Remember SpaceX? Update Poasted......

[nacnud]

Quick note, the Merlin engine uses the fuel as the hydraulic fluid. If the leak can be shut off along with the faulty engine then it could well have been possible for a falcon IX to survive.<br /><br />Especial as since the accident they would be looking out for this kind of failure.

 

[barrykirk]

Actually, and I'm going to get a tad bit nitpicky here. The line on the falcon 1 that was leaking was a 1/4" lubrication line, not a hydraulic line. <br /><br />Having said that, it is possible and probably likely that the Falcon series rockets use both hydraulics and pneumatics, but I don't know anything about the design.<br /><br />If anybody knows more about this subject, please chime in. I would guess that hydraulics would be used for the gimbling system, but maybe that's pneumatics?<br /><br />Again could someone enlighten me as to what is customary for these systems.