Hope they take this opportunity to review their regulation systems and related laws, a lot of private rocket enterprises gonna conduct similar tests in the near future
China's Space Program Thread II
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Hope they take this opportunity to review their regulation systems and related laws, a lot of private rocket enterprises gonna conduct similar tests in the near future
Some new information about this:
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Based on open source images and related videos, the incident of the Tianlong 3 rocket can be roughly clarified:
After the engine shuts down, we can observe that the engine emits a large amount of hydrocarbon mixture generated by incompletely burned kerosene, which manifests as the black smoke everyone can see. A normally functioning liquid oxygen and kerosene engine would not exhibit such behavior. Therefore, we speculate that the fixation between the restraint release point on the test stand and the first-stage engine frame is not secure. The thrust generated after the rocket ignition exceeds the stress and strength limits at the connection between the restraint release point and the restraint connection mechanism of the arrow tail section. This ultimately leads to the rupture of the connection between the restraint release point and the first-stage engine frame. When the rocket takes off, the restraint release bolt remains fixed on the test stand, damaging the lower frame of the engine compartment and causing structural failure. Multiple explosion-proof partitions and the outer skin of the engine compartment are torn off, some engine nozzles fall off, and a large number of engine pipes begin to break during the ascent. Liquid oxygen and kerosene leak out, causing a fire in the engine compartment, resulting in irreparable catastrophic damage. Some engines fail at takeoff, while others shut down after a period of flight when the HMS (Engine Health Diagnostic System) detects a fault, causing the powerless first-stage rocket to crash into the mountain with black smoke trailing from its tail.
Actually, comparing with other similarly designed rockets like Falcon 9, it is not difficult to see that Falcon 9's traction device is connected to the engine frame, so the entire first stage is used as the load-bearing structure for restraint. However, Tianlong 3 has an independent engine compartment (tail section). Because the engine frame connected to the arrow body is not connected to the restraint mechanism, and the connection strength of the independent engine compartment is insufficient, it tears apart due to the strong stress of the restraint release device during takeoff. Overall, the issue with the test stand restraint release is minor; the real problem lies in the design of the rocket's first stage.
During the flight, the rocket body ascends in a spinning state. Comprehensive analysis suggests that there may be a leakage in the engine or other parts, but this debuff ironically saves Tianlong 3 and Tianbing, ultimately maintaining their attitude without flying sideways.
From the design of the rocket body and test stand to the final approval of the test plan, multiple departments should have collaborated and repeatedly reviewed the strength of structural components and the rationality of the design. However, it is absurd that no one could identify such a basic yet fatal mistake during this process, which is truly embarrassing.
Video:
Imgae:
from weibo:
Translate:
Based on open source images and related videos, the incident of the Tianlong 3 rocket can be roughly clarified:
After the engine shuts down, we can observe that the engine emits a large amount of hydrocarbon mixture generated by incompletely burned kerosene, which manifests as the black smoke everyone can see. A normally functioning liquid oxygen and kerosene engine would not exhibit such behavior. Therefore, we speculate that the fixation between the restraint release point on the test stand and the first-stage engine frame is not secure. The thrust generated after the rocket ignition exceeds the stress and strength limits at the connection between the restraint release point and the restraint connection mechanism of the arrow tail section. This ultimately leads to the rupture of the connection between the restraint release point and the first-stage engine frame. When the rocket takes off, the restraint release bolt remains fixed on the test stand, damaging the lower frame of the engine compartment and causing structural failure. Multiple explosion-proof partitions and the outer skin of the engine compartment are torn off, some engine nozzles fall off, and a large number of engine pipes begin to break during the ascent. Liquid oxygen and kerosene leak out, causing a fire in the engine compartment, resulting in irreparable catastrophic damage. Some engines fail at takeoff, while others shut down after a period of flight when the HMS (Engine Health Diagnostic System) detects a fault, causing the powerless first-stage rocket to crash into the mountain with black smoke trailing from its tail.
