McGregor Stuff

[Yazata]

Today at McGregor, a Raptor engine exploded spectacularly on the Tripod test stand!

https://x.com/sivb503/status/1793752718017978375

https://x.com/INiallAnderson/status/1793753110462202061

[Yazata]

Today a Raptor engine completed the longest continuous test fire that any of the McGregor-watchers has ever seen - a full 897 seconds, almost 15 minutes!! I'm assuming that it was one of the Version.3 Raptors. Given the astronomical heat and pressure they operate at, 897 seconds is an engineering triumph.

[Yazata]

Photos of McGregor by Adam Cuker of nasaspaceflight.com

The vertical rocket-thing is Grasshopper, an early vertical takeoff and landing test object. It flew at McGregor and the lessons learned were incorporated in making the later Falcon 9's able to land propulsively.

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Rocket engine test stands

There has been a major test campaign to prove out the new and greatly improved Raptor.3 engines. And now they are doing acceptance test static fires of the new production Raptor.3's, which should fly for the first time early this year.

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And this very interesting mystery structure, which has generated lots of speculation. Puffs of what looked like vapor have been seen coming from it. Opinion is moving toward the idea that the puffs were actually dust, simulated Moon dust to be precise. It's now believed that they are testing Artemis lunar lander landing legs on simulated lunar regolith in there.

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