Did the US Air Force commit to an air strike on a Space X booster?

a reply to: Zelun

I dont agree with their logic in that a toxic thing at the bottom of the ocean is much better than a toxic thing floating on the ocean.

a reply to: tadaman

It beats an oil tanker hitting it and ripping the side open though.

a reply to: Zaphod58
At least it didn't launch, turn around and almost take out the launching aircraft. One of the first trials on the P-3 did that.

a reply to: JIMC5499

I'm just glad it didn't launch while they were on the ground. It would have gone right through the truck I was in and into the Honolulu control tower.

a reply to: Zaphod58
Somebody really fouled up in letting you near it before EOD removed it.
Unless YOU were EOD.

a reply to: JIMC5499

They had to safe it on the runway. Since we had a joint runway with HNLthey couldn't download it out there and had to get it back to the base first. So we had Base Ops out to taxi them in, us to get the drag chute, and EOD to pin the missile.

www.americaspace.com...

In response to our inquiry to clarify, SpaceX issued the following official statement this afternoon:

“While the Falcon 9 first stage for the GovSat-1 mission was expendable, it initially survived splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. However, the stage broke apart before we could complete an unplanned effort to recover the booster.”

SpaceX went on to say, “Reports that the Air Force was involved in SpaceX’s recovery efforts are categorically false.”

a reply to: RadioRobert

So...no? The Air Force did not order an airstrike on a Space X booster? Consider me deflated. Wait. Why wasn't the company that did the demo named? Seriously, this doesn't seem weird to you? Now we have anonymous sources involved in the initial reports that the Air Force had indeed carried out the operation?

a reply to: Wardaddy454

Seems not to have been the case. An unnamed company did the demo. Allegedly.

originally posted by: Blaine91555
a reply to: Zelun

??? They scuttled the Falcon 9 1st stage. It's in the article and confirmed by NASA. In other words they sunk it because it was to large to safely tow in and it was a hazard.

What really happened? They scuttled it for safety reasons.

Confirmed by NASA? Sounds pretty authoritative. Oh wait.

www.americaspace.com...

What precisely was confirmed?

Pay attention. Now Space X has categorically denied the Air Force sunk the booster. Who did they hire?

I'm confused on what you think the "real story" is. Does it matter who they hired to break up the stage and make sure it sank? Why is this so problematic for you? Do you think they really didn't sink it? It had alien viruses aboard so it had to be destroyed? What about the fact they didn't expect it to survive and can't leave nav hazards out at sea is so improbable to you?

originally posted by: RadioRobert
I'm confused on what you think the "real story" is. Does it matter who they hired to break up the stage and make sure it sank? Why is this so problematic for you? Do you think they really didn't sink it? It had alien viruses aboard so it had to be destroyed? What about the fact they didn't expect it to survive and can't leave nav hazards out at sea is so improbable to you?

Well, I don't know. At first I thought it was unlikely that the Air Force sunk it, or if they did they had to have a reason to do it. Turns out I was right. The Air Force didn't do it. Now I wonder why the demolition company would be anonymous. I'm asking questions, you see! I don't have the answers! I was hoping you did!

originally posted by: Zelun

originally posted by: RadioRobert
I'm confused on what you think the "real story" is. Does it matter who they hired to break up the stage and make sure it sank? Why is this so problematic for you? Do you think they really didn't sink it? It had alien viruses aboard so it had to be destroyed? What about the fact they didn't expect it to survive and can't leave nav hazards out at sea is so improbable to you?

Well, I don't know. At first I thought it was unlikely that the Air Force sunk it, or if they did they had to have a reason to do it. Turns out I was right. The Air Force didn't do it. Now I wonder why the demolition company would be anonymous. I'm asking questions, you see! I don't have the answers! I was hoping you did!

The people who did demolitions would have been the one tasked with dissembling the rocket. At sea landing the part they want is the booster rocket to reuse. Now the reason they blew it up look what happens when the rocket fails.



Now you cant let a bomb just float around in the ocean.

Here is a successful landing they did if you want to see what it was supposed to do.



PS the launch sent the car to the wrong place it isn't going to mars as planned. So they still have a lot work to do at space ex.

news.sky.com...

a reply to: cosmania

Bomb Loaders?





I was an Armourer Sir! Like your style. Kind regards,

bally

a reply to: dragonridr

PS the launch sent the car to the wrong place it isn't going to mars as planned. So they still have a lot work to do at space ex.

Yeah, I saw that, it's sort of a bummer it won't make it out to the asteroid belt to get creamed. I think it's good it won't make it to Mars; from what I understand the car didn't go through sterilization, so it could potentially contaminate whatever it hits.

What I'm not getting as far as the GovSat-1 booster, is that Space X took the time to deny the Air Force's involvement in its sinking, but also left the name of the company that did sink it as anonymous. That, and the initial reports that indicated Air Force's involvement in the demo were also anonymous sources, three of them if I recall. It seems like a whole lot of information and action left unaccountable. And I want to know why! I'd be proud as f* if my company got hired to sink a rocket booster and save the civilized world's shipping lanes from certain doom. It would be great advertising!

a reply to: Zaphod58

Ha. Love those stories. I always wondered why we pay the ordies so little, and they're the ones that have to "safe" hung ordnance. I can't imagine walking up to that missile, just hoping and praying that:

A. the rocket motor doesn't fire
or worse
B. the proximity sensor doesn't see the ordie and go high order.

It's a wonder we're still alive.

When are we going to stop pretending the ocean is a bottomless pit where we can just sink whatever we dont feel like dealing with?