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Pretty bad: it blew up on the pad before the static fire test even started. I can’t imagine this provides much in the way of useful information, and it looks li

Pretty bad: it blew up on the pad before the static fire test even started. I can’t imagine this provides much in the way of useful information, and it looks like the pad was completely destroyed as well.

TheAlchemist 1y ago
[flagged]
- bamboozled 1y ago
  [flagged]
  - nekinie 1y ago
    Rapid unplanned disassembly. Hopefully the ground equipment is not too damaged (unlikely) and block 3 has more success.
    - bamboozled 1y ago
      I'm pretty sure it's over for that launch pad for a very long time.
      - trothamel 1y ago
        That wasn't a launch pad - that was a test stand used to test the Startship proper without the rest of the system.
wombatpm 1y ago
Probably could use more than one launch pad with the tank farms centrally located and protected.
- m4rtink 1y ago
  They are finishing another pad on the launch site & the explosion happened on a separate test site from the main launch site.
nomel 1y ago
> I can’t imagine this provides much in the way of useful information I can't really comprehend this statement, since it appears, in a spectacular fashion, that there's some useful information to be learned involving the top half of the ship, especially the flammable bits that you can see burst out before igniting. A rocket ship isn't just its engines, it's a system, with all the bits of it being not only useful, but entirely necessary.
- chneu 1y ago
  This most likely points to a leak somewhere. So there isnt much valuable information to be learned here. They weren't able to test much. What they were hoping to test never got started.
  - nomel 1y ago
    You're very clearly mistaken. I can tell you, with a very reasonable estimate, how much the information is worth: one launch cost + ground infrastructure, in cold hard cash, multiplied by the number of times the flawed design/process will cause it to reoccur.
    - chneu 1y ago
      A leaking fitting isn't really all that valuable. It happens. We're not talking about cold hard cash. The discussion is useful information.
      - nomel 1y ago
        Again, it's a system. Anything learned that prevents that system from literally disintegrating is of value to all components of the system. I'm sorry, but fittings don't just leak. It's not something that "just happens". A leaking fitting means a design or process flaw exists, and must be fixed, or the whole thing blows up again. It may not be interesting to you, but it's now very very interesting to every other team working at SpaceX, who just had all their shit blown to pieces. It's a (I hope this is obvious to you) critical component of the system, just as critical as, say, the control system and fuel pumps. Serious innovation may be required (yes, things like gaskets still involve PhD's), and was probably already required. It's really interesting seeing software perspectives of a hardware world. A mech-e would have a stroke reading your comments.
schiffern 1y ago
> looks like the pad was completely destroyed Importantly this was a test pad a few miles away, not the main launch pad.

TheAlchemist 1y ago

[flagged]

bamboozled 1y ago
[flagged]
- nekinie 1y ago
  Rapid unplanned disassembly. Hopefully the ground equipment is not too damaged (unlikely) and block 3 has more success.
  - bamboozled 1y ago
    I'm pretty sure it's over for that launch pad for a very long time.
    - trothamel 1y ago
      That wasn't a launch pad - that was a test stand used to test the Startship proper without the rest of the system.

wombatpm 1y ago

Probably could use more than one launch pad with the tank farms centrally located and protected.

m4rtink 1y ago
They are finishing another pad on the launch site & the explosion happened on a separate test site from the main launch site.

nomel 1y ago

> I can’t imagine this provides much in the way of useful information I can't really comprehend this statement, since it appears, in a spectacular fashion, that there's some useful information to be learned involving the top half of the ship, especially the flammable bits that you can see burst out before igniting. A rocket ship isn't just its engines, it's a system, with all the bits of it being not only useful, but entirely necessary.

chneu 1y ago
This most likely points to a leak somewhere. So there isnt much valuable information to be learned here. They weren't able to test much. What they were hoping to test never got started.
- nomel 1y ago
  You're very clearly mistaken. I can tell you, with a very reasonable estimate, how much the information is worth: one launch cost + ground infrastructure, in cold hard cash, multiplied by the number of times the flawed design/process will cause it to reoccur.
  - chneu 1y ago
    A leaking fitting isn't really all that valuable. It happens. We're not talking about cold hard cash. The discussion is useful information.
    - nomel 1y ago
      Again, it's a system. Anything learned that prevents that system from literally disintegrating is of value to all components of the system. I'm sorry, but fittings don't just leak. It's not something that "just happens". A leaking fitting means a design or process flaw exists, and must be fixed, or the whole thing blows up again. It may not be interesting to you, but it's now very very interesting to every other team working at SpaceX, who just had all their shit blown to pieces. It's a (I hope this is obvious to you) critical component of the system, just as critical as, say, the control system and fuel pumps. Serious innovation may be required (yes, things like gaskets still involve PhD's), and was probably already required. It's really interesting seeing software perspectives of a hardware world. A mech-e would have a stroke reading your comments.

schiffern 1y ago

> looks like the pad was completely destroyed Importantly this was a test pad a few miles away, not the main launch pad.