5 ms·

That also could mean, while the abort system said "shut down", the thing that said "get away" was not directly connected, but still using sensor/telemetry input

That also could mean, while the abort system said "shut down", the thing that said "get away" was not directly connected, but still using sensor/telemetry inputs as the decision maker. Also, I'm really interested in knowing if the fireball was performed by the automated abort system. I would love these to be the answer, so looking forward to clarification.

51Cards 7y ago
That is my question too, if the abort system just went "Step 1, Step 2, etc." or if the abort system went "Step 1" and the automated processes took over from there. It wasn't entirely clear but it felt like the first one which is why I watched it again. As for the fireball, from the press conference I got the sense that the fireball was not triggered manually, that the rocket just broke up. Again, on neither I'm 100% sure.
vibrolax 7y ago
1) the Dragon initiated the F5 booster shutdown when its sensors detected that it had reached the pre-programmed abort velocity 2) the Dragon initiated the escape according to the abort sequence, not by ground command 3) the fireball was initiated by structural failure as the F5 broke up due to aerodynamic forces, not by the range safety destruct. 4) All of these abort sequence actions were explained in SpaceX's live stream.
- krisoft 7y ago
  Minor nitpick about point 3. John Insprucker said around 13:40 in the stream: "our simulation show that the Falcon will likely break apart due to the tumbling, instead of having the destruct system triggered and destroying the rocket." So what you wrote at point 3 is only likely, but not certain. (Unless of course you know from some source, that they have confirmed the sequence of events since.)
  - brianwawok 7y ago
    Well point 3 means it didn’t have a blow up at time Y feature. If there was no plan to blow it up and simulations said it would likely blow up, isn’t a pretty safe conclusion that predicated explosion happened?
  - JshWright 7y ago
    The upper stage (which is wired to the same FTS) hit the ocean intact.
  - skykooler 7y ago
    If the flight termination system had been activated, the upper stage would have been unzipped by the same detonation cord. Since it hit the ocean intact we can presume the FTS was not activated.
- JshWright 7y ago
  F[alcon]5 was a concept that never made it past very early designs. The rocket SpaceX flies is the Falcon9.
  - LeonM 7y ago
    I think he is referring to the 'block 5' Falcon, i.e. the current iteration in the development cycle of the Falcon 9.
    - JshWright 7y ago
      Perhaps (I'm a pretty avid SpaceX enthusiast, and I've never heard that abbreviation before)
      - vibrolax 7y ago
        Absolutely. I must have fused Saturn V with Falcon 9 in my brain. It's F9.
        JshWright 7y ago
        To be fair, they're both pretty awesome rockets.
hoorayimhelping 7y ago
>Also, I'm really interested in knowing if the fireball was performed by the automated abort system. No, that was the rocket breaking up and exploding. If the range safety system had triggered, it would have blown up the second stage, which flew off and crashed into the ocean in a massive explosion The capsule controlled the abort. It shuts down the main engines then lights it own engines. These things aren't instant, it takes a second to spin up turbo pumps and get fuel flowing and for the fuel in the lines of the main engine to flow out after it sends the signal - that's why the rocket exhaust was still burning as the abort system lit up.

51Cards 7y ago

That is my question too, if the abort system just went "Step 1, Step 2, etc." or if the abort system went "Step 1" and the automated processes took over from there. It wasn't entirely clear but it felt like the first one which is why I watched it again. As for the fireball, from the press conference I got the sense that the fireball was not triggered manually, that the rocket just broke up. Again, on neither I'm 100% sure.

vibrolax 7y ago

1) the Dragon initiated the F5 booster shutdown when its sensors detected that it had reached the pre-programmed abort velocity 2) the Dragon initiated the escape according to the abort sequence, not by ground command 3) the fireball was initiated by structural failure as the F5 broke up due to aerodynamic forces, not by the range safety destruct. 4) All of these abort sequence actions were explained in SpaceX's live stream.

krisoft 7y ago
Minor nitpick about point 3. John Insprucker said around 13:40 in the stream: "our simulation show that the Falcon will likely break apart due to the tumbling, instead of having the destruct system triggered and destroying the rocket." So what you wrote at point 3 is only likely, but not certain. (Unless of course you know from some source, that they have confirmed the sequence of events since.)
- brianwawok 7y ago
  Well point 3 means it didn’t have a blow up at time Y feature. If there was no plan to blow it up and simulations said it would likely blow up, isn’t a pretty safe conclusion that predicated explosion happened?
- JshWright 7y ago
  The upper stage (which is wired to the same FTS) hit the ocean intact.
- skykooler 7y ago
  If the flight termination system had been activated, the upper stage would have been unzipped by the same detonation cord. Since it hit the ocean intact we can presume the FTS was not activated.
JshWright 7y ago
F[alcon]5 was a concept that never made it past very early designs. The rocket SpaceX flies is the Falcon9.
- LeonM 7y ago
  I think he is referring to the 'block 5' Falcon, i.e. the current iteration in the development cycle of the Falcon 9.
  - JshWright 7y ago
    Perhaps (I'm a pretty avid SpaceX enthusiast, and I've never heard that abbreviation before)
    - vibrolax 7y ago
      Absolutely. I must have fused Saturn V with Falcon 9 in my brain. It's F9.
      - JshWright 7y ago
        To be fair, they're both pretty awesome rockets.

hoorayimhelping 7y ago

>Also, I'm really interested in knowing if the fireball was performed by the automated abort system. No, that was the rocket breaking up and exploding. If the range safety system had triggered, it would have blown up the second stage, which flew off and crashed into the ocean in a massive explosion The capsule controlled the abort. It shuts down the main engines then lights it own engines. These things aren't instant, it takes a second to spin up turbo pumps and get fuel flowing and for the fuel in the lines of the main engine to flow out after it sends the signal - that's why the rocket exhaust was still burning as the abort system lit up.