WELCOME BACK...
AND THANKS FOR TUNING INTO EPISODE 31 OF LABPADRE'S SPACEX AND STARBASE WEEKLY UPDATES.
AS USUAL WE HAVE A MOUND OF DETAILS FOR YOU. SO LET'S DIG IN!
STARTING OFF THIS WEEK, EARLY FRIDAY MORNING, SHIP 24'S AFT FLAPS
WERE FOLDED IN AHEAD OF ITS REMOVAL FROM TEST STAND B.
LATER THAT MORNING, WITH THE SUN NOW SHINING IN THE SKY, SPACEX'S
LR11000 LIFTED THE SHIP FROM THE TEST STAND AND PLACED IT ON THE
TRANSPORT STAND THAT HAD BEEN STAGED NEARBY.
OVERNIGHT FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY, FALCON 9 BOOSTER B1077 WITH
INTEGRATED CREW DRAGON ENDURANCE WERE ROLLED TO THE PAD AHEAD OF THE CREW-5 LAUNCH.
BACK AT STARBASE, A LOX PUMP AND A METHANE PUMP WERE LOADED
ONTO FLATBEDS AND DRIVEN AWAY FROM THE LAUNCH SITE.
AT PORT CANAVERAL, SPACEX SUPPORT SHIP BOB RETURNED WITH THE
FAIRING HALVES FROM THE STARLINK 4-35 LAUNCH AFTER SHELTERING FROM THE STORM OFFSHORE.
OVER AT LAUNCH COMPLEX 39A, CREW-5'S RIDE TO SPACE WAS RAISED BY
THE TRANSPORT ERECTOR AS TEAMS WORKED TO PREPARE FOR LAUNCH.
ON SATURDAY, OUR FRIEND NICK D'ALESSANDRO WAS AT THE SHUTTLE
LANDING FACILITY AT THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER TO CATCH THE
ARRIVAL OF THE CREW-5 ASTRONAUTS.
THE 4 PERSON MULTINATIONAL CREW TOUCHED DOWN SHORTLY AFTER NOON AFTER
SPENDING TIME IN
PREFLIGHT ISOLATION IN HOUSTON.
THEY PAUSED FOR A BRIEF PHOTO OPPORTUNITY ON THE LANDING STRIP BEFORE HEADING
OFF TO
CONTINUE THEIR PREPARATIONS FOR THEIR TRIP TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
BACK AT STARBASE, THE SAGA OF THE CRYOGENIC PUMPS CONTINUED
WITH A BLUE WRAPPED METHANE PUMP ARRIVING AT THE LAUNCH SITE.
JUST A FEW HOURS LATER THE NEW PUMP WAS LIFTED AND INSTALLED IN
METHANE PUMP SLOT NUMBER 3.
A MOTOR FOR THE NEW PUMP FOLLOWED THAT EVENING AS CREWS
WORKED TO GET THE PUMP OPERATIONAL.
SUNDAY MORNING, SPACEX'S LR11000 CRANE WAS RELOCATED FROM
SUBORBITAL PAD B TO OVER NEAR THE ORBITAL LAUNCH MOUNT.
BACK AT PORT CANAVERAL, ONE OF SPACEX'S FAST BOATS WAS LOWERED
FROM BOB INTO THE WATER.
A SHORTFALL OF GRAVITAS WAS TOWED BACK INTO PORT WITH B1073
FROM THE STARLINK 4-35 MISSION AFTER SHELTERING NEAR THE
BAHAMAS DURING THE HURRICANE.
A FEW HOURS LATER, THE BRAND NEW FALCON 9 BOOSTER B1077 WAS
STATIC FIRED ON PAD 39A IN PREPARATION FOR ITS IMPENDING LAUNCH.
THAT EVENING, B1073 WAS MOVED TO THE DOCK, FREEING THE
DRONESHIP TO HEAD OUT TO SEA FOR THE NEXT LAUNCH.
MONDAY, OUR FRIENDS AT SPACEFLIGHT NOW CAUGHT THE U.S. AND
CREW 5 FLAGS RAISED IN FRONT OF B1077.
AS THE FAIRINGS WERE BEING OFFLOADED FROM BOB, GATOR CAM
CAUGHT ONE OF THEM SPINNING FREELY WHILE HANGING FROM THE CRANE.
