Honestly, how many of you are secretly hoping for a big boom?
Not me. It would be like secretly hoping for a Saturn-V or Space Shuttle to go boom.
It has begun to be annoying on the various space-related groups I read, where so many people who are supposed to be in favor of this project, are almost "cheering" for the explosions.
Everyday Astronaut, REALLY? Laughing like crazy at the explosion? I'll give him the benefit of the doubt of the excitement of the landing and live stream, and the unexpected surprise of the explosion, his raw emotions led to reacting in that way, rather than actually finding it funny. But others had time to think and type, finding it funny and making jokes. Note I am not referring to anyone in this group, it's stuff I've seen way too much of in the last 24 hours in space and SpaceX-related groups.
And I was going to write about this anyway, Sooner Boomer just gave me a lead-in to start out with (so please do not feel singled out as that is not the intent).
I was super-disappointed that after a safe landing (finally), that yet another one blew up, anyway. The big unknown of this test program was NOT how to re-ignite engines reliably. It was not how to land without a mysterious fire going on onboard. It was not how to land safely vertically (and softly, 15 mph is not softly compared to F9 which is FAR trickier to land). It was not how to deploy legs reliably. It was not how to avoid self-exploding after landing. They worked that out with Falcon-9. A different design,. but those were supposed to be slam-dunks compared to these big two:
The two big unknowns were the belly-flop descent whose descent steering control works out fantastically (The "Adama Maneuver"). And the transition for landing worked out great....when the engines and their plumbing work reliably.
Elon Musk said they'll do "hundreds" of flights before putting people onboard. They need to get the reliability of this stuff worked out pretty soon, and quickly get to a point where a prototype not only survives its first flight, but survives its first 10 flights, then its first 20, and so on (or is superseded by a first production prototype that they fly the crap out of, many dozens of times in a span of months, not years). That was a big reason I was super-disappointed when SN-10 blew up, no chance to see how quickly they could get it ready to fly again, and make a number of flights on it. The excuse "there is another prototype ready to fly anyway", is starting to read like "there is another prototype available to destroy, and SpaceX has unlimited money".
But meanwhile, even the pro-SpaceX media is making jokes about the explosions (such as "two flights in one day"). "Ha-ha-ha, it went Kaboom". They are being way too lackadaisical/irresponsible in waving off what's right in front of their faces.
But if any other news media made a report about yet another spaceX explosion, SpaceX fanbois would attack-dog whoever wrote it.
So, put me in the "rocket explosions are not funny" category. Yes, I posted a couple of memes and a video . But that was before I reached a saturation point in the last 24 hours of seeing people only finding it funny, or pro-kaboom, as a way to ignore yet another disaster. I don't think be posting those anymore.
I'm not "down" on the project. But the problems they have had for being zero and three now for intact vehicles, is a setback even for a development program like this.
Anyway.... a nice video of Boca Chica employees reacting to the landing. They were at the area where StarShips are built.
As regards the Adama Maneuver.....
