this post was submitted on 30 Jun 2024
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[–] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 28 points 1 year ago (2 children)

You'd think making a big clamp is easier than making a rocket...

[–] RobotToaster@mander.xyz 56 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They're rocket scientists, not clamp scientists.

[–] Morphit@feddit.uk 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It'd be easier to train clamp scientists to static fire than to train rocket scientists to clamp.

[–] GBU_28@lemm.ee 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Are you trying to clamp an asteroid?

[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

We can pretty much assume whatever needs clamping’s less than 28” thick.

[–] marcos@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There's a reason management courses all insist that you focus on your core competency.

[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

Next time maybe they’ll shell out for The Clamp

[–] Jayve@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 20 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

CNSA would be "Temu NASA".

Space Pioneer is more like "Temu SpaceX". Their aforementioned Tianlong-3 rocket is pretty much a Falcon 9 clone.

[–] sudo42@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)

"No casualties were found."

Nice.

On the positive side, they really stuck the landing.

[–] Evotech@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

None died or none was found?

[–] kakito69@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

Everyone died and the bodies were not found (they exploded)

[–] sudo42@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Or none were looked for. Coverups are easier when you ignore the evidence.

[–] Snoopey@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

To shreds you say...

[–] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 18 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Wow, that's wild!

Space Pioneer issued its own statement later, stating there was a structural failure at the connection between the rocket body and the test bench.

Sounds like the hold-down clamps failed. Have there been any previous cases in history where static fires unexpectedly turned into non-static fires?

[–] nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 year ago

In surprised a failure like that led to it being launched straight up like that.

[–] uis@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

It means the rocket was just too good for those clamps

[–] uis@lemm.ee 18 points 1 year ago

Static fire quickly became dynamic one

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] Socsa@sh.itjust.works 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Bruh why the fuck are they doing this in the suburbs

[–] teft@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I was thinking the same thing. You can kind of figure out the distance from the time the rocket disappears behind the cloud/hill to the time you hear the explosion in the second video. The rocket disappears at 41 seconds and the explosion is heard at 49.5 seconds. Even if the rocket had hit the ground as soon as it disappeared from sight we're talking 2-3 kilometers away.

[–] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Even if the rocket had hit the ground as soon as it disappeared from sight we’re talking 2-3 kilometers away.

That seems uncomfortably close, especially given this statement:

The rocket’s onboard computer automatically shut down the engines and the rocket fell 1.5 kilometers southwest.

I assume they mean 1.5 km from the test stand? If the rocket had flown a bit further, or in a different direction, it could have fallen in what looks to be a rather densely populated area.

[–] Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Wouldn't be the first time. China drops debris and rocket stages on populated areas all the time

[–] GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And rocket fuel, which isn't great for pretty much anything alive.

[–] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

rocket fuel, which isn't great for pretty much anything alive

Depends on the rocket fuel.

  • Methalox: Harmless gases. Methane is a greenhouse gas, but it's not toxic. Basically like a bunch of cows burping.
  • Kerolox: Kerosene is an oily liquid, so not great for the environment, but not highly toxic.
  • Hypergolics: Hydrazine derivatives and nitrogen tetroxide are both highly toxic.

The Tianlong-3 in this article uses kerolox. The Long March 2C booster which fell near a village last week uses hypergols.

[–] GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah, primarily hypergolics are the fun ones. I didn't hear about the booster that fell near a village recently, but there was one that I think had an emergency dump over some village or town a few years ago.

[–] GBU_28@lemm.ee 13 points 1 year ago

China is a very small country, obviously.

[–] Morphit@feddit.uk 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Wow, that was fast, even for Scott!

[–] RobotToaster@mander.xyz 10 points 1 year ago

Task failed successfully.

[–] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Sorry, my bad. I forgot a zip tie.

[–] nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago

Okay someone do the math on how many zipties it would take to hold down a Saturn 5 rocket.

[–] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Why are we using zip ties as hold-down clamps in the first place?

[–] Krackalot@discuss.tchncs.de 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Because we couldn't find our duct tape.

Ah yes, the handyman's secret weapon...

[–] ArtVandelay@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

"I believe it's time for me to flyyyyy"

[–] similideano@sopuli.xyz 6 points 1 year ago

They need more struts!

[–] fixerdude2@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] uis@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

Their rockets fly even when you try to not let them fly.

[–] FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today 5 points 1 year ago

"unintended launch" lol

[–] Coasting0942@reddthat.com 5 points 1 year ago

I’m happy nobody was hurt. Keep trying kerbalnaughts!

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

You'd figure that would have learned from Boeing and used a whole shitload of fasteners..

Drone footage of the incident has surfaced: https://x.com/AJ_FI/status/1808378644949094742

Neat angle we haven't seen before.

Never Mind that. Look at all those mini-splits.