Starship Development Thread #48
pigeonberry @ pigeonberry @lemmy.world Posts 40Comments 87Joined 2 yr. ago
pigeonberry @ pigeonberry @lemmy.world
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SpaceX @SpaceX 2:42 PM · Aug 17, 2023
Long duration test fire of Raptor while gimbaled 15 degrees
Lots of discussion about why there was such a test. Some suggesting that it was for Starship for hot staging. Others saying that the new hot-staging ring has such a high dome in it that the sea-level engine gimballing so far wouldn't actually help.
Some comments about how 15 degrees is really high, like Saturn V first stage having 5 degrees, and 3-8 is more common. The Space Shuttle has 12.5 for the RS-25, but the new ones are certified for only 6. The suggestion was that this is because the stages need to be able to flip.
Nice picture of Starship 29 rolling out of a high bay. Courtesy of Starship Gazer @StarshipGazer here.
"SpaceX Files its Starship Mishap Report to the FAA" by Jack Kuhr at Payload.
SpaceX has filed a final mishap investigation report to the FAA for its April 20 Starship integrated flight test, the FAA told Payload on Tuesday. ...
SpaceX delayed submitting the final report for months while it implemented significant changes to both the launch vehicle and pad....
The changes mostly being the booster bidet, but there's also the Flight Termination System (FTS).
The FAA did not provide a specific timeline for its review process, leaving the timeframe for potential approval up in the air. SpaceX will need the go-ahead from the FAA before it launches again.
According to a SpaceX label, it's for Human Landing System, presumably a mockup or test article.
Chris Bergin - NSF @NASASpaceflight 4:20 PM · Aug 12, 2023, "Mary ( @BocaChicaGal) took some cool shots of the Ship 22 nosecone that went on a wander today. Human-sized door on its side!"
Jack Beyer @thejackbeyer 5:05 PM · Aug 12, 2023, "The former S22 nosecone with a door that was rolled out today has an electrical box that says "HLS" on it... neat. @NASASpaceflight"
TheSpaceEngineer @mcrs987 5:48 PM · Aug 12, 2023, "This is what we currently believe the interior of the Ship 22 crew cabin article looks like. -lol in the time it took to make this infographic it has now been confirmed to be HLS related"
#To repeat, new pinned thread:
As @clothes on lemmy.world pointed out: for some reason, via lemmy.world, this 46B thread is still pinned and there's no sign of 47.
Not a lot reported today. Cute picture from RGV Aerial Photography @RGVaerialphotos 12:37 PM - Aug 1, 2023. "Highway to Mars"!
The Hot Stage Load Head was lifted off by a crane, and later put back on. Xitter video of the removal here: VixXi @VickiCocks15 4:20 PM - Jul 31, 2023.
I believe that international treaties require that each orbiting object be marked with the responsible nation, and that that nation has jurisdiction over it. I don't know how the International Space Station is handled. I could probably quickly search for it, but I shouldn't be spending time on this at the moment anyway (working hours).
There's a new (lord I hate the new name) thread from The Ringwatchers @Ringwatchers about the Hot Stage Load Head et al. Someone did an unroll and it's here. I haven't time at the moment to go over it in detail. It looks like two ring sections will be above and below, and they will be reinforced because they are irrelevant to the hot stage sieve. The Hot Stage Load Head has been reinforced in several ways; there are pictures. The assembly will go into the can crusher.
I can only speculate on reasons. Cameras would add mass and energy consumption, and they're already launching a lot fewer satellites per launch as it is. I suspect that good imaging requires a lot of specialist knowledge and experience, like how to build lenses and sensors, and what frequencies of light to look at (visible? infrared? radar?), and how to do destriping and other image cleanup. There are already other companies with satellites in low orbits with frequent imaging and sales channels to customers, so I don't think SpaceX would have that much of competitive edge (except having more satellites). Some Earth imaging is provided by governments for free, says Wikipedia's Satellite imagery, including Landsat, MODIS, and ASTER for the U.S. alone. There are lots of private providers with high resolution, like down to 41 cm, so they probably have big imaging systems on their satellites.
Jack Beyer @thejackbeyer with NASA SpaceFlight on The Bad Place posted an image with << Looks like we have a hot staging test article on our hands! Label reads "B-11 FWD RETAIN / HOT STAGE LOAD HEAD". @NASASpaceflight >>
I wasn't sure whether to put this at top level or in here. At the moment it's unclear what the impact might be, so I'll squirrel it away in here.
