Re:SpaceX launch webcast: Orbcomm-2 Mission [video]
by rtkwe on Monday December 21, 2015 @11:02PM
(#10775741)
IIRC the 104% was additional performance they enabled through upgrades and design improvements beyond the original design not over-driving them.
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Re:SpaceX launch webcast: Orbcomm-2 Mission [video]
by mikeash on Tuesday December 22, 2015 @11:09AM
(#10778475)
That right. The 100% level was set at some point during the design process. Later they found ways to slightly increase the thrust. Rather than recalibrate all the numbers, they just kept using the original "100%" and called the new level "104%."
Basically, it's "104% of what the engineers circa 1975 thought the level would be," not 104% of what the hardware was rated for.