6 ms·

SpaceX performs static fire test on Falcon Heavy

102 points by LeonM 9y ago

LeonM 9y ago
Engine ignition is around the 16 minute mark
- valuearb 9y ago
  Doesn't anybody edit their videos anymore?
  - Ajedi32 9y ago
    This video is a Periscope livestream, so there wasn't an opportunity for editing.
    - valuearb 9y ago
      A good example of why Periscope isn't a very useful idea.
cletusw 9y ago
More good footage + audio: https://twitter.com/nova_road/status/956221490785026053 https://twitter.com/nova_road/status/956221490785026053
- jfarlow 9y ago
  Some other footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuXHriwQB9g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuXHriwQB9g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZZs1pxqB9c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZZs1pxqB9c
coldcode 9y ago
Whoa thats a big exhaust. Hopefully someday we will see it go up. Saturn V launches were awesome.
- ChuckMcM 9y ago
  Next week according to Musk.
  - pseudometa 9y ago
    At the very moment it is scheduled for Feb 6th.
  - Robotbeat 9y ago
    >Next week... ..."or so" according to Musk. "Or so" being an important phrase.
dz0ny 9y ago
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/956233892637286400 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/956233892637286400 All good, launching in a week...
pavel_lishin 9y ago
> "Five million pounds of thrust being held to the ground by SpaceX's systems" So, what happens if those systems fail? edit: nice, apparently I commented on Reddit today.
- hamitron 9y ago
  liftoff
  - j4ship 9y ago
    huston, we have a problem
  - Taniwha 9y ago
    or a cartwheel
  - navls 9y ago
    Followed by rapid disassembly
- asteli 9y ago
  making something stay on the ground is far less challenging than making something go to space i think they've got this
- SAI_Peregrinus 9y ago
  Most of the thrust is simply to counter the weight of the rocket & fuel. The hold-down clamps only have to withstand a fraction of that.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- JshWright 9y ago
  SpaceX lists the Falcon Heavy as weighing 3,125,735 lbs (presumably that's the "wet" weight). So, the hold down clamps 'only' need to deal with ~2,000,000 lbs of thrust. There are 6 clamps, IIRC, so that's 333k lbs each. Seems reasonable.
Ajedi32 9y ago
Better video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuXHriwQB9g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuXHriwQB9g
Implicated 9y ago
I wish I lived closer - I'd love to hear/feel this in person. The feeling of top fuel dragsters coming off the line (https://youtu.be/W9L3bllEbm4?t=11 https://youtu.be/W9L3bllEbm4?t=11) is intoxicating - I can only imagine what the Falcon Heavy would feel like!
- greglindahl 9y ago
  Ha ha for irony! A drag-racing Tesla is pretty soundless off the line.
- coldstone 9y ago
  I live a couple miles down the river and it was rattling my windows. Paddle boarding out to watch one of their launches should be a bucket list item for anyone living in Central Florida.
cletusw 9y ago
Official SpaceX video: https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/956236301275054080 https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/956236301275054080
- Animats 9y ago
  Yes. In the Twitter video, skip the first 16 minutes. Then one minute of action.
simik 9y ago
But why was it so short?
- greglindahl 9y ago
  That was long. Static fires of Falcon 9 rockets at the Cape and VAFB are normally 3 seconds.
  - simik 9y ago
    Ok, I guess "static fires" are not the same as "engine firing". I was expecting something like in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=976LHTpnZkY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=976LHTpnZkY
    - JshWright 9y ago
      That's a single engine on a test stand designed for full duration test fires (SpaceX also does full duration test fires of a complete booster (i.e. 9 engines)). Launch pads are not test stands. They aren't designed to withstand the sustained thrust of a rocket being held down. SpaceX doesn't have a test stand capable of doing a full duration test fire of Falcon Heavy.
Shivetya 9y ago
How much stress is placed on the components for this test? Do they use a fully fueled rocket or is there only sufficient fuel to complete the burn?
- Robotbeat 9y ago
  Fully fueled, as that reduces the upward strain on the hold-down clamps. Also: "Test like you fly."
natch 9y ago
Awesome. Really glad there was someone live streaming. However, I wish the guy didn't yell into the microphone repeatedly over the sound of the firing. I understand there are going to be people nearby yelling, but if anyone can suppress the urge to yell at that moment, it should be the person running the livestream camera. Anyway other than that, well done. Nice to have some commentary as well going along with it.

