Spaceflight 🚀#LaTimes 📆 May 10, 2023 To ensure that each subsequent flight doesn’t fling debris everywhere, the company is adding a new feature: a pair of massive steel plates with pressurized water 💦. When it comes to fire diversion and dampening tactics, the gold standard in the launch industry has been to build some kind of #FlameTrench 🔥 https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2023-05-10/spacex-needs-a-stronger-launchpad-for-next-starship-launch
Heron&Fox PhotoWhen #SpaceX was allowed to use LC-40 at Cape #Canaveral Air Force Station, SpaceX realized they needed to extend the flame #trench to be longer than what was used for the Titan IV #rocket that had used the #pad previously.
SpaceX chose to use a metal frame with water sprayers to flood the #exhaust to cool and slow it and prevent damage to the #vehicle or #infrastructure. The metal extensions are on the right of the image, next to the concrete structure next to the #strongback.
#FlameTrench, #LC40, #CapeCanaveral, #CapeCanaveralAirForceStation, #CCAFS, #Falcon9, #Photograph, #Photography, #Photo
Buy a print: https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/slc-40-strongback-and-flame-trench-extension-heron-and-fox.html
SpaceX chose to use a metal frame with water sprayers to flood the #exhaust to cool and slow it and prevent damage to the #vehicle or #infrastructure. The metal extensions are on the right of the image, next to the concrete structure next to the #strongback.
#FlameTrench, #LC40, #CapeCanaveral, #CapeCanaveralAirForceStation, #CCAFS, #Falcon9, #Photograph, #Photography, #Photo
Buy a print: https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/slc-40-strongback-and-flame-trench-extension-heron-and-fox.html
Rocket exhaust generates a significant amount of acoustic energy. As the #supersonic exhaust collides with the ambient air, shock waves are formed. Without the sound suppression system, acoustic waves would #reflect off of the #LaunchPad towards the #rocket. These acoustic waves can be so severe as to #damage or destroy the rocket. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket#Flight
🔥 Flame deflectors or flame trenches are designed to channel rocket exhaust away from the #LaunchPad but also #redirect acoustic energy away https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_suppression_system
A #FlameTrench 🔥 https://taginfo.openstreetmap.org/tags/aeroway=flame_trench usually channels the #rocket exhaust away from the #LaunchPad
📆 June 26, 2008 The thrust from #SpaceShuttle #Discovery's engines blasted 3,500 bricks 🧱 from the wall and left them strewn across 457 meters between the #FlameTrench and the pad's perimeter fence https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna25400117
@bosquebill they now need to dig less for a #FlameTrench 😜