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How do investigators find leaks in a craft that has exploded? I imagine it’s difficult to determine (though evidently possible) whether a defect is in the desig
by The28thDuck 3y ago
How do investigators find leaks in a craft that has exploded? I imagine it’s difficult to determine (though evidently possible) whether a defect is in the design, or if it has been introduced by a defect in manufacturing/installation of parts like with Boeing.
- ggreer 3y agoUnlike a normal aircraft flight, rocket launches constantly broadcast telemetry data and are watched with tracking cameras. Large leaks would be visible in the video footage, and the type of leak (fuel or oxygen) can be determined by the change in flame color. Also, telemetry such as various tank pressures and propellant levels would indicate if (and where) leaks occurred. Determining whether it was a design defect or a manufacturing defect would likely require ground testing. After CRS-7[1] exploded during launch, SpaceX tested a batch of struts from a third party manufacturer and found they failed at 2,000lbs of force instead of their rated 10,000lbs. Their solution was to switch to a different type of strut and implement more rigorous QA processes on their hardware.[2] 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_CRS-7 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_CRS-7 2. https://web.archive.org/web/20150721152601/https://www.spacex.com/news/2015/07/20/crs-7-investigation-update https://web.archive.org/web/20150721152601/https://www.space...
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- _moof 3y agoI've designed sensor electronics for rockets. You would not believe how many sensors are on a rocket, especially one still under development.