SpaceX Falcon 9: five engine test

[docm]

<p><font size="3">The reporter obviously doesn't know the difference between a Merlin or Falcon, but this 5 engine night firing looks too damned cool.&nbsp; Can't wait for SpaceX to release the full versions.</font></p><p><font size="3">Story....</font>http://www.kcentv.com/news/c-article.php?cid=1&nid=15699</p><p><font size="3">Video (WMV)....</font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[Boris_Badenov]

<p><font size="2">It sure lit up the area. I wonder how the test went. Was this the first 5 engine test, or the second? I can't remember if the last one was 3 or 5. </font></p><p><font size="2">Whichever it was, it wasn't that long ago. </font></p><p><font size="2">When is the first F-9 scheduled to go up?</font>&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#993300"><span class="body"><font size="2" color="#3366ff"><div align="center">. </div><div align="center">Never roll in the mud with a pig. You'll both get dirty & the pig likes it.</div></font></span></font> </div>

 

[PistolPete]

Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>The reporter obviously doesn't know the difference between a Merlin or Falcon, but this 5 engine night firing looks too damned cool.&nbsp; Can't wait for SpaceX to release the full versions.Story....Video (WMV).... <br /> Posted by docm</DIV><br />In this day and age when it comes to media and spaceflight we have to take what we can get.&nbsp; He may have not gotten his facts straight, but at least there was a report on it.&nbsp; Hopefully this generated some more interest. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><em>So, again we are defeated. This victory belongs to the farmers, not us.</em></p><p><strong>-Kambei Shimada from the movie Seven Samurai</strong></p> </div>

 

[docm]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>It sure lit up the area. I wonder how the test went. Was this the first 5 engine test, or the second? I can't remember if the last one was 3 or 5. Whichever it was, it wasn't that long ago. When is the first F-9 scheduled to go up?&nbsp; <br />Posted by boris1961</DIV></p><p>This is the first announced 5 engine test, if not the first actual one.&nbsp; Guess we have to wait for the next update from SpX itself for more details,&nbsp; The last announced test was a 3 engine.</p><p>The Falcon 9 is supposed to be delivered to&nbsp;the Cape&nbsp;by the end of the year for launch early in '09.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[Boris_Badenov]

<p><font size="2">It seems to that the pace is starting to pick up. Wonder how much of the rocket is completed, & what the next engine test will be? </font></p><p><font size="2">I'll bet they jump past the 7 engine test & go straight to the full up 9.</font></p><p><font size="2">I know, wishful thinking. <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-smile.gif" border="0" alt="Smile" title="Smile" /></font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#993300"><span class="body"><font size="2" color="#3366ff"><div align="center">. </div><div align="center">Never roll in the mud with a pig. You'll both get dirty & the pig likes it.</div></font></span></font> </div>

 

[docm]

<p><font size="3">I wouldn't be surprised at all if they jumped to a 9 engine test&nbsp;as soon as they have the engines in Texas.</font>&nbsp; </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[docm]

<p>Video.....(640x360 WMV)</p><p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br /><br /></strong>Contact: Roger G. Gilbertson<br /><br />media@SpaceX.com<br /><br />310.363.6446<br /><br /><strong><font size="4">SpaceX Conducts First Five Engine Firing of Falcon 9 Rocket</font></strong><br /><br />McGregor TX &ndash; May 29, 2008 &ndash; Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) conducted the first five-engine firing of its Falcon 9 medium to heavy lift rocket at its Texas Test Facility outside McGregor on Thursday, May 29. At full power the engines generated almost half a million pounds of force, and consumed 1,750 lbs of fuel and liquid oxygen per second. This five engine test again sets the record as the most powerful test yet on the towering 235-foot tall test stand.<br /><br />The test of the five Merlin 1C engines, arranged in a cross pattern like the Saturn V moon rocket, is the last step before firing the full complement of nine engines, scheduled for this summer. With all engines operating, the Falcon 9 generates over one million pounds of thrust in vacuum - four times the maximum thrust of a 747 aircraft.<br /><br />&ldquo;This is the first time that we&rsquo;ve added more than one engine at a time, and all phases of integration and testing went smoothly,&rdquo; said Tom Mueller, Vice President of Propulsion for SpaceX. &ldquo;As with previous tests, we saw no unexpected interactions between the engines, and are on schedule for adding four more engines.&rdquo;<br /><br />The first Falcon 9 will arrive at the SpaceX launch site at Cape Canaveral by the end of 2008. The next flight of SpaceX&rsquo;s smaller Falcon 1 rocket is scheduled for late June or July of 2008.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[windnwar]

Wow nice vid, I can't wait to see the 9 engine test! <br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font size="2" color="#0000ff">""Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." --Albert Einstein"</font></p> </div>

 

[docm]

<p><font size="3">Just to put an explanation point on the presser;</font></p><p><font size="3">Quote:</font></p><p><font size="3"><em><font color="#0000ff"><strong>The test of the five Merlin 1C engines, arranged in a cross pattern like the Saturn V moon rocket, is the last step before firing the full complement of nine engines, scheduled for this summer.</strong></font></em> </font></p><p><font size="3">I'd love to be there with one of the big HD cams when that test takes place <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-smile.gif" border="0" alt="Smile" title="Smile" /></font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[ThereIWas2]

<p>Something I liked in their press release photos (that I just received; I don't know why not on their web site yet) is that the technicians checking the engines before the test were <em>not</em> wearing corporate logoed jump-suits.&nbsp; Just T-shirts, shorts, and sneakers.&nbsp; Keep that overhead down. <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-smile.gif" border="0" alt="Smile" title="Smile" /></p><p>The blue blanket skirts around the bells seem to be the debris shields they talked about.&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><span class="postbody"><span style="font-style:italic"><br /></span></span></p> </div>

