This reminds me a bit of when Oregon State DoT tried to remove a whale carcass with dynamite.

Yup - it was a camera platform.

At that launch site, Space X does not does not have a water acoustic trap or absorber like the Saturn 5 used. They also don’t have a flame trench, or so I have been told.

The space shuttle launches used to use an acoustic water trap (deluge) too.

Meanwhile, back at Rocket HQ…


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....07669f90e.jpeg

“Nasa tests out the water deluge system for its new Space Launch System (SLS). The Ignition Overpressure Protection and Sound Suppression (IOP/SS) system releases two million litres (450,000 gallons) during take-off to dampen the huge shockwaves and heat of a rocket launch. It has been in place since the Space Shuttle but has been upgraded for the SLS“

Elon Musk does not use it.

This is pretty good take on the test:

Congratulations SpaceX – The Laughing Wolf

Most of the early Falcon flights didn't land successfully - but they kept testing and figured it out. Now it's routine.
I have little doubt they'll figure this out as well.

Actually there is a deluge system around the launch mount. Also, in previous tests, debris from the pad has found it's way into the engine bay and damaged components.

Comrade Korolev couldn't make that many engines work in synchronicity either.
Personally - out of interest, test drove a Model 3 - very impressive performance, but still too expensive, and I don't need all that extra electronic frippery.
But there's no way you'd get me anywhere near any of his aerospace ventures as a passenger.
Absolutely knew that thing was going to blow up.
Crikey, it was even tilting and then gimballing to correct as it cleared the launch tower!

(my bold) errr... ;)

Were they even watching the footage, and if so did they know anything at all about rocketry? They seemed totally oblivious to the first flip, and when it went for its second they started talking about a "flip for stage separation".

I'm actually quite impressed at how robust the system was. Clearly experiencing multiple issues from an early stage with engines out, exhaust plumes that showed something other than fuel being burned, and exhaust plumes in strange directions, but the guidance system kept it pointing in the right direction for a long time regardless. Even when that couldn't cope, it managed 2 full loops without falling apart. That will have given them a lot more data, and stress-tested a lot more systems, than if someone had triggered the FTS as soon as things were obviously going wrong.

Will be very interested to see whether there were multiple independent failures or a single root cause (and if the latter, whether flying concrete was a major factor).

Seems to be a lot of spin going on!

It's obvious that they need to start building a flame trench, or the next launch will build it for them.

Well done Space X, a remarkable effort.

That could be a solution. Just launch five more and then point down: "See, it was there all along!"

There is a few seconds lag in the stream, compounded by the response time. I had a few streams up at the time and none were in sync.
Absolutely, most rockets disintegrate as soon as they get even a few degrees off plan. It looked like it was doing barrel rolls at one point. 😁
​​​​​​​I've seen one still from a video taken from the tower, it showed all engines running initially, other footage shows at least five engines down as it cleared the tower and then another four or five failures during ascent. Apparently one of the hydraulic power units let go big style too, causing slow directional control, which should be overcome on the next booster as they have changed to an electrical gimballing system.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....4658ed026.jpeg

Lots of changes in the pipeline. Booster 9, for example, also has armour around each raptor isolating them for their neighbours plus most are improved Raptor 2s. It also has a redesigned thrust puck for 13 inner engines instead of 9.

Where some of those chunks of concrete came from:

​​​​​​​

And where they went….

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/21/u...ust-texas.html

SpaceX’s Starship Kicked Up a Dust Cloud, Leaving Texans With a Mess

Residents of Port Isabel said that their city was covered in grime following SpaceX’s rocket launch on Thursday. The city said there was no “immediate concern for people’s health.”

Hole under the OLM (launch mount)

👀👀👀👀


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f8a44cf12.jpeg

They might need a new launch pad. Exactly what they had not wanted to happen. On a positive note this means more time to get the rocket right.

Maybe they should have considered that beforehand. Even their Falcon launches have flame trenches and water suppression systems.