Serious Control Programming (Big Flying Robot Spaceship)
JonnyMac
Posts: 8,923
In case you missed it, SpaceX had the first test flight of its Starship this afternoon. I have to confess that I popped out of the P2 online meeting so I could watch it live -- I have loved the science behind space flight since watching Neil Armstrong step onto the moon from my grandparents' living room.
Have a look:
As you're watching the engines gimbal, the control flaps move, and the RCS jets fire, imagine the complexity of the software that runs all this. Even more amazing is that it nearly stuck the landing on the fist try. Apparently, there was a pressure problem in the header tank that provides fuel for landing. Still, this was a huge success for SpaceX, and I hope seeing that ship fly inspires more students and hobbyists toward STEM fields.
Have a look:
As you're watching the engines gimbal, the control flaps move, and the RCS jets fire, imagine the complexity of the software that runs all this. Even more amazing is that it nearly stuck the landing on the fist try. Apparently, there was a pressure problem in the header tank that provides fuel for landing. Still, this was a huge success for SpaceX, and I hope seeing that ship fly inspires more students and hobbyists toward STEM fields.
Comments
Yup, that rocket ship and its control system are incredible.
This guy was so inspired, he tried to emulate the control method using hobby resources;
https://hackaday.io/project/174329-spacex-inspired-edf-rocket
Even using the Pixhawk flight controller, he struggled to get it to land properly!
That is what dual monitors were made for. What I remember from that era was the cool paper models of the Saturn 5 and
the Lunar Lander, that gas stations use to give away with the purchase of a full
tank of gas. Oh, and Green Stamps Too
I watch the daily videos from Boca Chica Gal and NasaSpaceFlight
And tech stuff from
Scott Manley
Watch the drone footage @1:19
Everyday Astronaut
Bill M.
Bill M.
As I watch these landings I always marvel at the number of instructions per second that are being performed. Their understanding of the problem must be complete. There's more then nits and lice in their heads, as my dad used to say.
The atmospheric differences between Earth and Mars will introduce another variable to the equation. I guess they could test at higher altitudes and hover or something.