Actually, comparing with other similarly designed rockets like Falcon 9, it is not difficult to see that Falcon 9's traction device is connected to the engine frame, so the entire first stage is used as the load-bearing structure for restraint. However, Tianlong 3 has an independent engine compartment (tail section). Because the engine frame connected to the arrow body is not connected to the restraint mechanism, and the connection strength of the independent engine compartment is insufficient, it tears apart due to the strong stress of the restraint release device during takeoff. Overall, the issue with the test stand restraint release is minor; the real problem lies in the design of the rocket's first stage.
During the flight, the rocket body ascends in a spinning state. Comprehensive analysis suggests that there may be a leakage in the engine or other parts, but this debuff ironically saves Tianlong 3 and Tianbing, ultimately maintaining their attitude without flying sideways.
From the design of the rocket body and test stand to the final approval of the test plan, multiple departments should have collaborated and repeatedly reviewed the strength of structural components and the rationality of the design. However, it is absurd that no one could identify such a basic yet fatal mistake during this process, which is truly embarrassing.
Video:
Imgae:
So, it's not an issue with the launch pad or the fixing connection mechanism, but rather a problem with the reserved fixing position on the first stage of the Tianbing-3 rocket. It's akin to fixing the bumper to hold a car...
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Falcon 9 also adds an extra weight on top of the stage and then attach cables from it to the ground.
The fixing mechanism is not only involved during the testing phase, but also plays a vital role during the launch phase, specifically in restraint and release. It holds the rocket steady during ignition until sufficient thrust is achieved, and then releases it. To put it another way, if Tianbing had opted to use additional measures to immobilize the rocket for the static test, it could have potentially led to a catastrophic loss of control during the actual launch.
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An that explores possible methods used for mapping a lunar lava . It's proposed that three rovers carry out the mission. A mother rover carrying two small rovers approaches the lava tube and maps its entrance. The mother rover then releases the two small rovers to explore the interior of the tube. One of the small rovers is tethered to the mother rover by a wire, which provides the small rover with both power and communications. The other small rover is a hopper+crawler combo that lands on the bottom of the lava tube and then proceeds to map the interior using lidar.
Three proposed options for setting up a lunar habitat within lava tubes/pits, with the inflatable habitat being the cheapest and the easiest to deploy, followed by directly landing a more permanent and solidly constructed module into a lava pit. Building a habitat from scratch in the lava tube is the most technologically challenging and expensive option.
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Wow the US is really desperate to get their hands on those lunar samples. Don't they trust the rest of the scientific community (excluding China)?
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To expand on these earlier points, risk taking is very much necessary but needs prudence for effective payoffs; private industry can afford more risks as it's normally only their resources at play, but government resources are the public's and need to be more judiciously implemented. Both processes can be synergistic especially when private resources can assist where the public ones aren't in a position to do so.
I checked the weibo post, I fail to see how the person can reach his conclusion from "open source images and related videos" which are either granny videos or non existent (the accompanied picture). Especially the 1st stage structure related to the engine mounting and holding connection. The central point of the "analysis" is "However, Tianlong 3 has an independent engine compartment (tail section). " A different color of the tail section means independent engine compartment. That is a huge stretch or "脑洞". It is like saying space shuttle's wings are two pieces because the upper and under sides are of different colors. Then the article use this "not proven" imagination to conclude the rocket 1st stage design is faulty. I'd say the whole "analysis" is a SISO.
The 2nd video shows from the top that does not show the supposed destruction of engines or the mounting positions. Demaging of some engines and tearing of the "tail section" as the "analysis" suggested would have caused the rocket immediately turn side ways. But the rocket lifted straight up instead indicating the holddown clamps released/failed equally due to thrust exceeding threshold. This acutally is in line with the companies official statement.
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This is from Chinese Academy of Sciences ..
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