美國聯邦航空管理局(Federal Aviation Administration)表示,將對周二SpaceX原型火箭墜毀著陸的調查進行監督。在此之前,美國聯邦航空管理局(FAA)迫使SpaceX推遲發射,因為FAA此前調查了一起類似火箭原型的爆炸事件。
被摧毀的火箭是SpaceX的SN9星艦,該公司希望用這種火箭將第一批人類送上火星。周二,火箭在高空進行了測試飛行,在空中飛行了幾英裡,盤旋了一會兒,然後在下降時出現了一個類似腹部拍水的動作,最後在發射臺上爆炸。
FAA的公共文件稱,當火箭發生「事故」時,FAA的商業空間運輸辦公室在FAA的監督下「可以選擇進行調查或授權發射運營商進行調查」。
SpaceX公司周三上午表示,在發射過程中,火箭的三個引擎點火,然後熄火,然後兩個引擎試圖重新點火著陸,但只有一個引擎成功恢復點火FAA,導致火箭返回發射臺時爆炸成火球。
SpaceX和FAA之間分歧的根源,是去年12月SpaceX對SN9的前身SN8星艦進行的一次測試發射,該飛船也在發射臺爆炸。據FAA稱,在那次發射之前,SpaceX「對超出聯邦安全法規允許的最大公共風險尋求豁免」。該機構拒絕了這一豁免要求。
FAA發言人周二在一份聲明中說,「FAA批准的SpaceX實施的整改措施提高了公共安全。這些舉措在SN9今天的發布中實施了。FAA已經把重點放在重新調整其發射許可程序,使其更加「精簡」。」
SpaceX已經組裝了另一艘星際飛船的原型SN10。目前尚不清楚該公司何時將嘗試發射SN10,但上周末,該公司在SN9起飛地點附近的一個發射臺推出了SN10。
FAA to oversee investigation of SpaceX Mars rocket prototype’s explosive landingBy Jackie Wattles, CNN Business
Updated 1410 GMT (2210 HKT) February 3, 2021
Austin, Texas (CNN Business)The Federal Aviation Administration said it will oversee an investigation into a crash landing of a SpaceX prototype rocket[1] on Tuesday. The announcement comes after the FAA forced SpaceX to delay the launch as it investigated a previous explosion of a similar rocket prototype.
The destroyed vehicle, SpaceX’s Starship SN9, was an early prototype for a rocket the company hopes will carry the first humans to Mars. Launched in a high-altitude test flight Tuesday, the vehicle traveled a few miles up in the air, hovered for a moment, and then conducted a belly flop[2]-like maneuver on descent before making an explosive landing back on the launch pad.
「The FAA’s top priority in regulating commercial space transportation is ensuring that operations are safe, even if there is an anomaly[3],」 an agency spokesperson said in a statement, using the industry term for a launch failure. 「The FAA will oversee the investigation of today’s landing mishap involving the SpaceX Starship SN9 prototype in Boca Chica, Texas. Although this was an uncrewed test flight, the investigation will identify the root cause[4] of today’s mishap and possible opportunities to further enhance safety as the program develops.」
When asked how the investigation would be carried out, the spokesperson said 「we have nothing further to add tonight.」
But public FAA documents say that when a rocket 「mishap」 occurs, the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation 「may elect[5] to conduct the investigation or authorize the launch operator to conduct the investigation」 under FAA supervision.
The FAA defines a mishap as a 「launch or reentry accident, launch or reentry incident, launch site accident, failure to complete a launch or reentry as planned, or an unplanned event or series of events resulting in up to $25,000 worth of damage, a fatality or serious injury.
SpaceX said Wednesday morning that during the launch the rocket’s three engines ignited, throttled off[6], and then two of the engines attempted to re-ignited for the landing, but only one successfully powered back on[7], causing the rocket burst into a fireball when it returned to the launch pad.
SpaceX engineer John Insprucker said on the company’s livestream of the event that much of the test flight 「looked to be very good,」 and engineers were able to gather data to help improve the Starship design throughout the flight, which reached about 10 km, or six miles, high.
