{"id":12708,"date":"2020-01-18T19:32:52","date_gmt":"2020-01-18T11:32:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-will-trigger-an-intentional-rocket-failure-to-prove-crew-capsules-safety\/"},"modified":"2020-01-18T19:32:52","modified_gmt":"2020-01-18T11:32:52","slug":"spacex-will-trigger-an-intentional-rocket-failure-to-prove-crew-capsules-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-will-trigger-an-intentional-rocket-failure-to-prove-crew-capsules-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX will trigger an intentional rocket failure to prove crew capsule\u2019s safety"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Illustration of the SpaceX Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 rocket during the company\u2019s uncrewed In-Flight Abort Test for NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program. This demonstration test of Crew Dragon\u2019s launch escape capabilities is designed to provide valuable data toward NASA certifying SpaceX\u2019s crew transportation system for carrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SpaceX will sacrifice a Falcon 9 rocket Sunday in a fiery test a minute-and-a-half after liftoff from Florida\u2019s Space Coast to prove the company\u2019s Crew Dragon spacecraft can safely push astronauts away from a failing launch vehicle, simulating a daring maneuver that would only be attempted on a piloted mission during an in-flight emergency.<\/p>\n

The launch escape demonstration could be a spectacle for local residents, rocket fans and enthusiasts along the Space Coast, assuming clear skies and good visibility, according to SpaceX.<\/p>\n

While the Crew Dragon capsule \u2014 flying without astronauts on Sunday\u2019s test \u2014 fires away from the top of the Falcon 9 rocket, the booster itself is expected to tumble and break apart, possibly in a fireball visible from the ground.<\/p>\n

The purpose of the test \u2014 the final planned demonstration of a full-scale Crew Dragon before NASA astronauts fly it int orbit \u2014 is to validate the ship\u2019s launch escape system. Abort rockets mounted around the circumference of the capsule would activate to rapidly carry the spaceship and its astronaut crew away from an emergency during launch on a Falcon 9 rocket, such as a booster failure or explosion.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn launch day (with crews), we\u2019re really hoping for it not to be exciting,\u201d said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA\u2019s commercial crew program. \u201cI will tell you (Sunday) will be an exciting day. We are purposely failing a launch vehicle to make sure that our abort system on the spacecraft that we\u2019ll be flying for our crews works.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Crew Dragon\u2019s eight liquid-fueled SuperDraco escape engines will ignite around 84 seconds after liftoff on top of a Falcon 9 rocket from pad 39A, soon after the point in the launch sequence where the booster and capsule experience the most extreme aerodynamic pressures.<\/p>\n

The abort thrusters will generate nearly 130,000 pounds of thrust, pushing the gumdrop-shaped crew capsule away from the top of the Falcon 9 with an acceleration of up to to 4Gs.<\/p>\n

The six-hour test window opens at 8 a.m. EST (1300 GMT) Sunday. SpaceX called off a launch attempt early Saturday due to concerns about rough seas in the Atlantic Ocean east of Florida, where the Crew Dragon splash down under parachutes around 10 minutes after launch from pad 39A the Kennedy Space Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat will happen, basically, is we\u2019ll initiate launch escape, and the Falcon engines will shut down,\u201d said Benji Reed, SpaceX\u2019s director of crew mission management. \u201cSo the thrust of the Falcon will shut down right after that happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

The abort burn should happen as the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon are flying at an altitude of roughly 62,000 feet (19 kilometers) and traveling nearly twice the speed of sound.<\/p>\n

\u201cDragon, at the same time, will be getting away,\u201d Reed said. \u201cIt takes about 10 seconds for a SuperDraco burn on the Dragon. Dragon will hit about Mach 2.3 as its getting away. We expect it to be actually quite far away from falcon at the acceleration its going before anything starts to happen on Falcon \u2026 That\u2019s a very quick process.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sudden separation of the Dragon spacecraft from top of the rocket, coupled with the loss of thrust from the Falcon 9\u2019s Merlin main engines, will likely cause the launcher to begin tumbling in the upper atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dragon will have left, so the top end of the second stage is now basically a big air scoop, so you\u2019ve got all this air pushing against it, huge amounts of force pushing against it, and it\u2019s also cut thrust, so its no longer pushing up in a trajectory,\u201d Reed said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a lot more susceptible to the winds and starting to fall as it loses its velocity and starts to tumble.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt some point, we expect that the Falcon will start to break up,\u201d Reed said. \u201cBoth stages are loaded with fuel because we want have the right mass, and test the right (way), so with those both stages loaded with fuel, we do expect there will probably be some amount of ignition, flame. We\u2019ll see something. On a clear day, possibly from the ground you could see it.\u201d<\/p>\n