102 points by LeonM 9y ago

LeonM 9y ago

Engine ignition is around the 16 minute mark

valuearb 9y ago
Doesn't anybody edit their videos anymore?
- Ajedi32 9y ago
  This video is a Periscope livestream, so there wasn't an opportunity for editing.
  - valuearb 9y ago
    A good example of why Periscope isn't a very useful idea.

cletusw 9y ago

More good footage + audio: https://twitter.com/nova_road/status/956221490785026053 https://twitter.com/nova_road/status/956221490785026053

jfarlow 9y ago
Some other footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuXHriwQB9g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuXHriwQB9g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZZs1pxqB9c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZZs1pxqB9c

coldcode 9y ago

Whoa thats a big exhaust. Hopefully someday we will see it go up. Saturn V launches were awesome.

ChuckMcM 9y ago
Next week according to Musk.
- pseudometa 9y ago
  At the very moment it is scheduled for Feb 6th.
- Robotbeat 9y ago
  >Next week... ..."or so" according to Musk. "Or so" being an important phrase.

dz0ny 9y ago

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/956233892637286400 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/956233892637286400 All good, launching in a week...

pavel_lishin 9y ago

> "Five million pounds of thrust being held to the ground by SpaceX's systems" So, what happens if those systems fail? edit: nice, apparently I commented on Reddit today.

hamitron 9y ago
liftoff
- j4ship 9y ago
  huston, we have a problem
- Taniwha 9y ago
  or a cartwheel
- navls 9y ago
  Followed by rapid disassembly
asteli 9y ago
making something stay on the ground is far less challenging than making something go to space i think they've got this
SAI_Peregrinus 9y ago
Most of the thrust is simply to counter the weight of the rocket & fuel. The hold-down clamps only have to withstand a fraction of that.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
JshWright 9y ago
SpaceX lists the Falcon Heavy as weighing 3,125,735 lbs (presumably that's the "wet" weight). So, the hold down clamps 'only' need to deal with ~2,000,000 lbs of thrust. There are 6 clamps, IIRC, so that's 333k lbs each. Seems reasonable.

Ajedi32 9y ago

Better video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuXHriwQB9g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuXHriwQB9g

Implicated 9y ago

I wish I lived closer - I'd love to hear/feel this in person. The feeling of top fuel dragsters coming off the line (https://youtu.be/W9L3bllEbm4?t=11 https://youtu.be/W9L3bllEbm4?t=11) is intoxicating - I can only imagine what the Falcon Heavy would feel like!

greglindahl 9y ago
Ha ha for irony! A drag-racing Tesla is pretty soundless off the line.
coldstone 9y ago
I live a couple miles down the river and it was rattling my windows. Paddle boarding out to watch one of their launches should be a bucket list item for anyone living in Central Florida.

cletusw 9y ago

Official SpaceX video: https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/956236301275054080 https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/956236301275054080

Animats 9y ago
Yes. In the Twitter video, skip the first 16 minutes. Then one minute of action.

simik 9y ago

But why was it so short?

greglindahl 9y ago
That was long. Static fires of Falcon 9 rockets at the Cape and VAFB are normally 3 seconds.
- simik 9y ago
  Ok, I guess "static fires" are not the same as "engine firing". I was expecting something like in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=976LHTpnZkY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=976LHTpnZkY
  - JshWright 9y ago
    That's a single engine on a test stand designed for full duration test fires (SpaceX also does full duration test fires of a complete booster (i.e. 9 engines)). Launch pads are not test stands. They aren't designed to withstand the sustained thrust of a rocket being held down. SpaceX doesn't have a test stand capable of doing a full duration test fire of Falcon Heavy.

Shivetya 9y ago

How much stress is placed on the components for this test? Do they use a fully fueled rocket or is there only sufficient fuel to complete the burn?

Robotbeat 9y ago
Fully fueled, as that reduces the upward strain on the hold-down clamps. Also: "Test like you fly."

natch 9y ago

Awesome. Really glad there was someone live streaming. However, I wish the guy didn't yell into the microphone repeatedly over the sound of the firing. I understand there are going to be people nearby yelling, but if anyone can suppress the urge to yell at that moment, it should be the person running the livestream camera. Anyway other than that, well done. Nice to have some commentary as well going along with it.