Insight Mars Lander launched this morning
I normally get up around the crack of noon! 
This morning I turned on my Roku TV to watch the live launch of the Mars Lander Insight.
The United Launch Alliance launched it, making it the 108th straight successful launching of a satellite by the Atlas V, which uses the Russian RD-180 engine on its first stage. The ULA is being forced to look at other sources or build its own 1st stage engine. It is talking to Amazon.
Two years ago, the ULA was charging 100% more to launch 14% less than SpaceX. For Air Force launches the ULA costs between 2016 and 2022 average to $344M per launch. SpaceX costs for launching similar payloads is $65-$90 per launch. But, HEY!, it's taxpayer's money so who's counting?
While watching the launch team in action it was like watching Huston's Launch Control Center a couple decades ago. Most were middle-aged or old men in suits and ties setting at the consoles. At SpaceX it looks like kids in clothing from Gap are manning the consoles. At the ULA there was no noise from the center during the launch events. It was as if the team didn't care. At SpaceX there is applause and cheering at every event. ("MECO! Yea!!!!!! cheering, clap, clap, clap). At ULA's control center they went through the perfunctory call out for every part of the launch mission: range safety? go, launch safety? go, guidance? go, .... On and on they droned, three minutes before launch. Surrounded by millions of dollars of computing power and they are still doing launches manually? As the ULA rocket rides into the sky the folks watching on their TV or computer have no clue as to the velocity or altitude of the rocket. Suddenly, as if someone remembered and just around MECO, the altitude, velocity and azimuth are displayed, and a time line appears across the top of our TV's or displays. The velocity of the rocket SLOWLY climbs to 15,000 mph (required velocity for orbit is 17,000mph) and suddenly the velocity and altitude are replaced with apogee and perigee positions, showing that the rocket is entering an orbit with an apogee of 110 miles and a perigee of 90 miles. The perigee rises and the apogee drops until both are at 90 miles. Probably a mission design parameter -- high enough to allow coasting without significant drag in the short term, but low enough to save fuel for the climb out once the appropriate position for insertion into the Mars transfer orbit is reached.
At the SpaceX control center during a bunch of excited kids are watching their monitors while computers run the launch. At T minus 1 minute control of the launch vehicle is given to the computers on board the rocket. At that moment two small windows appear on the observer's display. The upper left corner shows time, velocity, altitude and azimuth. On the left side (or on a bar across the top) is the mission timeline, showing when each event takes place and where the rocket is at the present time. At no time, in my recollection, has SpaceX ever displayed perigee and apogee readings of an orbit. MECO is usually right on 27,385 kph (17,500mph), or there abouts, depending on the desired altitude.
After a successful launch the men in the ULA crew take out cigars and cloud the air, shaking each other's hand, except for women, most of whom get a hug. A SpaceX everybody gets a hug. Even after 24 straight successful landings of first stages, including that spectacular double landing of the Falcon Heavy Rocket first stages, they are still excited.
This morning I turned on my Roku TV to watch the live launch of the Mars Lander Insight.
The United Launch Alliance launched it, making it the 108th straight successful launching of a satellite by the Atlas V, which uses the Russian RD-180 engine on its first stage. The ULA is being forced to look at other sources or build its own 1st stage engine. It is talking to Amazon.
Two years ago, the ULA was charging 100% more to launch 14% less than SpaceX. For Air Force launches the ULA costs between 2016 and 2022 average to $344M per launch. SpaceX costs for launching similar payloads is $65-$90 per launch. But, HEY!, it's taxpayer's money so who's counting?
While watching the launch team in action it was like watching Huston's Launch Control Center a couple decades ago. Most were middle-aged or old men in suits and ties setting at the consoles. At SpaceX it looks like kids in clothing from Gap are manning the consoles. At the ULA there was no noise from the center during the launch events. It was as if the team didn't care. At SpaceX there is applause and cheering at every event. ("MECO! Yea!!!!!! cheering, clap, clap, clap). At ULA's control center they went through the perfunctory call out for every part of the launch mission: range safety? go, launch safety? go, guidance? go, .... On and on they droned, three minutes before launch. Surrounded by millions of dollars of computing power and they are still doing launches manually? As the ULA rocket rides into the sky the folks watching on their TV or computer have no clue as to the velocity or altitude of the rocket. Suddenly, as if someone remembered and just around MECO, the altitude, velocity and azimuth are displayed, and a time line appears across the top of our TV's or displays. The velocity of the rocket SLOWLY climbs to 15,000 mph (required velocity for orbit is 17,000mph) and suddenly the velocity and altitude are replaced with apogee and perigee positions, showing that the rocket is entering an orbit with an apogee of 110 miles and a perigee of 90 miles. The perigee rises and the apogee drops until both are at 90 miles. Probably a mission design parameter -- high enough to allow coasting without significant drag in the short term, but low enough to save fuel for the climb out once the appropriate position for insertion into the Mars transfer orbit is reached.
At the SpaceX control center during a bunch of excited kids are watching their monitors while computers run the launch. At T minus 1 minute control of the launch vehicle is given to the computers on board the rocket. At that moment two small windows appear on the observer's display. The upper left corner shows time, velocity, altitude and azimuth. On the left side (or on a bar across the top) is the mission timeline, showing when each event takes place and where the rocket is at the present time. At no time, in my recollection, has SpaceX ever displayed perigee and apogee readings of an orbit. MECO is usually right on 27,385 kph (17,500mph), or there abouts, depending on the desired altitude.
After a successful launch the men in the ULA crew take out cigars and cloud the air, shaking each other's hand, except for women, most of whom get a hug. A SpaceX everybody gets a hug. Even after 24 straight successful landings of first stages, including that spectacular double landing of the Falcon Heavy Rocket first stages, they are still excited.
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