New Acronym

[Terry Carraway]

From the last StarShip test, where they had a mishap due to the failure of a engine to relight for landing.

RUD


Rapid

Unscheduled

Disassembly

[Tom Charlton]

From the last StarShip test, where they had a mishap due to the failure of a engine to relight for landing. RUD

Hi Terry,
Elon has used the “RUD” terminology for the last couple of years to lower expectations and convey his realization and acceptance of the risk when testing outlandish new ideas.
I love his sense of humor as evidenced in the naming of their seaborne landing pads.
“Of Course I Still Love You” And “Just Read The Instructions”
Also Elon has little tolerance for red tape and bureaucracy. Had a bit of a dust up with the FAA regards launch approvals for his two most recent test flights out of Boca Chica, TX. In spite of RUDs at the end of test flights of serial numbers 8 & 9 they were very successful. Huge amount of test data and demonstrated concepts few thought possible.

Looking forward to see serial number 10 tested and expand the envelope.

Regards,
Tom Charlton
Yup, I’m a Space Kadet. One of three reasons I’ve decided to live here in Titusville <grin>.

[Stephanie Belser]

Yeah, well, I think it's a pretty hard sell to say that it's a successful test when the frelling test article blows up on landing.

[Terry Carraway]

Not really, if one of the parameters that is not being tested is a successful landing.

How many have NASA landed on land?

[Tom Charlton]

Yeah, well, I think it's a pretty hard sell to say that it's a successful test when the frelling test article blows up on landing.

Hi Stephanie,
Hard sell? I’ll give it a shot:
Your skepticism is understandable if you’re thinking their goal is to figure out how to land it. They know how to land it.

What they don’t know, and are trying to learn, is how to reliably supply fuel and LOX to the engines. The remaining fuel and LOX is sloshed over to the side of the vehicle. Returning from orbit, the Starship will, of necessity, descend down through the atmosphere on its side. Getting those cryogenic liquids supplied back to the engines for a reliable re-start is what they’re trying to learn.

There was a tremendous amount of data collected on the flights of SN8 & SN9. The landings are easy. Getting fuel to the engines for startup is hard.

They’ll figure it out. And they’ll do it way faster than any other rocket company. Fun watching this play out. Stand by to enjoy additional spectacular RUDs

Regards,
Tom Charlton

[Stephanie Belser]

Yabbut it's a heck of a lot cheaper to test flying things if they don't end up blowing up the damn things on landing. If they "already know how to do it," that begs the question why can't they.

[Tom Charlton]

Yabbut it's a heck of a lot cheaper to test flying things if they don't end up blowing up the damn things on landing.

Hi Stephanie,
Concur.

If they "already know how to do it," that begs the question why can't they.

Like I said previously: They can. Actually, more experience landing, by far, than then anyone else.
And like you mentioned: “test flying things” They’re testing an innovative way to recover a second stage from orbit. What’s -really different- is getting engines re-lit when all the remaining fuels are sloshed over to the side of the tanks. They’ll figure it out and, when they do, their competitors will be left even further behind in the dust. Meanwhile . . . expect a few more spectacular RUDs. The next test vehicle #10 is almost ready to light off and #11 is almost complete.

Elon’s focus isn’t just building a rocket . . . it’s building a machine to build a thousand of them.

Regards,
Tom Charlton is Munching popcorn and enjoying the show.

[Terry Carraway]

Yabbut it's a heck of a lot cheaper to test flying things if they don't end up blowing up the damn things on landing. If they "already know how to do it," that begs the question why can't they.

Maybe not.

If it costs 10x as much to make it work the first time, versus flying 5 missions that end up losing the craft to achieve the same knowledge.

That is what SpaceX has been going all along. Saving money by going step by step, rather than trying to make it perfect the first time.

[Terry Carraway]

SN10 was perfect. Until 8 minutes after landing, they had another RUD event.

Seems there was a fuel leak. There was some interesting flames on descent after they shut down the 3rd engine (planned event to land on 2). And the fire continued after touchdown.