SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday explained the rocket touched down at too high a speed.
“SN10 engine was low on thrust due (probably) to partial helium ingestion from fuel header tank. Impact of [22 miles per hour] crushed legs & part of skirt,” he tweeted.
A closer look at the landing of SN10 shows it was slightly leaning to one side before exploding.
Musk went on to explain that the helium ingestion was probably the result of a pressurization system that had been added to the methane header tank to fix a problem that occurred in a previous starship prototype, SN8.
“If autogenous pressurization had been used, CH4 bubbles would most likely have reverted to liquid,” he said. “Helium in header was used to prevent ullage collapse from slosh, which happened in prior flight. My fault for approving. Sounded good at the time.”
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So no oven-ready clockwork computer yet?
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Silicon carbide systems, I think.
Ray Bradbury would be pleased.
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Astro-NOT!
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They’re not even Chuck Yeager (but who could be?):
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Tangentially related, saw this just yesterday…
As an example, we know lots of people make replica DSKY devices. How cool would it be to interface one to Orbiter? Or build out an entire Shuttle cockpit? We wish Orbiter was cross-platform but we hear it will run under WINE.
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Bob Dole was the first person to sing “Space Oddity” while in orbit.