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Talk:SpaceX reusable launch system development program/GA1

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by N2e (talk | contribs) at 19:06, 1 March 2014 (→GA Review: fixed two more). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

GA Review

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Reviewer: Jamesx12345 (talk · contribs) 22:19, 26 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I'll take this on in the next few days. Jamesx12345 22:19, 26 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

  • Intro seems a bit verbose. Perhaps another picture of the Grasshopper - to illustrate the concept of a rocket landing - would help?
    • Re: Grasshopper photo: I very much agree. Have been endeavoring to find a Wiki-licensable photo of Grasshopper flying for 18 months now. See extensive discussion on Talk page. User:Huntster, who is both very wiki-photo knowledgeable and an Admin on the English Wikipedia tells us that there simply are not any wiki-allowable images that anyone has yet found of Grasshopper in flight. (although there are lots of good Youtube videos released by the company). I've wondered whether perhaps a fair use criteria might work, but editors strong in wiki-photo fu have told me no dice. N2e (talk) 01:25, 28 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
    • Re: tightening up the prose: The article just went through a WP:GOCE. But one idea I had is that we could delete the following sentence from the second paragraph, as it is only summarizing details presented in the article: "Eight low-altitude flight tests were made in 2012 and 2013. The first booster return controlled-descent test from high-altitude was made in September 2013, and a second test is planned for March 2014.[2][3]" Would you think that would help? N2e (talk) 03:27, 28 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • "occur at a velocity of approximately" - km/s would be adequate here, I think.
    • I would tend to agree, but what is there is a result of somewhat involved Talk page consensus; moreover, the original source only gives the velocities in Mach numbers, which are approximate, and so we felt we ought to leave those Mach nos. in the encyclopedia prose. And generally, in spaceflight related articles, we give velocities in both SI units and in English measurment units for a global audience. Do you think the GA criteria would trump the Talk page consensus? I would be happy to revisit the topic with the previous discussants. N2e (talk) 01:25, 28 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • "It said this was an approximation." - this single sentence looks a bit odd. It also makes the use of refs 6 and 7 a bit unclear.
  • I've tagged 4 dead links using Checklinks. There's also a [citation needed] needing fixed, but that might be covered by ref 46.
    •  In progress
  • "first stage is now being flight tested" - very liable to dating. Given that you and some other editors have focused on this article for a fair length of time, it should be OK, but an {{As of}} or {{Update after}} could be used.
  • "News of the new test rocket" - "News of the test rocket"
  • "re-entry database" - not sure what this is. From the context, it seems to be data that will allow a computer to work out where it will land, but I could be quite far off the mark.
    •  Fixed It is really just a bunch of wind tunnel test data that shows how a very large rocket body (about 3.3 metres in diameter and over 50 metres long behaves at a bunch of different velocities and altitudes in the atmosphere, with the rocket body moving through the atmosphere in various orientations. It's all quite essential for coding up the control algorithms to tell the engines and thrusters what to do based on where the returning rocket finds itself. But I can really see how that esoteric info was quite unclear with the term "re-entry database". Good catch! — N2e (talk) 22:40, 28 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • NASA can be linked in the first instance.
  • "reusable rocket system that will be powered by LOX/methane, "an evolution of SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster", and reiterated SpaceX's commitment to develop a vertical landing breakthrough technology." - "reusable rocket system to be powered by LOX/methane, "an evolution of SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster", and reiterated SpaceX's commitment to develop a vertical landing technology." - update tense, rm "breakthrough" - don't think it's needed.
    • This one is a bit more complex; principally because it is not a second LOX/methane technology; it is a second reusable rocket system, and this one will be both much larger, and also will be powered by a different fuel (LOX/methane rather than LOX/RP-1 as in the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy). At any rate, I've made a stab at making it more clear. See what you think. N2e (talk) 22:54, 28 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • "24-story" - this needs a source, preferably for the height in metres. In terms of buildings, the spelling should be storey.
    •  Fixed. Added a source, and eliminated the "24-story" reference completely. BTW, in American English, the height of buildings is spelled "story", whereas it is "storey" in British and Canadian English. There is one other reference to "12-story" in the article (about an earlier Grasshopper test flight). Let me know if you think it might be better to eliminate that arcane sort of linear measurement as well now that I took out the "24-story" term. N2e (talk) 00:15, 1 March 2014 (UTC)[reply]
      • I stand corrected.
  • "SpaceX made history in September 2013 when it relit" - "In September 2013, SpaceX successfully for the first time relit" - seems a bit promotional. My wording isn't great, it's just the "made history" that doesn't feel quite right.
    • I've copyedited this, and eliminated the "made history." Yes, sounds a bit promotional in that form. It was an historic event, and something that had not been successfully accomplished with a booster rocket strictly under rocket-control (no aeronautical flight surfaces like wings or a lifting body, etc.) previously. See what you think. N2e (talk) 23:51, 28 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • "for March 2014 at the earliest." - another ref needed. I'll stop referring to refs by number since they might change unpredictably as you add or move them.
  • Transonic can be linked.
  • There is inconsistent use of full stops in Technology. I think it's just 3 that are needed.
  • "and upon introducing space launch customers to the idea of putting a payload in space with a used stage" - quite colloquial "and upon space launch customers being willing to put a payload in space with a used stage" is a bit clearer, maybe.
  • "If all aspects of the test program go very well, and if a customer is interested, SpaceX said in September 2013 that the first reflight of a Falcon 9 booster stage could be done in late 2014." - "in September 2013, SpaceX said that if all aspects of the test program are successful and a customer is interested, the first reflight of a Falcon 9 booster stage could be done in late 2014."
  • "have a major impact on the cost of access to space" - not sure about the use of the quote here. I think there is probably some scope for expansion with regard to what it would mean for putting things in orbit.
  • The Technical Feasibility section is a bit odd. I think it would be better if it were integrated into Technologies, with the problems and solutions in one place.
  • The bullet points in Test program are also inconsistent re. full stops.
  • "tests of post-mission (spent) Falcon 9 booster stages" - that link is a bit confusing. I think that whole bullet could be made somewhat clearer, perhaps by starting with "September 2013..."
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