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Latest candidate for SpaceX pad explosion
While they haven't confirmed it as the cause yet, the current leading
candidate for the cause of the explosion is SOLID oxygen forming in the composite overwrapped pressure vessel that helium is stored in. This is how it would work. For this flight SpaceX was apparently trying to increase the degree of super-cryo chilling on the liquid oxygen, so they were pumping it even colder than normal (close to freezing point). Some of the super-chilled LOX could have gotten into the COPV and then frozen. As tank pressure went up, the solid oxygen could not be squeezed back out of the overwrap and detonated with the carbon composite wrapping. This breeched the helium pressurization tank, overpressuring the LOX tank and things go up from there. SpaceX has not confirmed that this is their leading theory (or even a theory). It is being reported as something that came out of a private conversation with Musk and SpaceX says they have a policy of not commenting on private conversations by Musk. If that's really the problem, it makes a return to flight easier. Just revert to the 'normal' amount of chilling that they used on previous flights. -- "Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to live in the real world." -- Mary Shafer, NASA Dryden |
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