All the best fires are exotic.
Over the course of ground testing, a “check valve” separating the pressurization system and oxidizer leaked what SpaceX described as a “slug” of nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer (NTO) into the helium pressurization lines."
Looks like a simple ANTI-BACKFLOW VALVE would work................
A spark between dissimilar metals caused the Hindenburg fire.
Well, that’s a relief.
*ping*
As with anything new, you have to learn about the things that you didn’t know, and especially the things that you didn’t know that you didn’t know.
You get what you pay for, and sometimes not even then. I don’t mind NASA contracting out to SpaceX, but if anyone believes that they are going to provide safe, reliable human space transportation at a fraction of the cost of previous NASA manned programs, well, reality check. Space is hard. Human space even harder. No free rides.
“SpaceX’s understanding is that the high-speed slug of dense NTO was traveling so fast and at such a high pressure that, by impacting the titanium check valve, it quite literally broke the valve and may have chemically ignited the metal, thus introducing a slug of burning NTO into the liberated NTO system itself – effectively a match tossed into a powder keg.”
I can hear Ronald Reagan saying this real fast, just like in Desperate Journey:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TkHs0pVHFI
“...SpaceX is approximately 80% of the way through what is known as the fault tree...”
Somebody notify Boeing!
Did SpaceX discover a new explosive ?
bottom line is that rocket science has always been about blowing shit up until something finally flies ...
When nitrogen tetroxide goes wrong, things go BOOM!!!