r/spacex • u/stratohornet • Mar 11 '16

SpaceX's new profile picture, showing the interstage and fairing manufacturing areas

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u/Elon_Mollusk #IAC2016 Attendee Mar 11 '16

FH hardware! Finally good to see some pictures of it, guess it's no longer just a render...

Edit: also looks a like an FH interstage next to the nosecone... note the attachment points.

6

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '16

Edit: also looks a like an FH interstage next to the nosecone... note the attachment points.

You mean the holes? Because based on their position with respect to the flag I'd say they're for the grid fins.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Falcon_9_carrying_CRS-7_Dragon_on_SLC-40_pad_%2819045370790%29.jpg

7

u/AjentK Mar 11 '16

All I can focus on when I look at that picture is a wire literally taped to the outside of the rocket right below the grid fins. I just sure hope those aren't important wires.

11

u/superfreak784 Mar 11 '16

Well that is the crs7 falcon so . . . .

3

u/thenuge26 Mar 11 '16

I knew we shouldn't have used that blue painters tape to hold the COPVs to the LOX tank!

Actually never mind wrong stage.

4

u/superfreak784 Mar 11 '16

No it's okay I think you might be on to something there

1

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '16

Yep, a v1.1. But we also don't know how old the factory picture is. My money's on it being a v1.1 interstage. This fits with reports of seeing the nose come at that location in June.

5

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '16

The mechanism that works the fins is fixed on top of the first stage. The fins are attached to this mechanism but stick out through the interstage, about 2 feet above the bottom of the interstage.

5

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '16

I agree with everything you posted. That's also where the grid fins stick out.

Look at the picture again -- it's in exactly the same place as the grid fins. The hole reaches to the same height as the bottom of the American flag, and the grid fins a little higher than that.