4 ms·
Formation of oxygen ice crystals around carbon fibers of helium tank, rupturing fibers.
by DiThi 10y ago
Formation of oxygen ice crystals around carbon fibers of helium tank, rupturing fibers.
- harshreality 10y agoI don't follow /r/spacex so I found this to be a great summary. A little more detail (without going to /r/spacex and wading through threads there) is in a comment (which itself is summarizing theories from /r/spacex) at ars: http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/10/spacex-says-it-remains-on-track-to-return-to-flight-by-years-end/?comments=1&post=32154037 http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/10/spacex-says-it-remain...
- Gibbon1 10y agoThey don't call it rocket science for nothing. Seems like rocketry is full of issues like that. I remember reading a bit on the thrusters developed for I think the Apollo program. They had problems a little fuel/oxidizer dribble out of the valves as they were turning on and off. Under some conditions layers of frozen fuel/oxidizer would form on the nozzle. Once enough built up it would explode and shatter the nozzle. short on -> off -> short on -> off -> long on-> bang The solution was to carefully avoid those conditions.
- namlem 10y agoNo wonder they want to get rid of helium in the new rocket. It's such a pain to work with.