[ad_1]
The first core of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Block 5 (ie booster) made a bittersweet return aboard the drone of course I still love you after apparently being broken in half during A fall caused by the swell.
Local marine and space flight fans Julia Bergeron and Stephen Marr were the first to document the state of the SpaceX rocket when it passed through Port Canaveral. Although lighting conditions are far from optimal, the photos indicate that the center of Block 5 has undergone an almost surgical removal of anything above its kerosene propellant reservoir ( RP-1). In other words, the liquid oxygen tank (LOx) and the intermediate stage are nowhere else, while the Octaweb of the Falcon Heavy B1055, its nine Merlin 1D engines, its landing legs and its tank Mutilated RP-1 all rest safely on the OCISLY bridge.
The arrival at the port of the sectioned rear section of the B1055 is not the happiest end in the history of Falcon Heavy Flight 2, but the disappearance of the booster would apparently have no impact on SpaceX's launch manifesto. 2019. This includes Falcon Heavy Flight 3, which is expected to be launched with the two Falcon Heavy-tested side boosters by the end of June. Fortunately, SpaceX has built a brand new Falcon Heavy Center for the critical mission of the US Air Force, known as STP-2.
Probably Booster B1057, this new center should have no trouble supporting the third launch of Falcon Heavy, although SpaceX is making sure that the drone's robotic recovery robot will be compatible with Falcon Heavy this time around.
According to SpaceX GM Elon Musk, the cause of this incident is easily attributable to a combination of bad luck and the fact that Octagrabber OCISLY has not yet been equipped for the Falcon Heavy core. It's unclear what prevents Octagrabber from interfacing with custom boosters, but that probably involves the bulky mechanisms they use to transfer the thrust of both side boosters and push them back safely when separating the boosters. These mechanisms – a combination of polygons and matte black cylinders and clockwork blocks – are easily seen in the photo above.
Some minor sub-assemblies can probably be recovered from the severely damaged rear section of the B1055, but the nine Merlin 1D servomotor engines are probably the only major salvageable material. Even then, it seems that the nozzles of at least two of these 1D Merlin were damaged by the fall of the B1055.
The successful recovery of the engine section of the B1055 should always give SpaceX's recovery and refurbishment engineers their first practical post-flight analysis of the complex connection and separation mechanisms of a central core. After an extremely hot and fast re-entry, the condition of these mechanisms and the booster's Octaweb heat shield will hopefully provide valuable performance information at the edge of the Falcon survival flight envelope.
Check Teslarati newsletters for quick updates, on-the-ground perspectives and a unique insight into SpaceX rocket launch and recovery processes
[ad_2]
Source link