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2021-03-06 Science & Technology

A cyberpunk scene at SpaceX's launch facilities: A robot dog inspected the wreckage of a Starship rocket prototype

[BusinessInsider] SpaceX created a futuristic tableau at its Texas rocket-testing facilities on Thursday, when a robotic dog wandered the wreckage of the company's latest Starship prototype.

SpaceX launched the rocket prototype, called Starship serial No. 10, or SN10, on Wednesday. Like the two prototypes before it, SN10 climbed to nearly 33,000 feet above the company's facilities in the town of Boca Chica. Then it shut off its engines and plummeted to Earth in a belly-flop position, controlling its fall with four wing flaps.

Unlike its predecessors, which slammed into the ground and exploded immediately, SN10 successfully refired its engines to flip itself upright and touch down softly on the ground. But then it exploded spectacularly 10 minutes later.

With the air cleared and the roads reopened, photographers and SpaceX fans flocked to the company's facilities on Thursday morning to watch the cleanup from a distance. That's when they spotted a fascinating four-legged robot wandering the wreckage.

Posted by Beavis 2021-03-06 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11128 views ] Top

#1 Appropriate use for the robodog. Go into hazardous areas with a camera, mic, and a chem sniffer.

Hearing the problem was two-fold: 1. The 3 of the 6 temporary jury-rig landing gear failed to lock down and fully deploy, causing it to impact the body rather than crumple the gear as designed 2. It bounced on landing, indicating they were having throttling issues. This is known to be an issue with the Raptor engine design: it is a full-cycle engine and does not throttle down well at the low end; it tends to flame out instead, causing it to need to be relit, which can cause a thrust bump.

Plenty of work left to be done, but they did manage to at least temporarily (10 minutes) land it upright, so that is progress. SN11 the last of the initial prototypes is ready to roll out as soon as the pad is cleared, and SN15 the first of the new design prototypes will be ready next week apparently.

SN12, 13, and 14 were all the older model prototypes and summarily scrapped in various stages of assembly.

Posted by These Forkbeard7574 2021-03-06 00:51|| 2021-03-06 00:51|| Front Page Top

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