Comments on: Nasa’s Rocket Cam https://habitablezone.com/2016/08/09/nasas-rocket-cam/ Tue, 07 Apr 2026 19:18:10 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: RL https://habitablezone.com/2016/08/09/nasas-rocket-cam/#comment-37179 RL Tue, 09 Aug 2016 23:27:24 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=59068#comment-37179 By imaging the flow at high speed and better detail they can see how well it follows the computer models... if it matches, then GREAT the models work... if it doesn't then its cause for serious concern... because you design this thing in a way the models say is safe, if the model is wrong then you have no idea how safe it actually is. More details here: http://gameon.nasa.gov/2016/08/06/revolutionary-camera-recording-propulsion-data-completes-groundbreaking-test/ http://gameon.nasa.gov/files/2015/11/FS_HiDyRS-X_150504.pdf http://www.nasa.gov/feature/revolutionary-camera-recording-propulsion-data-completes-groundbreaking-test By imaging the flow at high speed and better detail they can see how well it follows the computer models… if it matches, then GREAT the models work… if it doesn’t then its cause for serious concern… because you design this thing in a way the models say is safe, if the model is wrong then you have no idea how safe it actually is.

More details here:
http://gameon.nasa.gov/2016/08/06/revolutionary-camera-recording-propulsion-data-completes-groundbreaking-test/

http://gameon.nasa.gov/files/2015/11/FS_HiDyRS-X_150504.pdf

http://www.nasa.gov/feature/revolutionary-camera-recording-propulsion-data-completes-groundbreaking-test

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2016/08/09/nasas-rocket-cam/#comment-37174 ER Tue, 09 Aug 2016 19:05:34 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=59068#comment-37174 If there are any mechanical problems in the pumps, gimbals, seals or other components there would be a record, perhaps the only one that would survive an explosion. Anything like vibrations or other mechanical stresses may also give clues as to the operation of the engine and perhaps suggest potential problems or fixes. The other area of interest would be in the rocket plume or exhaust itself. This is a high-velocity fluid that is probably prone to turbulence, shock waves and high-energy acoustic phenomena or other instabilities that could either destroy the engine, or reduce its efficiency. I've noted that in the exhaust of aircraft jet engines, particularly when their afterburners are cranked up, you can sometimes see standing waves and other weird geometrical shapes and patterns (shock diamonds) in the flames. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_diamond How the exhaust is flowing can probably tell you a lot about conditions in the combustion chamber itself, especially under different operating conditions, and help the engineers optimize parameters for safer and more efficient burning. Maybe TB could step in here for us. He probably knows quite a bit about this kind of engine development. If there are any mechanical problems in the pumps, gimbals, seals or other components there would be a record, perhaps the only one that would survive an explosion. Anything like vibrations or other mechanical stresses may also give clues as to the operation of the engine and perhaps suggest potential problems or fixes.

The other area of interest would be in the rocket plume or exhaust itself. This is a high-velocity fluid that is probably prone to turbulence, shock waves and high-energy acoustic phenomena or other instabilities that could either destroy the engine, or reduce its efficiency. I’ve noted that in the exhaust of aircraft jet engines, particularly when their afterburners are cranked up, you can sometimes see standing waves and other weird geometrical shapes and patterns (shock diamonds) in the flames.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_diamond

How the exhaust is flowing can probably tell you a lot about conditions in the combustion chamber itself, especially under different operating conditions, and help the engineers optimize parameters for safer and more efficient burning.

Maybe TB could step in here for us. He probably knows quite a bit about this kind of engine development.

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