SpaceX Starship rocket prototype nails landing...
then blows up
Reuters,
by
Steve Gorman
&
Joe Shaw
Original Article
Posted By: Dreadnought,
3/3/2021 11:20:03 PM
The latest heavy-duty launch vehicle prototype from SpaceX soared flawlessly into the sky in a high-altitude test blast-off on Wednesday from Boca Chica, Texas, then flew itself back to Earth to achieve the first upright landing for a Starship model. But the triumph was short-lived. Listing slightly to one side as an automated fire-suppression system trained a stream of water on flames still burning at the base of the rocket, the spacecraft blew itself to pieces about eight minutes after touchdown.
It was the third such landing attempt to end in a fireball after an otherwise successful test flight for the Starship, being developed by SpaceX
Reply 1 - Posted by:
RuckusTom 3/4/2021 2:39:01 AM (No. 714362)
Too bad. Elon Musk is doing stuff in the private sector instead of at tax payer expense when the government does it.
How many Space X employees are sitting around all day watching porn compared to any unionized, federal government agency?
7 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
DVC 3/4/2021 3:09:33 AM (No. 714367)
Getting close. It looked to me like one of the three rocket motors cut off in flight and kept leaking propellants at low velocity, and this flame was visible running up the side of the rocket as it landed on the two good motors.
Perhaps one was supposed to shut down and the valves didn't fully close. Then if propellants continued to leak after the landing...that would account for the delayed explosion.
Clearly the software and basic rocket motor design is working pretty well. Maybe improve the shutoff on those valves (if that one motor was supposed to shut down) or make all three run properly the whole time.
So, the Japanese billionaire is going to fly around the moon in two years. We'll see. The Dragon capsule did deliver two astronauts to the Space Station successfully recently, so who knows what Musk's team will accomplish. Keep shoveling in the millions $$$ and they seem to get steadily better.
7 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
SkeezerMcGee 3/4/2021 7:20:06 AM (No. 714447)
Elon Musk is another P.T. Barnum. His absurd "Hyperloop" is being taken seriously by idealistic college students and ignorant no clue politicians. No sane person is going to be a passenger on any re-use rocket until it's as safe as a Boeing 777. Who is going to fly on a rocket that crashes 10% of its flights? I predict that Tesla is going to tank when sufficient, much better, less expensive EVs are for sale. Tesla investors are going to lose big time. The super-inflated value of Tesla stock is absurd. Musk is making money by promoting colonization of planet Mars where radiation from the sun will kill any colonizing humans in short order. Musk's a genius in one respect: that's convincing governments to subsidize his business ventures.
3 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Bur Oak 3/4/2021 7:38:43 AM (No. 714458)
The rocket performed all the difficult maneuvers and accomplished what no other rocket ever has, not even close. I applaud their achievements.
13 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Alecto2 3/4/2021 7:47:41 AM (No. 714469)
Gosh #3 what a downer. I presume you put your money where your mouth is and have plenty of long-term puts/Leaps on TSLA stock. I'm old enough to remember the derision the US faced in the space race with USSR. Rockets kept on blowing up, falling over etc. There was even a joke about the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree being taller than the US could fire a rocket. Imagine if they'd paid attention to all those naysayers? Plus ca change!
6 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Strike3 3/4/2021 8:34:07 AM (No. 714517)
It blew up but it was otherwise successful. I won't be signing on to the crew just yet.
4 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
DVC 3/4/2021 10:36:49 AM (No. 714648)
#3 says, "I predict that Tesla is going to tank when sufficient, much better, less expensive EVs are for sale. "
LOL! The hard fact is that the cost of the batteries is the primary driver of the cost of EVs. Fewer batteries makes them more affordable.....and have shorter range. More batteries makes them very expensive, and longer but still poor range, and the "refueling" (recharging) time is closely related to battery life. If you insist on high rate recharging, battery life is shortened greatly. If you want best battery life, expect 3 to 5 hours charging time, if you have a HUGE electrical supply, like 100% of the maximum power that a normal home is wired for, but never actually uses 95% of the time. If you don't have a special super heavy duty electrical service and charging station....it will take hours.
EVs can be useful for commuter vehicles but are useless for normal general purpose or long haul application. You cannot drive an all day deliver route or a interstate semi-truck with an EV unless you have a ridiculously expensive battery pack, which takes up much of the vehicle volume and weight capacity, and costs a huge price. EVs will never be more than toys for rich commuters who don't care how much they spend and primarily want to make some sort of a political statement. They will always be more expensive, less capable and less convenient than gasoline cars.
1 person likes this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
NorthernDog 3/4/2021 1:36:16 PM (No. 714823)
90% successful. The lightbulb wasn't invented on the first try either.
0 people like this.
Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "Dreadnought"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)