 

[ThereIWas2]

<p>Finally they got the 5-engine press release up on the web.</p><p>http://www.spacex.com/press.php?page=42</p><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><span class="postbody"><span style="font-style:italic"><br /></span></span></p> </div>

 

[Cygnus_2112]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> The blue blanket skirts around the bells seem to be the debris shields they talked about.&nbsp; <br /> Posted by ThereIWas2</DIV></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Those just non flight nozzle covers, the debris shields would be around the power section, higher up&nbsp;</p>

 

[ThereIWas2]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>&nbsp;Those just non flight nozzle covers, the debris shields would be around the power section, higher up&nbsp; <br /> Posted by Cygnus_2112</DIV></p><p>That's where I thought they would be as well but you can see all the way to the top of the engine in the center of the picture.&nbsp; Perhaps they do not install the shields until later, to give the technicians more room to move around.&nbsp;</p><p>Notice how the engine at the left is bright and shiny, the one to the right less so, and the center one is the darkest.&nbsp; Evidence of previous test runs.&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><span class="postbody"><span style="font-style:italic"><br /></span></span></p> </div>

 

[DrRocket]

Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Finally they got the 5-engine press release up on the web.http://www.spacex.com/press.php?page=42 <br />Posted by ThereIWas2</DIV><br />&nbsp;I did not see any mention of the duration of the test.&nbsp; Does anybody know how long the firing was ? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[ThereIWas2]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>&nbsp;I did not see any mention of the duration of the test.&nbsp; Does anybody know how long the firing was ? <br /> Posted by DrRocket</DIV></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In the video it is about 15 seconds.&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><span class="postbody"><span style="font-style:italic"><br /></span></span></p> </div>

 

[docm]

<font size="3">I believe&nbsp; that was the total duration.&nbsp; In the past they've started there and gone through a series of ever increasing durations then moved on to the next engine configuration.&nbsp; Sounds like they're on a dead run to the full 9.</font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[DrRocket]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I believe&nbsp; that was the total duration.&nbsp; In the past they've started there and gone through a series of ever increasing durations then moved on to the next engine configuration.&nbsp; Sounds like they're on a dead run to the full 9. <br />Posted by docm</DIV></p><p>It seems to me that with 5 they have a reasonable handle on any dynamical interaction between the engines, which would not involve propagation up the gas stream and through the nozzle in any case.&nbsp;I think they ought to have high confidence in the 9 engine test, unless there are modes that I am missing.&nbsp; If there is any effect from additional engines I would expect something like an external pressure wave impinging on the nozzle exit cone&nbsp;applying a load&nbsp; to the cone and the thrust vector actuators, but that is dependent not only on the rocket engine configuration but also and more importantly on the geometry of the test stand and whatever is used to control the exhaust plume.&nbsp; Such problems are extremely difficult to diagnose and correction can be complicated.&nbsp; From what I can see of the test stand they ought to be OK unless there is a reflected shock wave at ignition coming from water that might be near the nozzle exit planes --&nbsp;and from the pictures that does not seem to be a problem.&nbsp; The area below the rocket looks pretty open.</p><p>If there is to be a problem at this stage I would anticipate it arising from heating of the engine components upstream of the combustion chamber or in the thrust vector control system.&nbsp; If there is a problem like that it will likely show up later in the burn.&nbsp; That is why I an curious as to when a full-duration test will occur.</p><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[docm]

<font size="3">I believe in past updates they've&nbsp;discussed a high testing rate, so I would imagine that if the test data stays within bounds not too long.</font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[Boris_Badenov]

The 5 engine test was in an "X" congiguration. What configuration will the 9 engine test be in? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#993300"><span class="body"><font size="2" color="#3366ff"><div align="center">. </div><div align="center">Never roll in the mud with a pig. You'll both get dirty & the pig likes it.</div></font></span></font> </div>

 

[ThereIWas2]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>The 5 engine test was in an "X" congiguration. What configuration will the 9 engine test be in? <br /> Posted by boris1961</DIV></p><p>9 is as big as it gets.&nbsp; A 3x3 square.&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><span class="postbody"><span style="font-style:italic"><br /></span></span></p> </div>

 

[docm]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>9 is as big as it gets.&nbsp; A 3x3 square.&nbsp; <br />Posted by ThereIWas2</DIV></p><p><font size="3">At least until they decide to go with the Falcon 9 Heavy: 3 Falcon 9's strapped together with 27 total engines.</font></p><p><font size="3">I'd love to see a night launch of that pup.</font><br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[shuttle_guy]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Something I liked in their press release photos (that I just received; I don't know why not on their web site yet) is that the technicians checking the engines before the test were not wearing corporate logoed jump-suits.&nbsp; Just T-shirts, shorts, and sneakers.&nbsp; Keep that overhead down. The blue blanket skirts around the bells seem to be the debris shields they talked about.&nbsp; <br />Posted by ThereIWas2</DIV></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The blue "shields" are just protection for the nozzle while people are working around the engines. The debris shiels would be above to stop turbine blades etc in the event of a engine havine a "uncontained over pressurization". We do not like to use the word explosion.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[windnwar]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>&nbsp;The blue "shields" are just protection for the nozzle while people are working around the engines. The debris shiels would be above to stop turbine blades etc in the event of a engine havine a "uncontained over pressurization". We do not like to use the word explosion. <br />Posted by shuttle_guy</DIV><br /><br />I like Elon Musk's term of RUD. Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly. <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-tongue-out.gif" border="0" alt="Tongue out" title="Tongue out" /></p><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font size="2" color="#0000ff">""Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." --Albert Einstein"</font></p> </div>