5 ms·
Looks like the welds holding the bulkhead on failed. For those who aren't keeping up with this the failure was on the Mk1 prototype. Mk2 has been build nearly
by zionic 7y ago
Looks like the welds holding the bulkhead on failed.
For those who aren't keeping up with this the failure was on the Mk1 prototype. Mk2 has been build nearly in parallel with Mk1 and will take over early flight testing (20km hop). Elon has tweeted that this team will jump to Mk3 instead of trying to repair Mk1.
- WalterBright 7y agoAirliners rarely use welds because they're very hard to make with consistent high quality and are also very hard to inspect. Instead, they're riveted together.
- bdamm 7y agoThere are airplanes constructed with chemical bonding as well, such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and my personal favorite, the AA-1, released in 1967! Welded airplanes are practically nonexistent, but there are techniques other than riveting. And with the rise in popularity of composite materials, we're likely to see fewer and fewer rivets on airplanes.
- pardavis 7y agoFriction stir welding is popular in rocketry because it is very controllable.
- kristianp 7y agoIs the mk2 in the parallel location?
- _Microft 7y agoYes, SpaceX is currently building Mk2 in Cocoa, Florida. Here's an aerial video from beginning of october: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChXMhSmqYqs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChXMhSmqYqs