Re:Was Starship’s Stage Zero a Bad Pad?
by Dylan16807 on Wednesday July 05, 2023 @05:22AM
(#36597842)
> Oceangate also started with unmanned test dives before they declared their submersible to be safe for humans.
They were reusing a material that is not safe to reuse that way. If they were only testing the design, it's unlikely anyone would be dead.
Material selection is part of the design.
Re:Was Starship’s Stage Zero a Bad Pad?
by Dylan16807 on Wednesday July 05, 2023 @05:51AM
(#36598084)
Selection and use.
Either "reusable carbon fiber" is the design, and you need to test what it takes to break that.
Or "single use carbon fiber" is the design, and you need a new hull each trip.
They did neither.
They didn't stress test the reusability before putting people on board, and that's both one of their biggest mistakes and one of their biggest differences from SpaceX.
Oceangate also started with unmanned test dives before they declared their submersible to be safe for humans.
It's not directly comparable. Oceangate didn't do that many test dives and never tested their sub to destruction, and SpaceX is working with several government agencies on certifying Starship (both Nasa and FAA). But there are parallels in attitudes that should be drawn and compensated for.