Anyway, I hope you take the time to experience all eight and a half minutes of this spectacular video!

Video: We Stopped Dreaming - Neil deGrasse Tyson (NASA & The Future)

Caution: small political rant to follow, read at your own risk

 This video is about NASA, politics, science, aerospace, America and the future… and it gives me an opportunity to make a spiritual point as well. You may already know who Neil deGrasse Tyson is… I wouldn’t have recognized his name, but I did recognize his voice right away when I first watched this video. Neil has been tapped as an expert in many science related programs that have been on PBS, History and more. He’s got a lot of knowledge and has a great way of presenting what he knows.

 I don’t know the specific origins of this video posted by youtuber Scrunchthethird, but it appears to be a montage of statements Neil has made related to NASA (and the money we invest in space science) set to video images that really help drive his message home. That message is basically that ’we stopped dreaming’ when it comes to exploring the universe (and the technologies that make that happen) and because of that we have somewhat lost our way. He also makes the very powerful point that the entire NASA budget in over 50 years of work is still LESS than the bank bailout of 2008/2009! The added point that the NASA budget amounts to 4 tenths of a penny out of every dollar brought in really puts some perspective on how little is spent on an agency that has so much impact on the way we all live.

 As America continues to struggle with massive national debt stemming from wasteful and misguided spending in areas that the government should stay out of… like entitlements for retirement, health care and massive social programs, we have to look at the politics of what’s going on. Our leaders have made decisions over the last 40 years that have taken the focus off of what it is that makes the economic engine work and instead have cultivated a massive subculture of weakened people who drag our progress down. I’m not saying that these thoughts are specifically Neil’s, but these are the thoughts I have when I hear his powerful words in the video.

Screenshot from the 'We Stopped Dreaming' with Neil deGrasse Tyson video
 

 There’s something very amazing in the human spirit about moving forward, exploring and trying to build a better world. I believe that comes from the Creator, by God’s design. Others certainly see that differently. From what I see about Neil, he has a hard time believing that there’s a benevolent God out there responsible for the Universe… but you might find it very interesting that he has stated at times (like in this video) that across the varied disciplines of science, on average, 40% of scientists in America pray to a personal God. Even more interesting to me is his assertion that among engineers and mathematicians that percentage jumps to 60. The idea that science and spirituality aren’t compatible seems to be challenged by those within the science field itself. I make this point to just bolster my idea that God has put in man the desire to understand His creation, and anything that stands in the way of this natural desire has the effect of diminishing the entire human experience.

 Ultimately, it may simply be too late for the old America to resurface and lead the world into the future. But for most of us, I’m pretty sure we’d all like to see us give it a try by putting the right perspective back in place… and a step in the right direction would be adequate funding for NASA to explore the Universe (and discover the technologies needed to do that) - Thanx Neil for your very encouraging words concerning this!

 Lastly, I’d like to make it clear my belief that all of mankind is far better off when the responsibility for taking care of those in need is left to the individual and not the government. We all have a huge responsibility to take care of those truly in need, but that is done more effectively and far less costly by real ‘neighbors’ instead of a cold, calculating and power-hungry entity like ‘government’.

Ultra Cool 360 Panoramic Of The Shuttle Discovery Cockpit

Click the pic to go to the 360 panoramic of Discovery's cockpit (tilt, pan and zoom)

 
 So here we are living in the vacuum of no active NASA manned spacecraft program for the first time since Alan Shepard was the first American in space over 50 years ago. The private ventures that have the goal of manned spaceflight may well succeed, in time, but the lack of a direct NASA manned program says a lot of about the state of America. You can point to NASA mismanagement as part of the issue, but I believe ultimately it's a result of the massive and overriding weakening of the financial condition of the nation... and that's not NASA management's fault, that's the fault of the politicians in Washington who spend more than they take in and seem to have no real understanding of how wealth is generated. They seem to think our individuals pockets are a bottomless pit rather than realizing that it's 'productivity' that generates the wealth that can in turn be taxed. Until we put productivity ahead of spending, it's only going to get worse. I'm hopin' for real some serious change in Washington in November 2012, if you get my drift.

 Ok, enough with the frustrating stuff... the point of this post is an excellent 360 panoramic experience that you can have in the cockpit of Shuttle Discovery. Click the pic above or click here to open a new window with the panoramic image that can be tilted, panned and zoomed (controls are centered at the bottom of the image in the panoramic) - it's an amazing look at the complex front office of the Shuttle. 

 Discovery's last flight (STS-133) landed at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center on March 9, 2011. This panoramic image was captured during the decommission process in the months that followed, which means it's a pretty recent look at Discovery's cockpit. So take a few minutes and poke around inside one of the most amazing cockpits on Earth... or in space!