SpaceX Starship

That's crazy!

Maybe debris of blasted concrete could have damaged some of those raptors that weren't lit

They are lucky that the whole tower that the ship was sitting on didn't collapse before it could take off

 

I don't understand, the launch pad disintegrated, a bunch of engines didn't light, there was a hydraulic explosion and it failed to separate. If this was NASA or ULA they would be getting lambasted for gross incompetence. Somehow Spacex is applauded for it though?

 

Those legs aren't going anywhere. 20-30(?) ft deep reinforced pilings.
Agree that concrete debris probably took out the engines.

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YES, proven track record. There's only 1 American company bringing astronauts to the ISS. ......... Human-rating certification is the highest bar.
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They didn't use tax dollars for the show....or have 1,000 critics on the payroll.

 

Another reason to stay away from NASA facilities for launches. Imagine the whining if they had taken out one of NASA's precious launch pads?

 

I'd think SpaceX is going to have to build one of those huge blast trenches like NASA has in Florida to deflect all that power

That's a huge project to do before another test flight.... they were saying they want to try again in a few months?

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I'm not sure how they are going to do that at that facility. It effectively is at sea level and the marshes nearby would suggest they would hit water pretty quickly. They could build up......but that has more engineering issues to contend with. Should be an interesting project.

 

Destroying the launch pad every time is unsustainable for SpaceX's rapid testing/turn-around plans.

>>> Can't believe the booster never buckled. It's 230 ft long. It was empty at the end. 33 engines at one end and a heavy/loaded Starship at the other. It wasn't designed to do cartwheels.
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Yes, also building up creates the problem of rolling them out of the production bays to the pad where the crane picks them up

I'd guess if it fills with water it's not a big deal as long as they can pump it out for launches

But yes, they are in a tough spot there surrounded by all that marsh... because I know a big part of their bigger plan is the logistics of an easy flow from production to launch... he said they want to build and launch 1000 of these things (on reusable boosters that land back on the pad)

Ideally they'd really do all the launches out on an oil platform in the Gulf or something, but then you can't do production out there

 

Can you imagine what 33 raptor engines at full power would do to the oil rig? Even if it just blasted away at the ocean underneath the platform.......the amount of salt laden steam would be enormous.

 

plus they like to work under the booster (switching out engines, etc.) while it's on the pad.
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using your car for a camera stand, close to 33 Raptor engines, was a poor choice.

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rear pillar is buckled
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Jeez, yea looks like it got hit big a missile strike

 

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I think we've found a great way to fund the next launch - SELL TICKETS !

 

I thought the launch was impressive to say the least. All those engines. All that fuel and oxidizer. All that unproven technology. If it got past the launch tower it would be a smashing success. Watching the entire stack cartwheel without breaking up was truly outstanding. Such a big rocket too. When SpaceX gets this thing ironed out, it will change the way people think about space.

 

The environmentalists will have a field day with this.....

 

Nahhh..... part of the reason they blew it up. Frozen cow farts (liquid methane) and liquid oxygen burn clean. Besides part of being in Texas .....it is okay to blow things up every once and a while. As a kid growing up in San Antonio ......Texas had real fireworks and we used to launch m-80s and cherry bombs every summer.

Besides......tree huggers always complain.

 

'Stage 0' is the launch pad
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Wow

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I'm surprised he hasn't merged Tesla and SpaceX. Electric rockets! Imagine the silence.

 

Funnily enough, about half of rocket scientists are electrical engineers and the other half are mechanical engineers, with a few odds and ends thrown in.

 

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Don’t forget Twitter too

He actually wants to do that under X.com … which was his original name for PayPal if I remember correctly