SpaceX Tuesday...
Discussion
What's the flight plan for Mk2 in Florida?
It looks different to the Mk1 but only in small ways, so is that going to undergo a pressurisation test? I guess they will wait for more info on the failure from Mk1 to see if that potentially could cause the same failure mode in mk2.
The steel was supposed to get stronger with the cold temps of the liquids, but i guess a weld failed here.
This could be a big issue if they have to go back to not using steel. We will see I guess.
It looks different to the Mk1 but only in small ways, so is that going to undergo a pressurisation test? I guess they will wait for more info on the failure from Mk1 to see if that potentially could cause the same failure mode in mk2.
The steel was supposed to get stronger with the cold temps of the liquids, but i guess a weld failed here.
This could be a big issue if they have to go back to not using steel. We will see I guess.
Pity they did the pressure testing after doing all the work installing the fins; time and effort they could have saved had they pressure tested beforehand.
Wonder if it was the weld or the calculations that were off? Real shame, this will put them back to next year before they get a flight in. At least it happened on the ground during a static test so no explosion, no loss of vehicle, no damage to anyone on the ground.
But will probably make the FAA more cautious about granting the next permit.
Wonder if it was the weld or the calculations that were off? Real shame, this will put them back to next year before they get a flight in. At least it happened on the ground during a static test so no explosion, no loss of vehicle, no damage to anyone on the ground.
But will probably make the FAA more cautious about granting the next permit.
In the video posted by Scott Manley ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P98JcBQPiiI&fe... ) the frame by frame analysis shows a puff of vapour emerging from a welded area, then in the next frame the entire circumferential weld has failed and the tank dome has departed skywards, so it looks like a classic weld failure propagation. 
Better welding and weld inspection should solve it
Better welding and weld inspection should solve it
MartG said:
In the video posted by Scott Manley ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P98JcBQPiiI&fe... ) the frame by frame analysis shows a puff of vapour emerging from a welded area, then in the next frame the entire circumferential weld has failed and the tank dome has departed skywards, so it looks like a classic weld failure propagation.
Better welding and weld inspection should solve it
It should do, however this has failed under just a static pressurisation test. If it was actually launched into orbit you would have dynamic loads on launch as well and re-entry and finally this is supposed to be re-usable, so it has to be strong enough to do all that more than once.Better welding and weld inspection should solve it
So I think some rethink needs to be done rather than just better welding, though i am not a material scientist it has to be said.
This is a really novel approach rather than tried and trusted, so it will be interesting to see how they progress from here. Been quite a lot of failures in the last year for multiple manufacturers even including the Russians, with manned missions, or future manned missions.
New Shepherd seems to have had few issues but they seem to have slowed down their steps to get tourists sub-orbital, I have lost track of that they are doing it is so slow....
They hugely overpressurised it due to ground support equipment issues, one theory goes.
At least there were no engines installed and no one got hurt.
In better news, SpaceX managed to test fire the Dragon 2 capsule recently and have released footage of the event:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylO3B00H3rQ
They changed the design to use burst disks instead of valves, after they blew up the last capsule on the test stand. The Super Draco engines are only expected to potentially fire once anyway, so they can simplify the design somewhat.
At least there were no engines installed and no one got hurt.
In better news, SpaceX managed to test fire the Dragon 2 capsule recently and have released footage of the event:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylO3B00H3rQ
They changed the design to use burst disks instead of valves, after they blew up the last capsule on the test stand. The Super Draco engines are only expected to potentially fire once anyway, so they can simplify the design somewhat.
MartG said:
SpaceX have implied that they had decided not to fly the Mk1, and were testing it beyond its design limits
The safety aspects alone would preclude that unless they were testing at Bikini atoll in the 1950s .....Not been a good week for Elon, they just tested the amor glass live on stage at the Cybertruck presentation
He looked less amused than Queen Victoria.
It does seems as though something has gone awry in all of Musk's companies this year.
The Crew Dragon explosion earlier in the year.
Star Hopper ending up only making one flight (compared with the original talk of a program of tests) and only just surviving that.
Starship tank exploding after they pressurised it (with no road closures so clearly not expected - could have killed someone driving past).
The bizarre Tesla pickup (and did anyone look at the way the rear went down and the nose pointed in the air when they put something in the loadbay - you know, like pickups are designed to do?)
I'm wondering what might be next.
The Crew Dragon explosion earlier in the year.
Star Hopper ending up only making one flight (compared with the original talk of a program of tests) and only just surviving that.
Starship tank exploding after they pressurised it (with no road closures so clearly not expected - could have killed someone driving past).
The bizarre Tesla pickup (and did anyone look at the way the rear went down and the nose pointed in the air when they put something in the loadbay - you know, like pickups are designed to do?)
I'm wondering what might be next.
Beati Dogu said:
The truck's styling, or complete lack thereof, is their biggest disaster of the week.
Like a jacked up DeLorian, but waaaay more fugly. Both stainless steel too.
They're either taking the piss out of the fanbois, or they've lost the plot completely.
I think the takeaway here is the stainless steel part for Space X... which came first the stainless steel car or Starship or perhaps both together?Like a jacked up DeLorian, but waaaay more fugly. Both stainless steel too.
They're either taking the piss out of the fanbois, or they've lost the plot completely.
For space the looks don't matter. Ever since seeing hopper and then starship I've been thinking it looked like something out of a Saturday Matinee Flash Gordon episode, but that did not matter because prior rockets have used it before it went out of fashion and who cares what a rocket looks like if it works? Then it blew this week.
Having seen the truck, which has great tech under the skin but with looks that are challenging due to steel again, I am starting to wonder about steel being too much upper mind at Tesla/ Space X at the moment for different reasons.
I'm neutral when it comes to Tesla, pros and cons, but I get a bad feeling about the SpaceX side at the moment.
What is the Florida mk2 going to do from now, considering mk1 is cancelled and they are going to mk3 there? And what does mk3 look like? This is not reiteration of test, fail, re test. it is more like Apollo 1 and then Apollo 7 to my eyes??
Thoughts?
Just to link up the Tesla pickup and Space X late on a Friday night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e85nzs-7d_Q
Saw them at Knebworth ... epic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCqpUiljHPE
It was so wet i woke up next to a welshman who swapped some drugs for a bacon toasty I managed to get going on our damp camp fire.
Those were the days.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e85nzs-7d_Q
Saw them at Knebworth ... epic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCqpUiljHPE
It was so wet i woke up next to a welshman who swapped some drugs for a bacon toasty I managed to get going on our damp camp fire.
Those were the days.
RobDickinson said:
Flooble said:
The bizarre Tesla pickup (and did anyone look at the way the rear went down and the nose pointed in the air when they put something in the loadbay - you know, like pickups are designed to do?)
You realise that it done that on purpose so you can load stuff easier right?Gassing Station | Science! | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff