No Delta Toast!

[strawshort]

Anyone else notice the this week’s Delta IV launch from Vandenberg lacked the “toast” look that had been seen on the Delta IV’s launching from Florida, with the casing of the rockets’ insulation blackening upon launch?<br /><br />You know what they say…. Untoasted launched come from happy Delta IVs, happy Delta IVs come from California.<br />

 

[nacnud]

Maybe the amount of toasting is a property of the flame duct? Different flame ducts produce different toastings.

 

[crix]

I'll have my Delta untoasted, please. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />That's great, I forgot to look for that. Surely, if only for PR's sake, they will have this resolved for the CaLV.

 

[propforce]

<font color="yellow">You know what they say…. Untoasted launched come from happy Delta IVs, happy Delta IVs come from California. </font><br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /><br /><br />The "toasted" Delta IV launched from Florida was a "Heavy", e.g., with 3 CBC boosters, whereas the recent launch from VAFB is a "Medium plus" with only a single CBC plus 2 SRMs. <br /><br />Both launch pads have enclosed ducts. The difference is that with 3 CBC, the hydrogen from "fuel-lead" start of RS-68 has nowhere to go but up, there would be a higher back-pressure inside the duct, so the "toasting" is a far more visible effect with the heavy.<br /><br />Also, it's far more windy at VAFB SLC 6 so the hydrogen get blown off more so than at the CCAFS. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

The breeze must've made the difference, then.<br /><br />I think the toasting is kinda cool, actually. But then, I enjoy shows like Mythbusters, so I definitely appreciate huge balls of flame! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[propforce]

<font color="yellow">Better a fuel-rich" toasting", than a well-mixed detonation? </font><br /><br />You bet !! Any day of the year !! <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[josh_simonson]

It's possible the medium +2srb jumps off the pad quicker than the HLV so it doesn't sit in it's own ball of fire as long.

 

[vulture2]

In Florida the flame duct is quite long, with support columns in it, so until the exhaust velocity is quite high the hydrogen is unlikely to go into the duct. They could put a big extractor fan in the duct, but then the launch wouldn't be as much fun to watch. (-: (In contrast the Shuttle has no duct at all for the SSMEs, just a U-shaped deflector.) <br />------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />One Delta IV on toast please, hold the marmalade.