Big Bada Boom!

"user314" (user314) 05/29/2020 at 16:42 • Filed to: Spacelopnik, Spacex, Starship

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If you’re in the southern coast of Texas and heard a loud explosion around ten till two this afternoon, it was SpaceX’s fourth Starship test article experiencing !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

It’s not immediately apparent what w ent wrong today. The Raptor engine had been shut down for one minute following an apparently successful test firing, however, methane began to escape from SN4, and a flare appeared at its base:

I mmediately after that, big orange fireball.

Back to the drawing board, Elon.

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > user314 05/29/2020 at 16:58

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ClassicDatsunDebate > user314 05/29/2020 at 16:59

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That was *pushes up glasses* not nominal.

user314 > This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: 05/29/2020 at 17:01

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That’s so stupid it’s awesome. Looks like the one engine bell needs some work though. 

wafflesnfalafel > user314 05/29/2020 at 17:03

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dang, that was not small - look at that pressure wave...

user314 > ClassicDatsunDebate 05/29/2020 at 17:04

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Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > user314 05/29/2020 at 17:11

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If you get mad at something, like a camera, and you throw it onto the pavement as hard as you can and it shatters, is that RUD?

ClassicDatsunDebate > user314 05/29/2020 at 17:13

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You’re always discounting my feelings Dad.

user314 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/29/2020 at 17:15

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I would say that the conscious , though rash, decision to throw the offending device makes it “ scheduled”, even if the schedule is ‘right fucking now’. 

user314 > wafflesnfalafel 05/29/2020 at 17:17

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Yeah, it might not *technically* been a BLEVE, but the end result was pretty much the same.

facw > user314 05/29/2020 at 17:27

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The good news is that since Starship is powered by a different engine than Falcon 9, this failure seems like it shouldn’t be any reason to delay tomorrow’s launch to the ISS (though I haven’t checked how the weather is doing)

user314 > facw 05/29/2020 at 17:29

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Not good. Sounds like they may give Saturday a pass an concentrate on Sunday so they don’t violate crew rest regs.

boredalways > user314 05/29/2020 at 17:40

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[nevermind, I’m having network issues right now]

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > user314 05/29/2020 at 17:57

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I get Elon’s whole ‘rapid iteration’ thing, but it sure does seem like they’re blowing up a lot of test articles unintentionally.

Gone > user314 05/29/2020 at 19:23

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That was hilarious commentary lol.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > user314 05/29/2020 at 21:50

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Scheduled maintenance .