Sep 5, 2021 09:07 PM
(This post was last modified: Sep 6, 2021 07:04 PM by Yazata.)
Firefly still hasn't released the cause of the rocket's failure (they may still be unsure) but they have issued what has to be the definitive video. The beauty of it is that it includes mission control audio.
Several things that I noticed.
1. Engine startup was accompanied by a distinctive honking sound. These sounds have been heard with SpaceX's Raptors as well and typically indicate engine vibrations.
2. There was something on the mission control net right after liftoff that may or may not have been an anomaly callout.
3. Video may or may not show one engine struggling right after liftoff. Its exhaust plume looked different than the others.
4. A callout noted a "dip in V-mag" (velocity magnitude?) that may or may not indicate that the rocket was accelerating more slowly than expected.
5. The loss of control appears to have occurred right after the rocket went supersonic, around when "max-Q" was expected. (Maximum aerodynamic stresses on the vehicle.)
6. This video made it look like the fragments were ejected subsequent to the loss of control, when the rocket was already broadside to the supersonic airflow. The forces associated with that might easily start a rocket fragmenting.
This video makes me modify the conclusion that I jumped to yesterday, that an explosive engine failure right before loss of control was the culprit. Today it's looking more like engine trouble set in right after liftoff. The loss of control that led to flight termination might conceivably have been the result of there not having been enough thrust to make it through 'max-q'.
There's probably lots more to see here for those with trained eyes. It's interesting that's for sure.
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/qFjoPw0CfAU
Several things that I noticed.
1. Engine startup was accompanied by a distinctive honking sound. These sounds have been heard with SpaceX's Raptors as well and typically indicate engine vibrations.
2. There was something on the mission control net right after liftoff that may or may not have been an anomaly callout.
3. Video may or may not show one engine struggling right after liftoff. Its exhaust plume looked different than the others.
4. A callout noted a "dip in V-mag" (velocity magnitude?) that may or may not indicate that the rocket was accelerating more slowly than expected.
5. The loss of control appears to have occurred right after the rocket went supersonic, around when "max-Q" was expected. (Maximum aerodynamic stresses on the vehicle.)
6. This video made it look like the fragments were ejected subsequent to the loss of control, when the rocket was already broadside to the supersonic airflow. The forces associated with that might easily start a rocket fragmenting.
This video makes me modify the conclusion that I jumped to yesterday, that an explosive engine failure right before loss of control was the culprit. Today it's looking more like engine trouble set in right after liftoff. The loss of control that led to flight termination might conceivably have been the result of there not having been enough thrust to make it through 'max-q'.
There's probably lots more to see here for those with trained eyes. It's interesting that's for sure.
![[Image: FmeKHO5aMAAWaOv?format=jpg&name=4096x4096]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FmeKHO5aMAAWaOv?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
![[Image: FmjiBOuaUAAwaDm?format=jpg&name=4096x4096]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FmjiBOuaUAAwaDm?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)