I watched the entire launch and "landing" of the SpaceX SN8 flight test today, and I'm pretty near speechless.
This is so close to the Big Silver Rockets of Bradbury and Heinlein that I grew up dreaming about that it's.......huh....not sure what to say other than some adjective I can't think of. It's one of those "American Exceptionalism" things that aren't supposed to exist, are hugely Politically Incorrect, make liberal heads go nova, and prompt questions like "How Many More Teflon Fry Pans Will We Get Out Of This?" (I actually heard that at a NASA presser) from the "press", and make me smile and feel a sense of pride.
I won't analyze the landing, other than when I saw the plume go bright green, I knew something was wrong, and remembered the line "All Hand Brace For Impact!" from the movie Destination Moon.
Here's the broadcast, courtesy of a link the Silicon Graybeard provided. The launch starts about an hour and 47 minutes from the beginning, so you can skip forward quite a bit.
Ad Astra!
ReplyDeleteLove Bradbury and Heinlein, btw.
Very different writers, Bradbury wrote more in the science fantasy category than Heinlein did, who favored more "hard" science fiction.
ReplyDeleteAnd I've read them both extensively. My sister the librarian teacher was able to get me an autographed copy of Bradbury's last book, Farewell Summer.
That green exhaust brought to mind Musk's line about it running "engine rich" - it was burning itself up. I've seen someone say maybe, maybe not. Their observation was too much oxygen in the mix can do that. I don't really know.
ReplyDeleteThe more I've read, the more convinced I am that they intended to shut those two Raptors down. Instead of running three, cutting them off and letting it coast to apogee, they got it to where the single engine either couldn't keep lifting it, or just barely could.
How well the control surfaces worked was awesome to watch! Really amazing flight.
Check out this video by Scott Manley. Ten minutes, excellent explanations.
Deletehttps://youtu.be/egHxiX40eJY
We called it going "Hardware Rich", and it can happen.
DeleteI almost thought it was a shot of Triethylborane ("TEB") to bring another engine online.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triethylborane#Rocket
Thanks for the link, SiG! Excellent explanation of what went on.
DeleteAmazing what private enterprise accomplishes. Shared vision and dedication.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's amazing what FREE MEN can do!
DeleteWell, they DID stick the landing, just a little harder than planned. An amazing test!
ReplyDeleteMusk said they put the crater right where it was supposed to go.....
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