THAT AFTERNOON, BOB LEFT PORT CANAVERAL IN PREPARATION FOR
RECOVERING THE FAIRINGS FROM THE UPCOMING GALAXY 33 AND 34 LAUNCH.
BACK AT STARBASE, THE METHANE SUBCOOLERS STARTED TO VENT AND
FROST UP AS SOME TESTING WAS DONE ON THAT SIDE OF THE FARM.
TUESDAY MORNING, SHIP 26'S NOSE CONE WAS LIFTED AND STACKED ON
ITS PAYLOAD SECTION ON THE TURNTABLE IN HIGH BAY.
DOWN AT THE LAUNCH SITE, THE MOTOR WAS REMOVED FROM THE
METHANE PUMP THAT WAS JUST INSTALLED A FEW DAYS BEFORE.
THE PUMP SOON FOLLOWED IN THE MOTORS FOOTSTEPS AS IT WAS
REMOVED AND PLACED BACK ON ITS PALLET.
THAT AFTERNOON, A ULA ATLAS FIVE IN THE FIVE THREE ONE
CONFIGURATION LAUNCHED THE SES-20 AND SES-21 COMMUNICATION
SATELLITES ON THEIR WAY TO GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT FROM SPACE LAUNCH COMPLEX 41.
ON TUESDAY EVENING, ROVER 2 CAM CAUGHT A TANKER DELIVERY FROM
A TRAILER WITH A SPACE THEMED MURAL.
AROUND THE SAME TIME, THE RECENTLY REMOVED METHANE PUMP WAS
LOADED ONTO A TRAILER AND DRIVEN AWAY FROM THE PAD.
WEDNESDAY AT NOON, NASA AND SPACEX'S CREW-5 MISSION LAUNCHED
IN SPACEX'S SEVENTH MANNED MISSION FROM LAUNCH COMPLEX 39A.
FALCON 9 BOOSTER B1077 SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED 4 NASA
ASTRONAUTS AND CARRIED THEM TO AN AUTOMATED DOCKING WITH THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION THE FOLLOWING DAY.
AT STARBASE, THE SQUIDLIKE CALIBRATION EQUIPMENT WAS AGAIN
SPOTTED BEING LIFTED AND INSTALLED FOR ADDITIONAL TESTING
FOLLOWING A WEEK OF UPGRADE WORK ON THE LAUNCH MOUNT.
BACK AT PORT CANAVERAL, B1073 WAS LIFTED AND PLACED ON THE
TRANSPORTER FOR ITS MOVE TO SPACEX REFURBISHMENT FACILITIES.
LATE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, THE BOOSTER CLAMP ARMS ON THE ORBITAL
LAUNCH MOUNT WERE SEEN RETRACTING IN WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN A FULL SPEED TEST.
THURSDAY MORNING, TWO 2,000 KILOWATT TRAILER MOUNTED
GENERATORS ARRIVED AT THE LAUNCH SITE AND WERE LEFT NEAR THE ELECTRICAL BUNKER.
AROUND THE SAME TIME YET ANOTHER NEW CRYOGENIC PUMP WAS ALSO
DELIVERED TO THE ORBITAL TANK FARM.
JUST A FEW HOURS AFTER IT WAS DELIVERED, THE NEW PUMP WAS
LOADED ONTO ANOTHER TRAILER AND LEFT THE LAUNCH SITE.
TO FINISH OFF THIS WEEK, EARLY ON FRIDAY MORNING BOOSTER 7 WAS
ONCE AGAIN SEEN LEAVING MEGA BAY.
THE BOOSTER WAS THEN ROLLED
BACK DOWN HIGHWAY 4 TO THE LAUNCH SITE FOLLOWING A MORE THAN 2
WEEK STAY IN MEGA BAY FOR WHAT ELON REFERRED TO AS ROBUSTNESS
UPGRADES.
THESE UPGRADES HOWEVER DID NOT SEEM TO INCLUDE THE
FINAL PIECES OF SHIELDING FOR THE OUTER 20 RAPTORS AS THEY APPEAR TO BE CURRENTLY ONLY
COVERED BY SOME KIND OF FOIL WRAP.
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT.
ANOTHER SPACEX AND STARBASE WEEKLY UPDATE BROUGHT TO YOU BY LABPADRE.
WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK AND THANKS FOR WATCHING.
LABPADRE---OUT!