Re:SpaceX's next Starship flight could test refueling tech
by pixl97 on Tuesday December 12, 2023 @02:18PM
(#38616946)
It exploded after flipping around 180 degrees.
A few people have slosh modeled the booster flip around duplicating observed speeds and accelerations and surmise the following. The flip around was too rapid causing slosh to one size of the booster. In addition there was negative acceleration that would have allowed the remaining fuel to experience zero gees pulling it away from the bottom of the rocket. When the engines fired back up it would have hit the bottom of the rocket with something between 20 and 100 tons of force. Based on SpaceX description, the FTS was not used.
The second stage at least appears to be oxygen leakage. The graphs shown on flight day started showing a more rapid depletion of oxygen after second stage lighting. SpaceXs language was something like 'flight was unable to reach orbital insertion and was terminated, pointing to the FTS being used.
A few people have slosh modeled the booster flip around duplicating observed speeds and accelerations and surmise the following. The flip around was too rapid causing slosh to one size of the booster. In addition there was negative acceleration that would have allowed the remaining fuel to experience zero gees pulling it away from the bottom of the rocket. When the engines fired back up it would have hit the bottom of the rocket with something between 20 and 100 tons of force. Based on SpaceX description, the FTS was not used.
The second stage at least appears to be oxygen leakage. The graphs shown on flight day started showing a more rapid depletion of oxygen after second stage lighting. SpaceXs language was something like 'flight was unable to reach orbital insertion and was terminated, pointing to the FTS being used.