Vanamonde Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 Discuss! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatastrophicFailure Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 First! no seriously, this whole mess was just an elaborate plot hatched by Jeff Bezos after Amazon once again posted higher than expected profits. "Hello, Mr. Accountant? I'd like to sell another billion $ in stock to fund my space program..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevenperforce Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 And here...we...go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 From ~30 minutes on it's BO stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryten Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 [Layman translation; an integrated set of preburners and turbines exploded] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 http://spacenews.com/blue-origin-suffers-be-4-testing-mishap/ Not much more information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatastrophicFailure Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 Looks like they needed MOAR struts. Or possibly MOAR boosters. One of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrandedonEarth Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 1 hour ago, CatastrophicFailure said: Looks like they needed MOAR struts. Or possibly MOAR boosters. One of those. Or moar duct space tape Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/05/blue-origin-has-an-accident-on-its-rocket-engine-test-stand/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwind Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 Yeah, that's the thing with staged combustion - as the Soviets discovered ages ago It can work just fine, but it takes more effort to get right than open cycle gas generators, and failures are usually more spectacular. I assume that, since they're testing full scale components right now, that they already successfully tested subscale components many times before. So this will probably mandate a slight tweak, and not a complete redesign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnemoe Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 1 hour ago, Streetwind said: Yeah, that's the thing with staged combustion - as the Soviets discovered ages ago It can work just fine, but it takes more effort to get right than open cycle gas generators, and failures are usually more spectacular. I assume that, since they're testing full scale components right now, that they already successfully tested subscale components many times before. So this will probably mandate a slight tweak, and not a complete redesign. Probably, this is full scale testing and much of the purpose is to break it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted June 7, 2017 Share Posted June 7, 2017 http://www.investors.com/news/air-force-moving-forward-after-setback-in-plans-end-russian-rocket-engine-use/ Odd that this is a "setback" that requires much thought... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 Bezos playing the game (well): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatastrophicFailure Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 Oh good, they must have found that power pack they lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEpicSquared Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 8 minutes ago, CatastrophicFailure said: Oh good, they must have found that power pack they lost. Behind the couch? Oh what's this, you're out of likes? What a surprise... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatastrophicFailure Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 15 minutes ago, TheEpicSquared said: Behind the couch? Oh what's this, you're out of likes? What a surprise... The gift that keeps on not-giving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 The image is of their Kent facility, clearly, as they have announced they WILL build in AL, not that they are already building there (it's kind of hard to hide a rocket factory with 350 employees). The 3 BE4 engines pictured left Kent a while ago for TX, where they all are right now. To be clear, this move has political benefit (that's not outside of forum rules to acknowledge, as long as we don't dive down the rabbit hole) both nationally in Congress, I'll leave the why as an excise for the reader, and within NASA, because of Marshall SFC. It also works well with ULA using BE4 for Vulcan, since it's a short trip to their plant, and close enough to FL for BO's NG facility. All around a smart decision on BO's part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Phil Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 3 hours ago, tater said: Bezos playing the game (well): It is Rocket City, after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnemoe Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 5 hours ago, tater said: Bezos playing the game (well): Why the color / steel finish difference? Front has an huge flange halfway down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatastrophicFailure Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 24 minutes ago, magnemoe said: Why the color / steel finish difference? Front has an huge flange halfway down The darker looking metal has not been machined, yet. Looks like there's a weld joint about halfway down the bell, that's why the ring of shiny on the second engine. Maybe the flange is some sort of strengthener? Looks like engines at 3 different points in production. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 (edited) Yeah, maybe it's a jig, look at the wall behind. Edited June 26, 2017 by tater Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wumpus Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 5 hours ago, tater said: The image is of their Kent facility, clearly, as they have announced they WILL build in AL, not that they are already building there (it's kind of hard to hide a rocket factory with 350 employees). The 3 BE4 engines pictured left Kent a while ago for TX, where they all are right now. To be clear, this move has political benefit (that's not outside of forum rules to acknowledge, as long as we don't dive down the rabbit hole) both nationally in Congress, I'll leave the why as an excise for the reader, and within NASA, because of Marshall SFC. It also works well with ULA using BE4 for Vulcan, since it's a short trip to their plant, and close enough to FL for BO's NG facility. All around a smart decision on BO's part. I like to claim that BO is the only space program that is free of politics, but even that isn't quite true. Still Bezos's independence from congress and NASA is impressive. Having spare billions will do that (I remember John Carmack saying he had budgeted a portion of his "mad money" for space. It was a *lot* of money, but it really wasn't enough to go far in space). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryten Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 http://hsvchamber.org/rocketcity/ Quote The new facility will be in Cummings Research Park, the nation’s second-largest research park, and construction can begin once an engine production contract with United Launch Alliance is awarded. So construction hasn't actually started yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikegarrison Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 4 hours ago, CatastrophicFailure said: The darker looking metal has not been machined, yet. Looks like there's a weld joint about halfway down the bell, that's why the ring of shiny on the second engine. Maybe the flange is some sort of strengthener? Looks like engines at 3 different points in production. Yeah. It looks like those are cast parts compared to the shiny one which looks like it has been machined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnemoe Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 6 hours ago, mikegarrison said: Yeah. It looks like those are cast parts compared to the shiny one which looks like it has been machined. Assumed that too, however also assumed they would be machined before assembly, the second is not yet and still has added piped on top, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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