braddock - 20/12/2005 5:33 AMImagine the horrified faces in control if the tank deformation was severe enough to be visible on the video...I can't think how else they would have identified a "structural issue"...does anyone with more experience know if they would have seen other indications first?Would they be likely to have strain sensors installed?If they had seen vaccuum on a pressure sensor in the tank I would think they could have stopped the pumps in time? Seems to me that current to the pump would be out of spec too as it started straining? Are these things normally instrumented and monitored?REMINDER: We'll be sending some reader submitted questions to SpaceX's VP of Development Ops to answer via e-mail. Ask your questions at: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1051&start=1
Launch Fan - 20/12/2005 11:59 AMQuotebraddock - 20/12/2005 5:33 AMImagine the horrified faces in control if the tank deformation was severe enough to be visible on the video...I can't think how else they would have identified a "structural issue"...does anyone with more experience know if they would have seen other indications first?Would they be likely to have strain sensors installed?Wow, they could see it mis-shaping on their monitors?? Could it have blown up if it had gone too far?
braddock - 20/12/2005 5:33 AMImagine the horrified faces in control if the tank deformation was severe enough to be visible on the video...I can't think how else they would have identified a "structural issue"...does anyone with more experience know if they would have seen other indications first?Would they be likely to have strain sensors installed?
publiusr - 21/12/2005 3:15 PMMusk would not have had the Lox problem. Rumor has it that Musk ignored a plea from MSFC's Sackheim to have better Lox infrastructure. I would have liked to have seen Musk build the big AJ-260 solid in Korea. It would have been a "widebody Stick" and the upper stage could be liquid--and look less like a German Hand Grenade. I understand Atlas V might have some tankage problems as well--at least in tests--according to Florida Today.
braddock - 20/12/2005 12:30 PMQuoteLaunch Fan - 20/12/2005 11:59 AMQuotebraddock - 20/12/2005 5:33 AMImagine the horrified faces in control if the tank deformation was severe enough to be visible on the video...I can't think how else they would have identified a "structural issue"...does anyone with more experience know if they would have seen other indications first?Would they be likely to have strain sensors installed?Wow, they could see it mis-shaping on their monitors?? Could it have blown up if it had gone too far?No no, to be clear, I don't KNOW that they could see the deformation. Note the "if" in there. I was wondering if they could, or if they had other indications of the problem. I was wondering if anyone more experienced could shed some light on how they could tell they had "structural issues".
braddock - 21/12/2005 5:44 PMQuotepubliusr - 21/12/2005 3:15 PMMusk would not have had the Lox problem. Rumor has it that Musk ignored a plea from MSFC's Sackheim to have better Lox infrastructure. I would have liked to have seen Musk build the big AJ-260 solid in Korea. It would have been a "widebody Stick" and the upper stage could be liquid--and look less like a German Hand Grenade. I understand Atlas V might have some tankage problems as well--at least in tests--according to Florida Today.What is the connection between the AJ-260, Korea, and SpaceX? I can't find anything, although the AJ-260 program is fascinating. I always wonder how many of the NASA program decisions are due to geo-politics. We truck and fly the shuttle parts all over the country...that sure can't help the schedules or costs. A monolithic AJ-260 program sounds fantastic, but it only wins a vote from the gentlemen from Florida.