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SpaceX Discussion Thread


Skylon

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21 hours ago, mikegarrison said:

You are counting your chickens before the eggs are even laid, IMO. There has only once ever been a case where a LES was actually used. And yet, by blithely referring to "R3*R1" you are really saying, "it's OK if the rocket blows up under them, because the LES will save them". That's pretty sketchy as a safety philosophy, IMO.

Another aspect to notice is that NASA's safety philosophy is largely PR based.  You put the astronauts in last because to avoid having the rocket explode on you while they are sitting on top, if it blows up during fueling (regardless of how many techs are killed) it isn't such a big deal.  While this made all kinds of sense when launching rockets was a cold war PR stunt, I'm not sure it is what we should be using.  Space X insists on fueling the rocket *after* everyone but the astronauts are in a bunker.

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35 minutes ago, wumpus said:

Another aspect to notice is that NASA's safety philosophy is largely PR based.  You put the astronauts in last because to avoid having the rocket explode on you while they are sitting on top, if it blows up during fueling (regardless of how many techs are killed) it isn't such a big deal.  While this made all kinds of sense when launching rockets was a cold war PR stunt, I'm not sure it is what we should be using.  Space X insists on fueling the rocket *after* everyone but the astronauts are in a bunker.

This isn't the gas station. There aren't any techs standing there holding the filling nozzle as the tanks are being filled.

"No one was injured":

 

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4 minutes ago, mikegarrison said:

This isn't the gas station. There aren't any techs standing there holding the filling nozzle as the tanks are being filled.

"No one was injured":

 

5 hours ago, sevenperforce said:

Not while people were actively getting on board. But there have been numerous instances of rockets blowing up while fully fueled, on the pad. Numerous ground support injuries and fatalities as well. Damascus Titan, Soyuz 7K-OK No.1, Soyuz T-10a, Atlas Agena, the Brazilian VLS-3, Nedelin...there are quite a few.  

More people have been killed by fully-fueled rockets on the pad than have been killed in actual launch failures. 

Granted, these were all fairly nascent launch programs. But the precedent is there.

Just because they aren't holding the nozzle, doesn't mean they aren't there.  At least all the film of astronauts boarding a space ship, the ground isn't *completely* empty of people (the rocket will go up soon, so they have to leave.  But for Apollo missions they might have an hour).

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