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I loved watching startup of a Diesel engine that probably occupies more volume than my house, thanks. But for sheer amazing operation at the very edge of what
by ridgeguy 9y ago
I loved watching startup of a Diesel engine that probably occupies more volume than my house, thanks.
But for sheer amazing operation at the very edge of what we know how to do, I like [1]. There's just something about running !% short of destruction as normal. That's engineering!
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEQI4lpdJGI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEQI4lpdJGI
- WalterBright 9y agoWatching the nozzles quiver under the load gives me goose bumps!
- ridgeguy 9y agoMe too. When I see that, I wonder what how it would felt to be an SSME design engineer viewing that behavior. I sure wouldn't have expected my design to shake like a leaf in the wind.
- WalterBright 9y agoI'm pretty sure I know what it'd feel like. An intense high. (The levels of flexing and vibration would have been calculated in advance. But it's different seeing it.)
- WalterBright 9y ago(When I was a kid I had a military ID, and would ride my bike out to the local AF base and park near the runway. Watching the F-104s taking off and hitting the afterburners halfway down the runway was the best show a kid could have.)
- JabavuAdams 9y agoIf you'd been able to buy some land near there, you might have acquired your own 104 lawn dart!
- christophilus 9y agoWhat are those nozzles on the launch-gear that are shooting out sparks? Is that what ignites the entire thing?
- pas 9y agoThose are sparks to burn off excess hydrogen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=capiUBVd7EU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=capiUBVd7EU (7m 30s)
- christophilus 9y agoThat was one of the most fascinating videos I've seen in a good long while. Thanks for posting.
- pas 9y agoRocket engineering, make everything explode, but not too fast! But still fast enough to go to the Moon/Sun/Mars and back!