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SpaceX still doesn’t know why its spacecraft exploded last month
The Verge ^ | May 2, 2019, 4:55pm EDT | Mary Beth Griggs

Posted on 05/02/2019 4:54:41 PM PDT by BenLurkin

Before the explosion, the test was proceeding according to plan, Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX’s vice president of Mission Assurance, said at a press conference about SpaceX’s upcoming resupply mission to the ISS. The capsule was tethered in place for the test, which was designed to make sure that the system’s thrusters were working properly. Koenigsmann said that the capsule powered up “as expected” and then sets of smaller thrusters on either side of the vehicle called Dracos fired for five seconds each. Those tests “went very well” said Koenigsmann.

Then it was time to test the SuperDracos, the thrusters designed to carry the Crew Dragon and its passengers away from its rocket in case something went wrong on the pad or during launch. Approximately a half-second before the SuperDraco thrusters were supposed to fire, something went wrong.

(Excerpt) Read more at theverge.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: aerospace; crewdragon; dracos; elonmusk; falcon9; falconheavy; hanskoenigsman; smokeandmirrors; spacex; superdracos
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1 posted on 05/02/2019 4:54:41 PM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin

“Something went wrong”

Happens every day.


2 posted on 05/02/2019 4:57:20 PM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: BenLurkin

Somebody did something.


3 posted on 05/02/2019 4:59:07 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy (If White Privilege is real, why did Elizabeth Warren lie about being an Indian?)
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To: blueunicorn6

Assembled Bomb components tend to blow up real gud occasionally.


4 posted on 05/02/2019 5:04:29 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: Paladin2

The Saturn V of Apollo fame was a ~2.5 kt non-nuclear bomb, that exploded in just one direction.

That’s about one sixth of the Little Boy gun-type atomic bomb that exploded over Hiroshima.


5 posted on 05/02/2019 5:14:56 PM PDT by Steely Tom ([Seth Rich] == [the Democrat's John Dean])
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To: BenLurkin

There’s a lot of telemetry and high speed video, so SpaceX likely has a good idea of the cause. They just aren’t saying at this time. Koenigsmann expressed confidence that it wasn’t the fuel tanks or the engines. I suppose that would leave fuel lines and valves.


6 posted on 05/02/2019 5:19:56 PM PDT by Moonman62 (Facts are racist.)
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To: Steely Tom

It’s a dangerous bidness...


7 posted on 05/02/2019 5:21:15 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: BenLurkin

Weak spot in the 3D printing


8 posted on 05/02/2019 5:21:23 PM PDT by butlerweave
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To: blueunicorn6

...Sum Ting Wong..


9 posted on 05/02/2019 5:50:45 PM PDT by know.your.why
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To: BenLurkin
BFRC. Monomethyl hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide can make for a crappy day. 🚀🛰
10 posted on 05/02/2019 5:56:53 PM PDT by rktman ( #My2ndAmend! ----- Enlisted in the Navy in '67 to protect folks rights to strip my rights. WTH?)
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To: SunkenCiv

*ping*


11 posted on 05/02/2019 6:06:40 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (BUTTGIGGITY ! It's an anal thing. You wouldn't understand.)
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To: BenLurkin

I hope they didn’t stir anything, stirring is bad.


12 posted on 05/02/2019 6:50:23 PM PDT by Born to Conserve
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To: rktman; Jack Hydrazine

Mr. Hydrazine? Paging Mr Jack Hydrazine.


13 posted on 05/02/2019 6:53:39 PM PDT by Delta 21 (Be strong & prosper, be weak & die! Stay true.... ~~ Donald J. Trump)
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To: BenLurkin

https://youtu.be/xe4ee56aHSg
SpaceX Crew Dragon Explosion | LZ-1 | 20th April 2019


14 posted on 05/02/2019 8:02:11 PM PDT by AzNASCARfan
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To: Paladin2
SpaceX still doesn’t know why

Bursting with pride?

15 posted on 05/02/2019 8:12:26 PM PDT by Fightin Whitey
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To: Fightin Whitey

Pretty Much...


16 posted on 05/02/2019 8:15:11 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: Delta 21

Sadly, I’ve heard nor seen anything of Jack for over a year. Not sure if he was zotted or left on his own.
He was a fountain of info on many things space-related.


17 posted on 05/02/2019 8:18:36 PM PDT by hoagy62 (America Supreme!)
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To: BenLurkin

Turbo pump failure?


18 posted on 05/02/2019 9:00:06 PM PDT by OldMissileer (Atlas, Titan, Minuteman, PK. Winners of the Cold War)
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To: BenLurkin

Not knowing doesn’t fly with manned programs.


19 posted on 05/02/2019 9:01:40 PM PDT by Magnum44 (My comprehensive terrorism plan: Hunt them down and kill them)
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To: fieldmarshaldj
Thanks fieldmarshaldj.

20 posted on 05/02/2019 11:45:09 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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