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e-FTW
New electron smell
And I go back to that Space Establishment Contractor boardroom in my Mind’s Eye: “Did you see that? The wind blew it over! Whay did you expect? They were building this outside on a dirt lot! Haha! With a water tank company! LOL”
Meanwhile, someone at the edge of the table responds to job offers...
Meanwhile, someone at the edge of the table responds to job offers...
boonedocks
MS LR Blk/Blk 19”
That entire video sounds like it was shot in a wind storm. Is I always that windy there? If so seems like an odd place to be doing first time hopper tests on that behemoth
Nikxice
Active Member
Boca Chica certainly does get some serious sustained winds. Quick check shows a year round wind speed of about 12mph. (Maybe prod SpaceX into a little wind turbine energy?) At least that scaffolding looks secure enough for the workers. Pertaining to workers, imagine water tank builder to rocket ship assembler. Now that's a pretty cool job transition. Likely a plus for any kid whose parent shows up at school for career day. An interesting nature shot at the end of that video. Looks as though there's plenty of wildlife around the area to keep the coyote looking so healthy.
Nikxice
Active Member
To quote Arte Johnson, veery interesting. That info looks legit. It's refreshing to know we can always rely on the internet to find accurate information.
Climate & Weather Averages in Brownsville, Texas, USA
Annual Weather Averages Near Brownsville
Averages are for Brownsville / South Padre Island International Airport, which is 4 miles from Brownsville.
Based on weather reports collected during 1985–2015.
Quick Climate Info
Hottest Month August (86 °F avg)
Coldest Month January (62 °F avg)
Wettest Month September (2.59" avg)
Windiest Month May (12 mph avg)
Annual Rainfall 8.07" (per year)
From another site.
Average Weather in Brownsville, Texas, United States, Year Round - Weather Spark
Do we have any amateur climatologists out there who can figure out this wind discrepancy?
Or they just put in a stand pipe and won't draw off the bottom...
But yeah, a couple people with pressure washers will have it clean in no time, it's just stainless steel after all...
Is that the oxygen tank or methane tank? Oxygen tanks require specialized cleaning processes. Even very minor contamination can be disasterous. It’s still not rocket science (cough!
) but it’s not just two guys with pressure washers.Good point, can O2 tanks be purged by slowy adding oxygen to react with whatever is there? (Two people with not a flamethrowers?)Is that the oxygen tank or methane tank? Oxygen tanks require specialized cleaning processes. Even very minor contamination can be disasterous. It’s still not rocket science (cough!
Maybe that tube was the pass through from the upper tank to the lower...
e-FTW
New electron smell
Another good analysis of the progress around Starhopper: SpaceX's Starship prototype is looking increasingly rocket-like as hop test pad expands — Teslarati
But he does not mention Toolbox 261...
But he does not mention Toolbox 261...
Not to my knowledge. The problem with O2 is that it will react unpredictably and explosively with any sort of combustible material that contaminates the vessel interior. And it's amazing what can be combustible. Steel filings will burn in the presence of pure O2. Lots of people have died in industrial plants due to oxygen line contamination explosions. And so there are very strict processes for working on and cleaning oxygen lines and oxygen vessels.
Thanks for posting a link to that new video. I wonder how SpaceX is going to move the Starhopper from the construction site to its launch pad?
So is the square concrete pad at the top center of this image the Starhopper launch pad? I don’t see a flame trench. Maybe with just three engines in a relatively lightweight test vehicle a trench is not needed? The large earth berm between that pad and the array of fuel tanks on the right (just outside the area of this screen capture) suggests that is a launch pad.
And what is this area that is under construction? The beginnings of the Starship launch pad area? But it’s so close to the road and the amount of earth that has been built up appears to be far smaller than the area shown in the above image.
Perhaps once the Starhopper tests are completed, the Starhopper pad is going to be converted into the Starship launch pad?
So is the square concrete pad at the top center of this image the Starhopper launch pad? I don’t see a flame trench. Maybe with just three engines in a relatively lightweight test vehicle a trench is not needed? The large earth berm between that pad and the array of fuel tanks on the right (just outside the area of this screen capture) suggests that is a launch pad.
And what is this area that is under construction? The beginnings of the Starship launch pad area? But it’s so close to the road and the amount of earth that has been built up appears to be far smaller than the area shown in the above image.
Perhaps once the Starhopper tests are completed, the Starhopper pad is going to be converted into the Starship launch pad?
Heavy crawer crane and/or crane/jacks plus sled?
Few thoughts:
It is a launch and landing pad, the less things to fall into the better.
The Sharship stage will be landing on unimproved surfaces, so a lack of flame trench is more real world.
With design intent engines, they'll need enough mass to match the throttling range of the Raptor.
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