Comments on: Methane tank leak caused Starship #11 failure https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/ Thu, 08 Apr 2021 04:57:44 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Jeff Wright https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122806 Thu, 08 Apr 2021 04:57:44 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122806 I think having the landing legs plunger out more propellant would allow harder thrust the harder you land.
The piston effect would even everything out, no?

]]> By: Trent Castanaveras https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122731 Wed, 07 Apr 2021 22:04:33 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122731 Indeed Bob, I remember! You’re always on top of the latest and greatest.

A side note: I thought I read somewhere that the oil rig platforms were eventually going to use Sabatier to collect methane from CO2 in the air, but I can’t seem to find the specific quote. It was heralded as working towards a carbon neutral stance.

In any case, you can bet SpaceX will do whatever is fastest and cheapest to get the ball rolling, maybe including using a functional oil rig for mining methane/natural gas from the earth.

]]> By: Robert Zimmerman https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122724 Wed, 07 Apr 2021 21:43:18 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122724 In reply to Trent Castanaveras.

Trent: Just to keep the record straight, this story is from January, which I posted then on BtB immediately. See:

SpaceX buys two floating oil rigs for Starship/Super Heavy

]]> By: Trent Castanaveras https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122721 Wed, 07 Apr 2021 21:27:38 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122721 As usual, the forward minded and brilliant engineers at SpaceX have already thought of the oil rig concept. :)

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/01/spacex-rigs-starship-spaceports/

]]> By: Jeff Wright https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122588 Wed, 07 Apr 2021 07:06:20 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122588 I wish they would launch from Mobile. Do a wiki search of Calvert Alabama for why. An oil derrick might get Methane from the Gulf itself. Zubrin had ideas about flare gas. Now-could Starship land on a pad that is awash for fire mitigation-maybe with intumescent paint like oil rigs use. With Deepwater Horizon-he could harvest carbon below.

]]> By: wayne https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122442 Tue, 06 Apr 2021 14:34:28 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122442 Col Beausabre-
Most excellent!

Cotour-
OK, I did not understand they were filled with water. (ingenious!)

Blair-

According to Chuck Schumer, “…..the intelligence community, they has 6 ways from Sunday of getting back at you”
https://youtu.be/6OYyXv2l4-I?t=47

]]> By: Cotour https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122434 Tue, 06 Apr 2021 13:52:13 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122434 Col Beausabre:

Sounds like you were there.

“Hydro forming”.

For anyone who might not understand what went on in that video, the roughly shaped welded sheet metal spheres were filled with water and a measured explosive was set off within them and the shock wave through the water perfectly set the metal in its new form.

]]> By: Skunk Bucket https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122432 Tue, 06 Apr 2021 13:41:50 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122432 @ bkivey

After five seconds of actual research, I believe you’re correct. I’ve been saying it wrong for half a century. Sigh.

]]> By: bkivey https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122420 Tue, 06 Apr 2021 12:13:18 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122420 @ Skunk Bucket:

I believe Musk has the right of it, as while there are apparently many ways to Sunday, ‘six’ is the number I have heard most commonly. Have used the expression myself, sometimes.

]]> By: Col Beausabre https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122397 Tue, 06 Apr 2021 11:11:59 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122397 Cotour

Place – The demolition Range, Ft Knox ,KY

Time – Late 1974

Setting the Scene – Army and Marine Second Lieutenants are attending the Armor Officer Basic Course

Chief Demolitions Instructor (A grizzled Engineer Master Sergeant, the veteran of several tours in Vietnam) )

“Gentlemen, mankind faces few problems that can not be solved by the judicious application of high explosives”

]]> By: Skunk Bucket https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122359 Tue, 06 Apr 2021 04:45:16 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122359 I thought the saying was “nine ways to Sunday.”

]]> By: mivenho https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122350 Tue, 06 Apr 2021 03:22:57 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122350 I thought the methane came from a leak in the #2 engine, not directly from the fuel tank.

]]> By: wayne https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122325 Tue, 06 Apr 2021 01:12:07 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122325 jeff-
not to worry, all the youtube links are in that format.

Cotour–
interesting video!

The ‘RaLa’ Experiment: Key to the Atomic Bomb
https://youtu.be/dgBDvnqMkT4
10:02

]]> By: Steve Richter https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122320 Tue, 06 Apr 2021 00:25:17 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122320 How does Starship store its fuel as it travels to Mars? How does the liquid methane propellent stay liquid while the ship is exposed to sunlight?

]]> By: jeff https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122280 Mon, 05 Apr 2021 21:42:51 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122280 Cotour NOT spam. My mistake, link should be OK. Youtu.be is URL owned by Youtube.com . Before original post, I tried to duplicate the address format and could not; guessed spam, did not click on. Sorry.

]]> By: jeff https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122276 Mon, 05 Apr 2021 21:19:43 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122276 Cotour is spam, not Youtube.

]]> By: Cotour https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122270 Mon, 05 Apr 2021 20:59:41 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122270 Since the subject is tanks, I thought this video might be interesting: https://youtu.be/96yhdnhPxAw

]]> By: V-Man https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122229 Mon, 05 Apr 2021 17:00:06 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122229 SpaceX really needs to push the Starships to orbit soon, because then they can earn their keep. It didn’t matter when the early Falcon 9s borked their landing, because they had already brought cash in. Right now the Starships are merely a R&D cost. When they start dropping stuff in orbit before testing reentry and landing, the cash flow is going to be a tidal wave even after expenses!

]]> By: Robert Zimmerman https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122228 Mon, 05 Apr 2021 16:59:34 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122228 In reply to MDN.

MDN: Though I agree with you that the first landings will likely be in the sea, not on their oil platforms, I must correct something in your comment. I was not referring to the drone ships used for Falcon 9 1st stage landings, I was referring to two actual former oil platforms that SpaceX has purchased and is refurbishing. These are a lot more substantial than the drone ships, which are as you say used and needed for Falcon 9 launches.

]]> By: MDN https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122227 Mon, 05 Apr 2021 16:50:24 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122227 I wouldn’t be surprised if the first landing “attempts” are simply into the sea filming the attempts to flip and land softly, much as they did early in the Falcon 9 program. Given the accuracy of decent demonstrated so far and residual energies involved it would seem pretty risky to the barge platforms to try and use them before the schema is fully worked out, and they only have two which also support commercial Falcon 9 flight ops. But they have plenty of SN prototypes lined up to go and obviously aren’t planning on reusabilty anytime soon.

I’d also like to observe that the starship program to date really seems to validate the low cost and mass producability intentions SpaceX has for the Raptor engine as they have been running through a lot of them (and I might add accumulating lots of operating time with them). Given the leap in technology and performance of this engine I think this is the unheralded news of the program so far, and likely what really scares SpaceX’ competitors the most as this is the real game changer imho.

]]> By: Ray Van Dune https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/methane-tank-leak-caused-starship-11-failure/#comment-1122226 Mon, 05 Apr 2021 16:39:40 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=74584#comment-1122226 I am not an explosives expert, but the sharp “crack” I heard on BocaChicaGal’s audio sounded little like the methane explosions we have seen before, and a lot like what I imagine a block of C4 would sound like! Were the C4 charges recovered?

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