[oasis-members] SpaceX Falcon 1 Launched and Lost, but "Successful"

[James R. Wertz]

Does seem like the basic goal of an orbital launch is to get to 
orbit, unless you declare otherwise in advance.  Hmmm.

>In a message dated 3/20/2007 6:29:12 PM Pacific Standard Time, rogers at isi.edu
>writes:
>>  Subj: [oasis-members] SpaceX Falcon 1 Launched and Lost, but "Successful"
>>  Date:3/20/2007 6:29:12 PM Pacific Standard Time
>>  From:rogers at isi.edu
>>  Reply-to:oasis-members at oasis-nss.org
>>  To:oasis-members at oasis-nss.org
>>  Received from Internet:
>>
>>
>>
>>      According to Spaceflight Now, the second SpaceX Falcon 1 was
>>  launched today, started to wobble, ceased to provide telemetry about
>>  halfway through second stage firing, failed to reach orbit, and was
>>  declared a success.
>>
>>      Based on the record of two rockets launched and two payloads
>>  lost, Elon Musk, SpaceX founder, feels confident enough in the project
>>  to begin operational launches without further test flights.
>>
>>  http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon/f2/status.html
>>
>>                      Craig Milo Rogers
>>
>>
>>  _______________________________________________
>>  OASIS-members mailing list
>>  OASIS-members at oasis-nss.org
>>  http://oasis-nss.org/mailman/listinfo/oasis-members_oasis-nss.org
>>
>
>Reminds me of some of the early days of missile flight testing.
>
>The Air Force would declare anything that flew far enough to
>get out of sight of reporters on the beach a success.
>
>OK, I understand that the flight went through a lot of its
>flight path and exercised most of its systems, but Musk
>risks making himself a laughing stock by claiming it
>as a success.
>
>Mike Walsh
>   
>_______________________________________________
>OASIS-members mailing list
>OASIS-members at oasis-nss.org
>http://oasis-nss.org/mailman/listinfo/oasis-members_oasis-nss.org


-- 

--------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE NEW ADDRESS AND PHONE

Dr. James R. Wertz              Phone:   (310) 219-2700
Microcosm, Inc.                 FAX:     (310) 219-2710
4940 West 147th Street	        E-mail:  jwertz at smad.com
Hawthorne, CA  90250-6708              

--------------------------------------------------------------