Strong Texas Winds Hit Elon Musk's Starship Prototype and Down It Goes

[Eugene]

Source: Gizmodo

Strong Texas Winds Hit Elon Musk's Starship Prototype and Down It Goes

Tom McKay
Wednesday 9:45pm Filed to: WHOOPS

Elon Musk’s prototype of the Starship spacecraft—the payload of a system formerly known as the Big “Falcon” Rocket, and the vessel that may one day shuttle SpaceX colonists to their likely deaths on Mars—fell over in strong winds at its facility in Boca Chica, Texas on Tuesday.

The craft sustained serious damage to its fairing, photos show. According to the Verge, Musk tweeted that the Starship’s mooring blocks broke during 50 mile per hour winds and that the fairing will take weeks to repair, though its propellant tanks are fine.

Chris B - NSF
@NASASpaceflight
Whoops. Starship Hopper nosecone has been blown over in high winds.

📸NSF's BocaChicaGal https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=47120.msg1904371#msg1904371 …

553
10:33 AM - Jan 23, 2019

Link to tweet

Chris B - NSF
@NASASpaceflight
Starship Hopper nose cone has been moved ahead of repairs.

📸NSF's BocaChicaGalhttps://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=47120.msg1904680#msg1904680 …

194
6:43 PM - Jan 23, 2019

Link to tweet

The Starship spacecraft, a reusable second stage launch vehicle, is designed to launch from Earth on top of a large rocket booster called the Super Heavy.

However, Musk has characterized the project in south Texas as involving “subsections of the Starship Mk I orbital design,” adding that it is not actually built to full height. ...

-snip-

Read more: https://gizmodo.com/strong-texas-winds-hit-elon-musks-starship-prototype-an-1832003028

[gristy]

2. 50mph? That's a high wind?

I don't think so...