[PLUG-TALK] SpaceX epic fail

[Keith Lofstrom]

There is a MAJOR system design flaw in "stage zero" of the
SpaceX Starship vehicle.  Here is a FRIGHTENING video taken
by a civilian pilot flying close enough to photograph the
remains of the launch pad, a few days after the launch. 

If impatient, fast forward to 2:03 and freeze ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8q24QLXixo

The 30 engine exhaust from the first stage blasted a hole
into the concrete and the ground beneath, appearing to be
50 feet deep, crippling the support ring, and lofting 
debris into the base of the rocket itself.

I dope-slapped myself when I saw this - OF COURSE this
launch system has a fatal flaw, why didn't I see that?

Normal launch pads have a water-sprayed diverter and a
flame duct.  Given 30 high power engines, a survivable
launch pad might need a pad structure twice the
dimensions of Kennedy Space Center Pad 39 (used for 
Apollo and Shuttle), and a heck of a lot of water and
high power pumps to move it.

Then look at 4:59 ... there are 6 engines out. The
vehicle lifted with 3 engines out. Video blogger Scott
Manley thinks the engines were destroyed by chunks of
flying concrete, and points out that you can see Big
Chunks above the exhaust cloud as the vehicle lifts.

This may take years to fix.  Manley suggests that 
something similar will happen if/when the upper stage
Starship lands on the Moon or Mars - if the rocket
engines can shred and loft reinforced concrete, what
will they do to loose lunar or martian regolith?

Musk has a many brilliant people working for him. 
SpaceX will redesign the rocket and the pad,
but they cannot redesign the Moon and Mars.

Keith

P.S.:  I wangled press passes for the first STS-1 space
shuttle launch in April 1981.  I visited Pad 39 on a
press tour the night before the first launch attempt. 
I got a close-up look at those enormous flame ducts. 

The first launch was scrubbed; a software synchronization
problem.  Launch was delayed two days to fix the code
(AMAZING feat of high speed hacking and code test). 

I watched the delayed launch two days later, then flew
home to Portland.  I was woken from sleep by a call from
my friends Brian and Herbie in LA, who wanted my extra
press passes; there was a private jet waiting for me at
PDX to get me there pronto, then take the three of us to
Palmdale to watch the landing.  Many amusing stories
associated with the landing as well.

Stories now leaking out of my aging brain, but I still
have the article I wrote about it ... somewhere ...
which does NOT include the unauthorized stuff.

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com