
SpaceX performs static fire test on Falcon Heavy - LeonM
https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/956213399825854466
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cletusw
Official SpaceX video:
[https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/956236301275054080](https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/956236301275054080)

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Animats
Yes. In the Twitter video, skip the first 16 minutes. Then one minute of
action.

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Ajedi32
Better video:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuXHriwQB9g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuXHriwQB9g)

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dz0ny
[https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/956233892637286400](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/956233892637286400)
All good, launching in a week...

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Implicated
I wish I lived closer - I'd love to hear/feel this in person.

The feeling of top fuel dragsters coming off the line
([https://youtu.be/W9L3bllEbm4?t=11](https://youtu.be/W9L3bllEbm4?t=11)) is
intoxicating - I can only imagine what the Falcon Heavy would feel like!

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coldstone
I live a couple miles down the river and it was rattling my windows.

Paddle boarding out to watch one of their launches should be a bucket list
item for anyone living in Central Florida.

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pavel_lishin
> "Five million pounds of thrust being held to the ground by SpaceX's systems"

So, what happens if those systems fail?

edit: nice, apparently I commented on Reddit today.

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hamitron
liftoff

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navls
Followed by rapid disassembly

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cletusw
More good footage + audio:
[https://twitter.com/nova_road/status/956221490785026053](https://twitter.com/nova_road/status/956221490785026053)

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jfarlow
Some other footage:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuXHriwQB9g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuXHriwQB9g)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZZs1pxqB9c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZZs1pxqB9c)

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Shivetya
How much stress is placed on the components for this test? Do they use a fully
fueled rocket or is there only sufficient fuel to complete the burn?

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Robotbeat
Fully fueled, as that reduces the upward strain on the hold-down clamps.

Also: "Test like you fly."

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natch
Awesome. Really glad there was someone live streaming.

However, I wish the guy didn't yell into the microphone repeatedly over the
sound of the firing. I understand there are going to be people nearby yelling,
but if anyone can suppress the urge to yell at that moment, it should be the
person running the livestream camera.

Anyway other than that, well done. Nice to have some commentary as well going
along with it.

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LeonM
Engine ignition is around the 16 minute mark

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valuearb
Doesn't anybody edit their videos anymore?

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Ajedi32
This video is a Periscope livestream, so there wasn't an opportunity for
editing.

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valuearb
A good example of why Periscope isn't a very useful idea.

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coldcode
Whoa thats a big exhaust. Hopefully someday we will see it go up. Saturn V
launches were awesome.

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ChuckMcM
Next week according to Musk.

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pseudometa
At the very moment it is scheduled for Feb 6th.

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simik
But why was it so short?

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greglindahl
That was long. Static fires of Falcon 9 rockets at the Cape and VAFB are
normally 3 seconds.

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simik
Ok, I guess "static fires" are not the same as "engine firing". I was
expecting something like in this video:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=976LHTpnZkY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=976LHTpnZkY)

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JshWright
That's a single engine on a test stand designed for full duration test fires
(SpaceX also does full duration test fires of a complete booster (i.e. 9
engines)).

Launch pads are not test stands. They aren't designed to withstand the
sustained thrust of a rocket being held down. SpaceX doesn't have a test stand
capable of doing a full duration test fire of Falcon Heavy.

