Thunderf00t

Why did the Falcon 9 Explode? (Patreon)

Published:

2016-09-11 09:07:59

Imported:

2026-06

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.....well obvious 'cos of the *Falcon Punch*! ;-)

Turns out it was over 50 years ago when Nasa last had a launch pad fuelling explosion. I've since found out that to save weight on the Falcon 9 the fuel and oxidizer tank have a common wall. One rupture in that wall and BOOM!.

To have an explosion when all you are doing is pouring fuel into it constitutes a serious design flaw. Its likely that they are paying the price for trying to make their rocket lighter, and thereby cheaper.

It will be interesting to see what SpaceX comes up with as a cause of failure, but basically it has to be propellant tank failure, either by freezing, overpressure, or underpressure.

Hope you enjoyed the video! :-)

Phil

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Why did the Falcon 9 Explode?

Believe it or not, nasa currently cannot put a man into space. After the shuttle was decommissioned, NASA decided it was going to put their human launch capability in the hands of the private sector. In principal not such a bad thing..... in practice.... its highly debatable.