Live data from Hacker News

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has exploded at Cape Canaveral

techcrunch.com

261–270 of 560 posts

Re: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has exploded at Cape Canaveral

#261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me point out in a nicer way what dogma1138 said below: Why would they want to do it in such a way when they could have stopped it just with formalities. I know Israel isn't right all the time but there is little reason to believe they are stupid.

Same reason they did a false flag bombing attempt on US and British targets in the 50s instead of simply asking for support?

Are we allowed to go 60 years back to find something on everyone else we have a beef with as well? ;-)

Re: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has exploded at Cape Canaveral

#262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> using a fallacy does not make them automatically wrong I thought that is precisely what using a fallacy makes you. It's what the word fallacy means. It essentially means a "false statement".

Fallacy means faulty reasoning , not a false statement. It is possible to use faulty reasoning to arrive at a correct statement. For example, "The sun rises each day, because if it didn't then everyone would die." That's the fallacy of an appeal to consequences, yet the conclusion (the sun rises each day) is correct.

Well, everyone would die, though :)

Re: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has exploded at Cape Canaveral

#263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me point out in a nicer way what dogma1138 said below: Why would they want to do it in such a way when they could have stopped it just with formalities. I know Israel isn't right all the time but there is little reason to believe they are stupid.

Same reason they did a false flag bombing attempt on US and British targets in the 50s instead of simply asking for support?

That doesn't make sense in this context. Presumably, in your example, the Israelis knew the answer would have been "no." In this case, the Israelis could've just themselves said "no" -- which would've been the result they wanted.

Re: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has exploded at Cape Canaveral

#264
post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's why you always build two.

"That's why you always build two." Unless you're a Raman. Then you'll build three.

Preppers often say, you don't have it, unless you have two of it, and you don't have a backup until you have three.

Re: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has exploded at Cape Canaveral

#265
post #243
post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is it necessary to feel sad and to even consider all of that? That is my point. What bothers you bothers you and what doesn't is fine, less to think about. You can't go around being bothered by everything 'bad' that happens in the world to someone else. I don't think that is healthy in any way. By "bothered" I don't mean indicating in words that something is sad. I mean actual concern as if it impacts you or some…

> I can't relate to this type of tragedy at all This was a major part of a charitable initiative to bring free internet access to Africa.. That's a lot of lost opportunity for business, education, health care.. From a technical perspective, the laser-based communications network being developed by FB for Africa is super cool. I'm sad to see this delayed. Even though it doesn't affect me directly, it hits my inner ner…

Insurance. People don't spend tens of millions of $ sticking electronics on top of giant fireworks tubes without hedging the risks involved. If this is getting you int he feelz then you need to get out a bit more, this is merely a hiccup.

Sure, it will delay some things in Africa, but we can't easily say whether that delay will be good or bad. For all we know people will be better off due to the delay as it may be less disruptive of existing economic structures, notwithstanding their long-term inefficiency. You're assuming incorrectly that the consequences of this satellite deployment would have been all upside and no downside, but such effects are not reliably quantifiable.

Re: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has exploded at Cape Canaveral

#266

Here's good video of the test/failure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BgJEXQkjNQ#t=1m10s

That's quite a lens, assuming the sound is correctly synchronized with the image.

That's my thought. I counted about 12 seconds between initial explosion and the sound hitting the camera, which puts it at roughly 2.88km away.

Edit: Helps if I multiply properly. 12 seconds * 340m/s == 4080m.

Re: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has exploded at Cape Canaveral

#267
post #125
post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They do the tests to validate that this rocket won't turn into a cruise missile, headed for the nearest residential area. In that case the rocket has a flight-termination system, though, which should activate as soon as it veers too far outside the planned/expected parameters of the flight.

For more context, all (edit: American!) rockets for decades have had onboard self destruct systems and a "Range Safety Officer" on the ground whose entire job is to determine if and when to deploy this self destruct system. The cruise missile scenario is highly unlikely as the rocket itself would be destroyed soon after leaving its intended trajectory.

Imagine how stressful that job would be when astronauts are the payload!

Re: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has exploded at Cape Canaveral

#268

Looks like they had a payload go with it. Sad. > "SpaceX confirm Amos-6 was aboard the Falcon 9 and was lost in the explosion." https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/77135388623807283...

What's sad about it? They have insurance, it's just hardware. Nobody died or was even injured, so it's merely an invoncenience.

Apparently one of the satellites was meant for internet connectivity in the developing world. Zuckerburg is very mad right now. Lost time is lost opportunity.

Re: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has exploded at Cape Canaveral

#269
post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is launch pad designed to take a hit like this? Or do you think it would have caused a lot of damage to Cape Canaveral.

Unlikely, it wouldn't be much of a launch pad if it couldn't handle failure modes for rockets (aka bombs with a hole in one end). Compare to this Saturn V launch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKtVpvzUF1Y

The video points out two of the protection features, but they wouldn't do so well with a RUD.

The tower features - the hold-down arms, etc - are painted with a sacrificial paint. The idea is that it's the paint that chars and burns, rather than the tower features.

Then there's the water deluge system.

In the video, the rocket and exhaust is clear of the tower, and the fires are out, within 30 seconds. Neither the sacrificial paint nor the water deluge are designed to handle long-duration fires from a RUD.

After a 2014 Antares rocket failure, the launchpad at Wallops Flight Facility took 1 year and $15 million to repair [1].

[1] http://www.space.com/31412-virginia-launchpad-private-rocket...

Re: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has exploded at Cape Canaveral

#270

Here's good video of the test/failure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BgJEXQkjNQ#t=1m10s

That's quite a lens, assuming the sound is correctly synchronized with the image.

It's pretty easy to mate an interchangeable lens camera (DSLR, Micro Four Thirds, etc) with a small telescope. There are standard adapters for it. That basically gives you the telephoto lens to rule all telephoto lenses.
Post reply on HN