Model Railway Forum

When you see rockets being built they are in huge dust free buildings with workers wearing protective clothing much like an operating theatre.
These things are built in a shed, the parts for the boosters are sat outside on pallets and moved about with a JCB. Bit of a joke really.

Apparently, according to the BBC, it was never anticipated that the full flight plan would be achieved. The fact that the launch pad was cleared and undamaged seems to have been a key objective. Unclear who/what triggered the flight termination protocol but simply put a computer or individual blew it up. The fact that 6 of the 32 engines did not work as anticipated probably didn’t help. Expensive learning. R -

All learning is achieved via failure. For a brand new project I thought it did remarkably well getting as far as it did, especially with a fifth of it's engines failing.

It’s not the first time it has been launched just the first time both bits together have done so. There have been several spectacular disasters and one or two amazing flights.

Walkingthedog wrote: ↑Fri Apr 21, 2023 9:13 am It’s not the first time it has been launched just the first time both bits together have done so. There have been several spectacular disasters and one or two amazing flights.

I am aware of that Brian, and that's why it's still a new project that is going through it's various test stages.

Still can’t say I am impressed with the operation. A spectacular beast but I can’t see it lasting. The grabbing it with arms as it returns to the launch pad will be quite something if and when it happens. Certainly some very clever people involved.

It gets worse. It seems Elon overrode the engineers and cancelled the flame diverters on the Starship launchpad several years ago. That decision which he admitted at the time “might be a mistake” coupled with the vehicle being held down for a few seconds [more than planned?] and a power slide just prior to lift off seemed to have doomed the flight before it got started. Money it seems overrode qualification and experience. R-

Roger I am glad I’m not an astronaut due to fly on it.

Not for all the Gin in Dorset Brian. R-

I can really see you mean that Roger.