Comments on: Armadillo scrubbing for the day http://www.newspacejournal.com/2008/10/25/armadillo-scrubbing-for-the-day/ Tracking the entrepreneurial space industry Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:10:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: C. Scott Ananian http://www.newspacejournal.com/2008/10/25/armadillo-scrubbing-for-the-day/comment-page-1/#comment-328625 C. Scott Ananian Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:05:54 +0000 http://www.personalspaceflight.info/?p=736#comment-328625 Joe Blow: you don't work in any industry that requires testing, do you? Anytime you make *any* change to the vehicle, you need to requalify it with test flights. Lots of them, covering all parts of the envelope. Even for changes which "shouldn't matter". What Alan Dewitt was saying was that they didn't have enough test time to *requalify* their vehicle after *any* change they made. So it doesn't really matter whether the fix could be independently tested on the the ground or not -- they didn't have time to retest *the complete system* after making the change. So they ended up pretty much flying last year's hardware. But this time with more luck. Joe Blow: you don’t work in any industry that requires testing, do you?

Anytime you make *any* change to the vehicle, you need to requalify it with test flights. Lots of them, covering all parts of the envelope. Even for changes which “shouldn’t matter”.

What Alan Dewitt was saying was that they didn’t have enough test time to *requalify* their vehicle after *any* change they made. So it doesn’t really matter whether the fix could be independently tested on the the ground or not — they didn’t have time to retest *the complete system* after making the change.

So they ended up pretty much flying last year’s hardware. But this time with more luck.

]]> By: Joe Blow http://www.newspacejournal.com/2008/10/25/armadillo-scrubbing-for-the-day/comment-page-1/#comment-328357 Joe Blow Sun, 26 Oct 2008 15:10:22 +0000 http://www.personalspaceflight.info/?p=736#comment-328357 You can test a fuel valve problem on the ground, you don't need tethered flight let alone a license to fly free. Blaming the FAA only gets you so far. Then again, this isn't the first time they used that excuse nor will it probably be the last. You can test a fuel valve problem on the ground, you don’t need tethered flight let alone a license to fly free. Blaming the FAA only gets you so far. Then again, this isn’t the first time they used that excuse nor will it probably be the last.

]]> By: Alan DeWitt http://www.newspacejournal.com/2008/10/25/armadillo-scrubbing-for-the-day/comment-page-1/#comment-328231 Alan DeWitt Sat, 25 Oct 2008 19:41:27 +0000 http://www.personalspaceflight.info/?p=736#comment-328231 Maybe you guys aren't up on current events, but they knew they had a fuel valve problem going in and simply lacked enough testing time to diagnose and fix it. Why did they lack testing time? Because the tethered flight rules recently changed - two or three months ago - requiring a full flight waiver even for tethered testing. Their planned test program was held up by the sudden and poorly-timed additional need to seek additional permits. Carmack has been very kind in his comments towards the FAA in years past, saying that the level of paperwork required is reasonable and appropriate, and by far not the hardest part of flying a rocket. I suspect that his view of the new tether rules may be somewhat different. :-/ Maybe you guys aren’t up on current events, but they knew they had a fuel valve problem going in and simply lacked enough testing time to diagnose and fix it. Why did they lack testing time? Because the tethered flight rules recently changed – two or three months ago – requiring a full flight waiver even for tethered testing. Their planned test program was held up by the sudden and poorly-timed additional need to seek additional permits.

Carmack has been very kind in his comments towards the FAA in years past, saying that the level of paperwork required is reasonable and appropriate, and by far not the hardest part of flying a rocket. I suspect that his view of the new tether rules may be somewhat different. :-/

]]> By: MG http://www.newspacejournal.com/2008/10/25/armadillo-scrubbing-for-the-day/comment-page-1/#comment-328230 MG Sat, 25 Oct 2008 19:39:40 +0000 http://www.personalspaceflight.info/?p=736#comment-328230 Ye gods... the Snark(TM)! Armadillo had to run leaner than they wanted (FAA rules), and had to delay their testing (again, FAA). Maybe Armadillo will be able to demonstrate their full capabilities when the FAA quits being so bureaucratic, and not equating tethered flight with free flight. Ye gods… the Snark(TM)!

Armadillo had to run leaner than they wanted (FAA rules), and had to delay their testing (again, FAA).

Maybe Armadillo will be able to demonstrate their full capabilities when the FAA quits being so bureaucratic, and not equating tethered flight with free flight.

]]> By: Steve Albright http://www.newspacejournal.com/2008/10/25/armadillo-scrubbing-for-the-day/comment-page-1/#comment-328225 Steve Albright Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:57:34 +0000 http://www.personalspaceflight.info/?p=736#comment-328225 Maybe when their reliability, construction practices, and performance improves the FAA will start to take them seriously. Steve Maybe when their reliability, construction practices, and performance improves the FAA will start to take them seriously.

Steve

]]> By: Joe Blow http://www.newspacejournal.com/2008/10/25/armadillo-scrubbing-for-the-day/comment-page-1/#comment-328214 Joe Blow Sat, 25 Oct 2008 17:18:06 +0000 http://www.personalspaceflight.info/?p=736#comment-328214 That looks like an engine ready for manned flight! That looks like an engine ready for manned flight!

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