Management knew there was a problem as did the astronauts.
Posted on 05/06/2018 1:38:55 PM PDT by BenLurkin
When Elon Musk and his team at SpaceX were looking to make their Falcon 9 rocket even more powerful, they came up with a creative idea — keep the propellant at super-cold temperatures to shrink its size, allowing them to pack more of it into the tanks.
But the approach comes with a major risk, according to some safety experts. At those extreme temperatures, the propellant would need to be loaded just before takeoff — while astronauts are aboard. An accident, or a spark, during this maneuver, known as “load-and-go,” could set off an explosion.
The proposal has raised alarms for members of Congress and NASA safety advisers as the agency and SpaceX prepare to launch humans into orbit as early as this year. One watchdog group labeled load-and-go a “potential safety risk.” A NASA advisory group warned in a letter that the method was “contrary to booster safety criteria that has been in place for over 50 years.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Apollo One astronauts Roger Chaffee, Virgil “Gus” Grissom and Ed White II were unavailable for comment.
Yeah. That was bad. Somebody wasn’t thinking when they put them in a pressurized pure oxygen atmosphere.
Either their launch abort system works as intended, or it doesn’t. If it works, then the crew will be safe. If not, then the crew should NEVER get near the rocket.
That simple.
“I Laika your post...”
Nice. But poor thing didn’t have a heat shield on the capsule, so she burned up on re-entry. Not a surprise, simply the Russians didn’t have the shield yet ready to fly, but everything else was ready.
Another story was regarding a dog that did make it back to Earth alive. The moment they unstrapped the dog, he ran for the hills...that was the last they saw of him.
“I am not on the Musk train.
I smell Ken Lay.”
Tesla, yes, SpaceX, no. He’s launching real payloads to space...nothing to take lightly.
For Tesla, it’s a completely different world. His competitors have spent decades perfecting their production and product. He never had a chance and his scam is about to blow open.
IIRC, she was euthanized in orbit.
“IIRC, she was euthanized in orbit.”
Don’t know, good to hear if true. Very cool having a dog as a NATIONAL HERO. I wish we could have done the same!
Management knew there was a problem as did the astronauts.
America launched the first hominid into space. He was African and came from a tourist attraction in Miami.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ham_(chimpanzee)
It’s listed as a gag photo. Sad and prescient.
Time will tell
I don’t know where you’re getting that the photo is a gag. The photo is real and it was done after the astronauts expressed concerns about combustible material in the capsule, especially velcro.
Thanks for the link. I’m pretty sure their use of the editorial “gag” is expressing that the astronauts were trying to be humorous. Partly, they were, but their concern over a fire was real, and so is the photo.
Agreed. Military personnel do tend to mug for the camera and laugh at death. It’s a perfectly valid coping mechanism.
The photo is real, it was taken as a gag, but the underlying concern was also real, and as it turned out entirely too real.
Thanks for finding it. These were brave men, they knew the risks, but like real heroes since day one, they did it anyway.
BFL
Explain to me how putting the astronauts in the capsule and arming the launch abort system (which has demonstrated capability to perform an immediate pad abort) before putting any fuel in the rocket is “less safe” than fully loading a rocket with explosive fuel before the pad workers even start to load astronauts onto the vehicle? What if something goes wrong with the vehicle while the pad workers are around the pad?
And do I really have to be the only one to point out that WASHINGTON POST IS OWNED BY JEFF BEZOS WHO ALSO OWNS A COMPETING AEROSPACE COMPANY KNOWN AS BLUE ORIGIN? Has Free Republic really fallen so far that we can go a full page without anyone pointing out an OBVIOUS AND UNMENTIONED CONFLICT OF INTEREST WITH A LAMESTREAM MEDIA SOURCE?!
You seem to agree with me.
You should have addressed your post to rktman.
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