This morning Blue Origin successfully tested the crew capsule abort system on their New Shepard rocket, using the same booster (and spacecraft?) that has already flown 4 times. The abort, performed at Max-Q (maximum aerodynamic load) caused the capsule to transition twice through transonic. To the amazement of even Blue Origin's engineers, the booster also survived (and continued on to space, returned and landed as planned). As bezos said a few weeks ago:
"This test will probably destroy the booster. The booster was never designed to survive an in-flight escape. ... If the booster does manage to survive this flight – its fifth – we will in fact reward it for its service with a retirement party and put it in a museum."
Though other rocket programs have tested their abort systems from the launch pad, this is apparently the first in-flight abort test since the apollo program.
Apologies for this strange video with Windoze desktop in the foreground. It's the only non-full-length I see online so far.
3 Comments
AeroMechanicalsays...I'd be interested to see the acceleration of the capsule. It looks to me like anyone inside there would be smashed around pretty good. Still better odds of surviving than being incinerated in an explosion though and I guess that's the point.
Jinxsays...Yeah, this is a flight where you really should observe the fasten seat belt sign.
I'd be interested to see the acceleration of the capsule. It looks to me like anyone inside there would be smashed around pretty good. Still better odds of surviving than being incinerated in an explosion though and I guess that's the point.
kceaton1This is still very amazing and very well done. They definitely would be pulling some incredibly high G's in that crew capsule when it aborts, but it did look to be stable enough to let them be alright. I'm sure they have sensor'ed up that thing like crazy, so in a few days, they'll know how well it would turn out...
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