Thanks Tom, I will look into that. I use the NASA technical reports server quite a lot, they have a huge amount of information archived there. In the UK, the AERADE archive, looked after by Cranfield University, is also very interesting.
Carl.
SpaceX rockets & launches
Y’all seen this?
Not strictly on topic…
Want a flamewar? SpaceX vs. Blue Origin is like Mac vs Windows of old =]
Yeah. I’m agnostic here.
I once wrote a story where a possible suggested cause of civilisation’s recent and sudden destruction was a war between Apple and Microsoft ‘fans’…
except no one gets to use the rockets so it’s more like trading card specs than your personal preference over each device.
Such a good noise when the turbines wind down at the end 
Courty
Another comsat launch this evening and another “lively” landing attempt. Window opens at 22:04.
this is the new normal
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Another launch tomorrow (Wednesday) - two comsats and another ocean landing attempt
Launch window opens 15:29 UK time
Webcasts will be available on the SpaceX youtube channel as usual.
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A slightly more exciting launch coming up on Monday. CRS-9 resupply mission to the space station. Payload includes a new docking adaptor to make up for the one that was lost in the CRS-7 failure. This will also be the second-ever landing attempt back at Cape Canaveral.
Unfortunately, the launch is scheduled for 03:45 UK time 
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)This rocket landed on an ocean platform in April. Here it is running a full-duration test. Another landed rocket like this will fly again in September/October with a paying customer (almost certainly the SES-10 comsat)
Also, a reminder that in September, Elon Musk will be giving a “deep technical presentation” on the Mars Colonisation spacecraft to the International Astronomical Union conference in Mexico. This will be the largest rocket ever flown, by a considerable margin, and is SpaceX’s primary mission. Fully reusable.
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I was under the impression that it’s a different rocket that will be the first to be reused?
Exciting stuff
Ah yes, you’re right. Test one (to destruction?), launch another.
Very interested to see how many times they can be used. I guest the aim is for them to be like aircraft?
That’s the idea, and it’s not outlandish.
The DC-X was flown, landed, refuelled and flown again as rapidly as the next day, with minimal maintenance between flights. It didn’t go as high and fast of course, but this is what they want to achieve; land on pad A, truck it to pad B, refuel, relaunch.
Right now, they’re offering steep discounts for launches of reflown stages, but ultimately the situation will reverse. Why risk your precious payload on a brand new barely-tested rocket, when you could fly on this other stage which has flown 20 times without incident?
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oops
Loading fuel I heard…