「We demonstrated the ability to transition the engines to the landing propellant tanks[8], the subsonic reentry looked very good and stable,」 Insprucker said. 「We』ve just got to work on that landing a little bit.」
The test launch comes after the 160-foot tall rocket prototype had been stranded on its launchpad in the Texas over the weekend. It was poised to take off for the test launch last week, but it stayed grounded[9] because SpaceX violated a public safety agreement it had with federal regulators during a previous test launch, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Last Thursday, with Starship SN9 fueled and able to launch at any moment, the FAA sent out a surprising advisory[10] that said the launch had been scrubbed[11].
The FAA, which oversees US airspace as well as licenses rocket launches, ordered SpaceX to halt operations at its testing facilities in South Texas 「that could affect public safety,」 the agency said. After previously declining to comment on its investigation, which was first reported by The Verge, the FAA said Tuesday that it concluded this week that SpaceX took 「corrective action[12]」 and is now complying with public safety rules. The agency did not disclose the nature of the public safety issue or what corrective action was undertaken.
The FAA reinstated[13] SpaceX’s authorization to launch its rocket prototypes late Monday, according to a statement from the agency.
The company did not respond to requests for comment for this story, nor has it responded to requests for comment in more than eight months.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who used Twitter to publicly bash[14] the FAA last week, wrote Tuesday morning that he would be 「Off Twitter for a while.」
At the root of the rift[15] between SpaceX and the FAA was a test launch SpaceX carried out in December of SN9’s predecessor, known as Starship SN8, which also exploded on the launch pad. Prior to that launch, SpaceX had 「sought a waiver[16] to exceed the maximum public risk allowed by federal safety regulations,」 according to the FAA. The agency denied that waiver request.
注友新聞
注釋[1] oversee an investigation into a crash landing of a SpaceX prototype rocket注釋:監督SpaceX原型火箭著陸墜毀的調查
[2] belly flop注釋:腹部拍水
備註:胸腹先著水的跳水動作;腹部貼著雪橇的下滑
[3] anomaly注釋:異常
備註:美 [əˈnɒməli]
英 [əˈnɒməli]
n. 異常;不規則;反常事物
注釋:根本原因
[5] elect注釋:決定(做某事)
備註:美 [ɪˈlekt]
英 [ɪˈlekt]
v. 選舉;選擇,決定(做某事);(上帝)挑選(某人)(使其靈魂永遠得救)
adj. 卓越的;蒙上帝挑選(而得救)的;當選(而尚未就職的)
n. 被選的人;上帝的選民;特權集體
注釋:熄火
備註:throttle
US [θrɑt(ə)l]
UK [θrɒt(ə)l]
n.節流閥;風門;節流杆;風門杆
v.勒死;掐死;使窒息
注釋:再重新開機,
[8] to transition the engines to the landing propellant tanks注釋:將發動機過渡到著陸推進劑艙
[9] stayed grounded注釋:繼續停飛
備註:腳踏實地
[10] advisory注釋:公告
備註:美 [ədˈvaɪzəri]
英 [ədˈvaɪzəri]
adj. 諮詢的;顧問的;勸告的
n. 報告;公告
注釋:廢止
備註:美 [skrʌbɪd]
英 [skrʌbɪd]
adj. 精製的,純淨的
v. 擦洗;廢止;揉搓(scrub的過去分詞)
注釋:糾正措施
備註:n. [自] 校正動作
corrective action
糾正措施
矯正行動
校正動作
corrective action report
改正行動報告
比改善行動報告
改善措施報告
糾正措施報告
corrective action plan
糾正措施計劃
糾正性行動計劃
糾正行動計劃
注釋:恢復
備註:英 [ˌriːɪnˈsteɪtɪd]
n. 恢復,復職;繼單
v. 使復職(reinstate的過去分詞)
注釋:嚴厲批評
備註:美 [bæʃ]
英 [bæʃ]
v. 猛擊,痛擊;嚴厲批評
n. 猛擊,痛擊;盛大的聚會,盛典,社交活動;嘗試
注釋:裂痕
備註:美 [rɪft]
英 [rɪft]
n. 裂縫;不和;[木] 裂口
vt. 使斷裂;使分開
vi. 裂開
注釋:豁免
備註:美 [ˈweɪvə(r)]
英 [ˈweɪvə(r)]
n. 棄權,放棄;棄權證書