squallgzy (August 3, 2008 at 11:10 pm)

I think SpaceX will success at last, it will find a new and cheap way for us to launch a rocket.

gravesclay (August 2, 2008 at 5:30 pm)

Fuel slosh also known as pogo, causes a linear oscillation not the kind of gyration you see here. Watch closely at 4:12 the staging of the rocket is what actually causes the issue. The first stage slams into the nozzle, causing the rocket to veer off course, at that point guidance takes over and begins gimbaling the engine to attempt to correct this problem, it begins to over correct and the mission is aborted. At least this is what we came up with in my special topics physics 399 course :)

countmacula (May 31, 2008 at 12:55 am)

M1C (1st stage engine) nozzle is stainless steel, it uses the fuel (RP-1) as the regen fluid. Only the 2nd stage engine nozzle is niobium. The "hot spots" on the 2nd stage nozzle are nothing to worry about. Niobium can take it. Yes, it's very well designed. :-)

antiarcanum (May 24, 2008 at 11:44 pm)

They didn't "lose telemetry" until the engine died due to fuel starvation (not shown in this vid). The oscillations at the end are the start of uncompensated (or poorly compensated) fuel slosh, which eventually leads to engine starvation. Surprisingly, even with the fuel slosh issue, it remained on its trajectory while gyrating and oscillating, a testament to the rest of their GNC algorithm.

sennetor (May 17, 2008 at 3:44 pm)

SpaceX now have a regeneratively cooled Merlin 1C engine but I don't think they are using LOX since this would cause the Niobium nozzle to oxidize in seconds. I presume they are using the propellant. :)

kingofmonkeyfolk (May 15, 2008 at 5:27 am)

This man totally rocks and I wish him the best for flight #3.

evan13579b (April 12, 2008 at 5:03 pm)

Ya all he's done is sold two companies for hundreds of millions of dollars and managed to create two more money making revolutionary companies. It must be all the engineers he happened to have run into throughout his life.Ya, what a leach, it boggles the mind./sarcasm

NorseGraphic (March 27, 2008 at 10:52 pm)

You can see why they lost telemetry by looking at the exhaust-vent starting to glow. They need some sort of cooling system.

destructovision (February 2, 2008 at 4:35 am)

i got to build and install an oven for these guys' El Segunda, Ca. plant. Way cool company. Wish I worked for THEM

Ruebe85 (February 1, 2008 at 2:45 pm)

Oh we got some einstein's here