Space X Launch Scrubbed

[dcarrigg]

How much cash do we have to give Musk? How many trips could we make to the ISS with proven technology instead of funding a completely untested company to do it instead? First we get the $71,000 base model S that was supposed to be a $40,000 car. Now we get a scrubbed launch. In between we get a nonsense hyperloop. It's a perfect example of how "Privatize it" just becomes flushing public money down the toilet to create another billionaire monopolist who's "against government."

Launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon cargo capsule bound for the International Space Station was scrubbed Monday afternoon because of an apparent first stage helium leak. A new launch date has not been announced, but the flight is off until Friday at the earliest, officials say.
The Falcon 9 version 1.1 rocket was on track for liftoff from launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 4:58 p.m., roughly the moment Earth's rotation would have carried the pad into the plane of the station's orbit.

But engineers preparing the rocket for liftoff discovered ran into what NASA described as a helium leak in the plumbing of the rocket's first stage, an issue that could not be resolved in time for launch. SpaceX launch director Ricky Lim ordered a scrub at 3:39 p.m.

More here.

[lektrode]

Re: Space X Launch Scrubbed

How much cash do we have to give Musk? How many trips could we make to the ISS with proven technology instead of funding a completely untested company to do it instead? First we get the $71,000 base model S that was supposed to be a $40,000 car. Now we get a scrubbed launch. In between we get a nonsense hyperloop. It's a perfect example of how "Privatize it" just becomes flushing public money down the toilet to create another billionaire monopolist who's "against government."

More here.

while i'm with ya there, big guy - in fairness, NASA did have to scrub more than a few launches - and while i also think some sort of competition is necessary in the outerspace-industrial complex, scrapping the shuttle and putting 1/2 of 'all of our eggs' in this basket - never mind putin's - was just as nuts as it gets...

altho not quite a nuts as having NASA focus on mars, vs the/Earth's moon - which to me, is merely another 'conspiracy' to shutdown space exploration completely (so we can hand-over another one of 'our lunches' that we've paid TRILLIONS to develop - quite, make that EXACTLY like our energy 'ace in the hole' )

all in all tho, my guess is that putin&co must be laffin their nuts off at what passes for US government policy these daze.

[sunpearl71]

Re: Space X Launch Scrubbed

Despite the issues with their rockets, SpaceX has succeeded in getting an injunction to stop USAF buying Russian rocket engines.

(Reuters)A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge issued an injunction late Wednesday prohibiting a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing from proceeding with plans to buy Russian-made rocket engines used to send U.S. Air Force satellites into space.


Space Exploration Technologies, the privately held company known as SpaceX, won the temporary injunction against the U.S. government and contractors Boeing and Lockheed operating as United Launch Alliance.

Full article here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0NN14S20140501