Falcon 9 explosion

[mako88sb]

An unfortunate situation that was not caused by the Falcon 9. Some sort of launch pad anomaly.

@elonmusk
Loss of Falcon vehicle today during propellant fill operation. Originated around upper stage oxygen tank. Cause still unknown. More soon.

Some info here.
https://www.reddit.com/live/xix3m9uqd06g

The mishap

[bknight]

Sickening video for sure, but happily safety precautions prevented loss of life.

[Allan F]

Looks like something happened at the interstage? The side towards the camera blew out?

[gwiz]

Looked more like the upper part of the second stage to me, near where the venting was pre-explosion.

[mako88sb]

Here's a quote and image from FB SpaceX group user Ross Sackett;

"I used a trick we sometimes use to fix the position of a star in an astrophoto(graphy.) While the fireball is burned into the image making it hard to locate the center, the lens flares (probably diffraction spikes) are centered on the brightest part. Make of this what you will."

This centers near an S bend in a large strongback (electrical?) conduit near the level of the common bulkhead in S2. There are other connections to S2 near there.

L2 SpXers sound like they're focussing on something, but will wait for Musk to pull the trigger publicly.

[bknight]

Here's a quote and image from FB SpaceX group user Ross Sackett;

"I used a trick we sometimes use to fix the position of a star in an astrophoto(graphy.) While the fireball is burned into the image making it hard to locate the center, the lens flares (probably diffraction spikes) are centered on the brightest part. Make of this what you will."

This centers near an S bend in a large strongback (electrical?) conduit near the level of the common bulkhead in S2. There are other connections to S2 near there.

L2 SpXers sound like they're focussing on something, but will wait for Musk to pull the trigger publicly.

That is a unique way to look at something that bright and intense.  Not knowing he geometry of the second stage, it does look like it would be around the LH tankage and/or fill lines

[Glom]

At least the payload was a Facebook satellite rather than something noble.

[Dalhousie]

That is a unique way to look at something that bright and intense.  Not knowing he geometry of the second stage, it does look like it would be around the LH tankage and/or fill lines

F9 does not use LH2, but kerosene (and LO2)

[Dalhousie]

An unfortunate situation that was not caused by the Falcon 9. Some sort of launch pad anomaly.

We don't know that, just because it did not happen in flight does not rule out a problem with the rocket, as opposed to the pad or the procedures.

[gwiz]

At least the payload was a Facebook satellite rather than something noble.

It was owned by Spacecom, an Israeli satellite communications company, who were to lease part of the capacity to Facebook.  Its primary purpose was to replace Amos 2, an aging Spacecom satellite.

[bknight]

That is a unique way to look at something that bright and intense.  Not knowing he geometry of the second stage, it does look like it would be around the LH tankage and/or fill lines

F9 does not use LH2, but kerosene (and LO2)

I stand corrected, than you for the information.

[mako88sb]

An unfortunate situation that was not caused by the Falcon 9. Some sort of launch pad anomaly.

We don't know that, just because it did not happen in flight does not rule out a problem with the rocket, as opposed to the pad or the procedures.

Yes, you are correct but they seem to think there might have been some sort of hydraulic leak from the strongback RP-1 line resulting in a hydrocarbon aerosol that mixed with the GOX boiloff. The latest info:

"- Yesterday, at SpaceX's Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, an anomaly took place about eight minutes in advance of a scheduled test firing of a Falcon 9 rocket.

- The anomaly on the pad resulted in the loss of the vehicle.

- This was part of a standard pre-launch static fire to demonstrate the health of the vehicle prior to an eventual launch.

- At the time of the loss, the launch vehicle was vertical and in the process of being fueled for the test. At this time, the data indicates the anomaly originated around the upper stage liquid oxygen tank. Per standard operating procedure, all personnel were clear of the pad. There were no injuries.

To identify the root cause of the anomaly, SpaceX began its investigation immediately after the loss, consistent with accident investigation plans prepared for such a contingency. These plans include the preservation of all possible evidence and the assembly of an Accident Investigation Team, with oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration and participation by NASA, the United States Air Force and other industry experts. We are currently in the early process of reviewing approximately 3000 channels of telemetry and video data covering a time period of just 35-55 milliseconds.

As for the Launch Pad itself, our teams are now investigating the status of SLC-40. The pad clearly incurred damage, but the scope has yet to be fully determined. We will share more data as it becomes available."

[Dalhousie]

Apposite opinion piece http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/09/we-love-spacex-and-we-hope-it-reaches-mars-but-we-spacex-to-focus/

[Count Zero]

Scary.  You can see the radiant heat burning the paint off the towers.

[bknight]

Scary.  You can see the radiant heat burning the paint off the towers.

The booster that two NASA astronauts might climb on top of in two years—or less—has just suffered two failures in 15 months.

I suspect that the two failures although somewhat troubling have nothing to do with each other.  The investigation may/may not prove that suspicion.