Lord lima bean @Lord_Lima_Bean21hReplying to @UHDDreamer and 2 othersNo, he is using them for energy storage, he is using them for a supercar to assist with brakes, turns, and speed, they are cold air thrusters.Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk Exactly. Total energy stored even in ultra compressed air is low vs battery, but power output is insane. The composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) is most advanced ever made.It’s what SpaceX is qualifying for NASA crewed missions. Extremely robust — literally bulletproof.4:00 PM - Jun 10, 2018
This may have broader implications than a faster Tesla Roadster 2 - a choice being made to use Inconel-cored COPV's for Commercial Crew. How else to interpret a "literally bulletproof" COPV?QuoteLord lima bean @Lord_Lima_Bean21hReplying to @UHDDreamer and 2 othersNo, he is using them for energy storage, he is using them for a supercar to assist with brakes, turns, and speed, they are cold air thrusters.Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk Exactly. Total energy stored even in ultra compressed air is low vs battery, but power output is insane. The composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) is most advanced ever made.It’s what SpaceX is qualifying for NASA crewed missions. Extremely robust — literally bulletproof.4:00 PM - Jun 10, 2018https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1005902575353204736?s=19
Quote from: docmordrid on 06/11/2018 03:08 pmThis may have broader implications than a faster Tesla Roadster 2 - a choice being made to use Inconel-cored COPV's for Commercial Crew. How else to interpret a "literally bulletproof" COPV?QuoteLord lima bean @Lord_Lima_Bean21hReplying to @UHDDreamer and 2 othersNo, he is using them for energy storage, he is using them for a supercar to assist with brakes, turns, and speed, they are cold air thrusters.Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk Exactly. Total energy stored even in ultra compressed air is low vs battery, but power output is insane. The composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) is most advanced ever made.It’s what SpaceX is qualifying for NASA crewed missions. Extremely robust — literally bulletproof.4:00 PM - Jun 10, 2018https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1005902575353204736?s=19Sounds to me like Elon is talking about the current COPV design, which can be made bulletproof in the same way other composites (eg Kevlar armor) can be made bulletproof.
Elon Musk ✔ @elonmuskExactly. Total energy stored even in ultra compressed air is low vs battery, but power output is insane. The composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) is most advanced ever made. It’s what SpaceX is qualifying for NASA crewed missions. Extremely robust — literally bulletproof.
QuoteElon Musk ✔ @elonmuskExactly. Total energy stored even in ultra compressed air is low vs battery, but power output is insane. The composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) is most advanced ever made. It’s what SpaceX is qualifying for NASA crewed missions. Extremely robust — literally bulletproof.https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1005902575353204736 I had always heard/read that one of the major challenges of working with COPVs was that they were very sensitive to surface damage, including even things like minor scratches and dings. Very surprised to learn that the new ones could be so resistant to damage as to not be impaired by being shot with a gun. Or maybe he's just saying that shooting one wouldn't actually penetrate it, but not claiming that it would still be usable?I assume he only knows this because it was one of the tests they ran in the AMOS-6 investigation, so they maybe tried out the new COPVs to see how they compared.
I'm pretty sure there's nothing inherently "bullet proof" about inconel. Every use case of inconel I'm aware of centers around its heat resistance. For example, it is commonly used for all, or sometimes just the first/proximal, baffles in a rifle caliber silencer because it can withstand the heat and being blasted with high velocity unburnt smokeless powder under sustained firing without failing. Something aluminum & titanium aren't really capable of, while steels like 17-4 PH are non-ideal due to eventual erosion/stresses. But it's certainly not bullet proof if a rifle projectile were to actually hit it, BHN is too low.
Quote from: deruch on 06/11/2018 11:00 pmQuoteElon Musk ✔ @elonmuskExactly. Total energy stored even in ultra compressed air is low vs battery, but power output is insane. The composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) is most advanced ever made. It’s what SpaceX is qualifying for NASA crewed missions. Extremely robust — literally bulletproof.https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1005902575353204736 I had always heard/read that one of the major challenges of working with COPVs was that they were very sensitive to surface damage, including even things like minor scratches and dings. Very surprised to learn that the new ones could be so resistant to damage as to not be impaired by being shot with a gun. Or maybe he's just saying that shooting one wouldn't actually penetrate it, but not claiming that it would still be usable?I assume he only knows this because it was one of the tests they ran in the AMOS-6 investigation, so they maybe tried out the new COPVs to see how they compared.This video at 9:52 shows a COPV being subjected to gunfire. The whole video is pretty interesting.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqH_s3YC4sE?t=9m57s
I have tried searching for this information, but can't find it (maybe on L2?).My understanding is that SpaceX need to conduct 7 Block 5 flights (with no design changes) before being allowed to launch commercial crew?I further understand that the initial flight of Block 5 didn't count because the new COPV design wasn't flown on that flight?Which mission currently plans to use a core with the new configuration? I assume each block 5 flight beyond that will fly the new tanks so there should be more than enough for this to become a limiting factor?
To better understand the propellant loading procedures, the program and SpaceX agreed to demonstrate the loading process five times from the launch site in thefinal crew configuration prior to the crewed flight test. The five eventsinclude the uncrewed flight test and the in-flight abort test. Therefore,delays to those events would lead to delays to the agreed upondemonstrations, which could in turn delay the crewed flight test andcertification milestone
Only non-Block 5 flight planned thereafter is the in-flight abort test, so all being well the 7 flight thing won't come into play as regards delaying first crew flight?