• Tar_Alcaran
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    405 months ago

    You’d think making a big clamp is easier than making a rocket…

  • threelonmusketeersM
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    275 months ago

    Wow, that’s wild!

    Space Pioneer issued its own statement later, stating there was a structural failure at the connection between the rocket body and the test bench.

    Sounds like the hold-down clamps failed. Have there been any previous cases in history where static fires unexpectedly turned into non-static fires?

      • teft
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        195 months ago

        I was thinking the same thing. You can kind of figure out the distance from the time the rocket disappears behind the cloud/hill to the time you hear the explosion in the second video. The rocket disappears at 41 seconds and the explosion is heard at 49.5 seconds. Even if the rocket had hit the ground as soon as it disappeared from sight we’re talking 2-3 kilometers away.

        • threelonmusketeersM
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          135 months ago

          Even if the rocket had hit the ground as soon as it disappeared from sight we’re talking 2-3 kilometers away.

          That seems uncomfortably close, especially given this statement:

          The rocket’s onboard computer automatically shut down the engines and the rocket fell 1.5 kilometers southwest.

          I assume they mean 1.5 km from the test stand? If the rocket had flown a bit further, or in a different direction, it could have fallen in what looks to be a rather densely populated area.

          • BigFig
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            155 months ago

            Wouldn’t be the first time. China drops debris and rocket stages on populated areas all the time

              • threelonmusketeersM
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                45 months ago

                rocket fuel, which isn’t great for pretty much anything alive

                Depends on the rocket fuel.

                • Methalox: Harmless gases. Methane is a greenhouse gas, but it’s not toxic. Basically like a bunch of cows burping.
                • Kerolox: Kerosene is an oily liquid, so not great for the environment, but not highly toxic.
                • Hypergolics: Hydrazine derivatives and nitrogen tetroxide are both highly toxic.

                The Tianlong-3 in this article uses kerolox. The Long March 2C booster which fell near a village last week uses hypergols.

                • @[email protected]
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                  25 months ago

                  Yeah, primarily hypergolics are the fun ones. I didn’t hear about the booster that fell near a village recently, but there was one that I think had an emergency dump over some village or town a few years ago.

    • threelonmusketeersM
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      5 months ago

      CNSA would be “Temu NASA”.

      Space Pioneer is more like “Temu SpaceX”. Their aforementioned Tianlong-3 rocket is pretty much a Falcon 9 clone.

  • @sudo42
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    205 months ago

    “No casualties were found.”

    Nice.

    On the positive side, they really stuck the landing.

    • @Evotech
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      125 months ago

      None died or none was found?

      • @sudo42
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        15 months ago

        Or none were looked for. Coverups are easier when you ignore the evidence.

    • @Snoopey
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      45 months ago

      To shreds you say…

  • @ArtVandelay
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    95 months ago

    “I believe it’s time for me to flyyyyy”