"SpaceX hasn't obtained environmental permits for 'flame deflector' system it's testing in Texas"
But they don't provide evidence that the bidet's output is a regulated chemical, whether "industrial process water" or "stormwater".
In an email to CNBC, a spokesperson for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the state's environmental regulator, confirmed that as of July 28, SpaceX had not applied for what is called a Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) permit at its Starbase facility. The regulator said the SpaceX site has previously attained three stormwater permit authorizations....
The representative for TCEQ told CNBC that the regulator "recommends applications be submitted at least 330 days before the proposed construction of a wastewater treatment facility." Stormwater permits take far less time to process.
The people quoted are that spokesperson, but also ESGHound, who is notorious for anti-SpaceX hit pieces, and the lead counsel for the recent environmental lawsuit against the FAA.
Bigger deluge test. WARNING: LOUD!
NASASpaceflight: SpaceX Starship Full-Pressure Deluge Test (YouTube). That has &t=2425s in there to start just before the test. That's video timestamp 40:25, wall clock at upper left 1:09:50. (Tweet)
RGV Aerial Photography (but at ground level) (YouTube). I like this because it's 3 different views, some zoomed in, some distant. (Tweet)
Andrew C - Rocket Future @TheRocketFuture tweet. A lot like the first. I tried to attach the video but Lemmy wouldn't take it.
SpaceX tweeted a couple of things. Picture from ground level and close: Full-pressure test of Starship flame deflector (Twitter). Video, up a bit, just outside the legs, slow motion (Twitter). You can see right down the bidet's butthole. This is the clearest shot showing that the intent is not to spray cold water on hot metal, but that it all looks angled to the sides.
(((Geoff))) @DeffGeff (Twitter) sped up the video to normal speed.
Video posted by He Who Musk Not Be Named, up and further away.
Marcus House @MarcusHouse 7:02 PM - Jul 28, 2023 (tweet) noted about the SpaceX image, "If you look closely, you can see that much of the water is shooting out in the exact pattern needed for the 33 engines. It is a real thing of beauty."
Oh, and Zack Golden @CSI_Starbase tweeted 1:26 PM CDT - Jul 28, 2023,
Wow! This full pressure test of the flame diverter system was pretty incredible! Crazy there is still an additional water tank missing from this.
I can't wait to see this during the first Static Fire test. Would not be surprised to see that as early as next week!
Tiny little jokette.
SpaceTwitter 5:02 PM - Jul 27, 2023:
After initial activation, a full-pressure test of the new Starship flame deflector is planned for Friday
With it is a great picture, taken from a height, of the recent test.
"No Starship launch soon, FAA says, as investigations — including SpaceX's own — are still incomplete", bylined Eric Killelea, Staff Writer for the San Antonio Express-News.
The FAA, which is overseeing an investigation into the April 20 launch, said Wednesday it was still awaiting the report it needs to identify corrective actions SpaceX must take to get the OK to launch again from Boca Chica.
An FAA spokesperson declined to speculate when the agency’s investigation might be completed, saying that “public safety and actions yet to be taken by SpaceX will dictate the timeline.”
“The FAA will not allow a return to flight operations until it determines that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety or any other aspect of the operator’s license,” the spokesperson said. “The mishap investigation is ongoing.”
Speculation in The Other Place is that the FAA is not worried about the rock tornado, but likely most worried about the Flight Termination System (specifically the long time lag between firing and actual destruction), and the steering failing.
The article also mentioned about the environmental lawsuit, but it has no new information on that.
Goodnight, sweet prince SN15. LabPadre videoed it being taken apart in a twxt here.
YouTube: Starship | SN15 | Flight Test Recap
o7
More stuff relating to the hot staging system.
TheSpaceEngineer @mcrs987 provided a tweet Xpulsion:
Quick rendition of this new ring, it evidently has less material but has more space that could be used to incorporate stringers with the forward section of the booster
they could also do internal stringers and ribs inside the ring, similar to the ship aft skirt
They also provided an Xuding. I gather that the piece had been marked that:
so...that 'B12 Hot Stage Load Head' piece came back out of tent 2
THATS A LOT OF STRINGERS
Someone asked, "why are they different from the stringers above? did they put stringers on stringers?". TheSpaceEngineer replied, "yes", with a zoom in on the middle, where they really did put larger stringers on top of existing stringers.
Abhi Tripathi @SpaceAbhi 6:32 PM · Aug 16, 2023:
in describing sending the FAA the report on August 16 and immediately getting a Notice to Mariners for August 31.