SpaceX Falcon 1 Flight 5 - RazakSAT launch [HQ]

[Unaether]

Amazing!

[Lastindependentthink]

2 stages way to go guys....... is that an Australian accent I hear?????

[ugowar]

Yes, Max Vozoff is from Australia AFAIK.

[donkeyxotedelamanche]

Why did they have to cast off the nozzle stiffener, what was the event difference before and after? Was it a weight savings also ... about maybe 50 pounds?

There was another video that I had seen here where the first stage must have knocked into the 2nd stage nozzle and set it to ocillate and failed the launch ... it looked simlar from the onboard cam.

[ugowar]

They don't *have* to get rid of the stiffener, it's just that the increasing temperature of the nozzle makes the adhesive weaken. The stiffener's purpose is to protect the nozzle during 1st stage flight and staging, once in operation it's unneeded - you can see how the nozzle actually wobbles a bit during operation.

[donkeyxotedelamanche]

I see, for instance, to protect it from maximum aerodynamic pressure at a lower altitude ... at the higher altitude near vacuum nothing would be buffeting the nozzle from the exterior!

We need more private sector launches to avoid the starting and stoping of these important space projects everytime there's a new election!

[ugowar]

I'm not sure it's due to actual aerodynamic pressure as the nozzle is protected inside the big interstage, it's probably got more to do with the buffeting and vibrations during first stage flight, especially during transsonic flight.

[donkeyxotedelamanche]

Probably have to write to their enginering department to find the purpose of the strap. Will do!

[rickya350]

Pretty cool! Where's all the water from?

[ugowar]

Water on the ground camera? There was a rain shower some 20 minutes before launch.

The water on the onboard camera is because moisture from air condenses on the rocket as super cold liquid oxygen is loaded into its tanks. You can also see bits of ice falling off during 2nd stage flight - that's also accumulated on the ground.

[donkeyxotedelamanche]

I played the the separation over again and the interstage comes very close to the nozzle's edges ... my next guess until I write to them they did not want to chance any dent in the edge.

[ugowar]

The niobium nozzle extension is very flexible, on the 2nd flight the first stage actually hooked it significantly, the nozzle dented in and then bounced back like nothing happened, no deformations at all.

It's hard to see just how much clearance between the interstage and the nozzle there is, but I agree it does seem close. The latest two flights however separated cleanly and the ill-faited 3rd flight also looked like it *would have* separated cleanly.