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ArsTechnica has an interesting article [1] on efforts to recreate the F1 using intact engines and the original design documentation. Reading it, I was surprised
by andyjohnson0 13y ago
ArsTechnica has an interesting article [1] on efforts to recreate the F1 using intact engines and the original design documentation. Reading it, I was surprised how difficult this proved to be in practice, given the extensive information available.
[1] http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/04/how-nasa-brought-the-monstrous-f-1-moon-rocket-back-to-life/ http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/04/how-nasa-brought-the-...
- rbanffy 13y agoFor any engineering effort, there is the documentation and there is the never well documented wisdom of actually building the thing. The plans may say a certain alloy has to be used or part P and the Helium cooling system should not run at more than X psi, but the reasons why it is so could very well be lost in a multitude of memos on failed tests. Sometimes, the reasons of those failures themselves are never known because someone figured out a way that works. Not knowing the complete history of the development of a given machine and why it is the way it is may very well make it almost impossible to continue evolving the design and kill the technology.