Posted on 06/16/2020 7:23:35 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken piloted the first manned flight of the Falcon 9 on May 30. Each astronaut had previously been on on two space shuttle missions, and they spoke of their surprise at how comparatively smooth the SpaceX launch was.
“From the time the engines lit, the first two-and-a-half minutes to staging was about like we expected, except you can never simulate the Gs, so as the Gs built you could certainly feel those,” Hurley told Spaceflight Now. “What I thought was really neat was how sensitive we were to the throttling of the Merlin engines. That was really neat. You could definitely sense that as we broke Mach 1.”
He added: “We didn’t even need to look at the speed. You could tell just by how the rocket felt, so it’s a very pure flying machine.”
“Remember, [the] shuttle had solid rocket boosters to start with,” Hurley said. “Those burned very rough for the first two-and-a-half minutes. The first stage with Falcon 9 were the nine Merlin engines. It was a much smoother ride, obviously, because it was a liquid engine ascent.” Liquid engine ascent is a reference to the mix of super-chilled kerosene and cryogenic liquid oxygen propellants consumed by the Merlin engines.
After the smooth launch, the astronauts said the second stage felt a bit rougher.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I love the sound of those Merlin engines that powered the Spitfires. Amazing that only 9 of them got this thing into space. Wish I could have heard that.
Exactly
Ping!
A new Merlin in a P51 would be a hit at Reno.
I’m betting it’s the kind of roar you feel through your entire chest.
A major (and apparently unsolvable) problem with solid rocket boosters is the large reaction chamber that basically comprises the entire rocket. It produces pressure waves that reverberate back and forth, causing stress and making for a bumpy ride. The larger the rocket, the greater the pressure waves.
Did Merlins power the P51s, too? Very cool.
I’m trying to imagine what that feels like relative to the comfort of sitting in my comfy recliner.
Yeah, buddy. The way NASCAR cars used to.
We are also talking 40 years of different technology.
The P51 used Packards I think. Coffee’s still brewing, so someone correct me if I’m wrong
From Wiki:
The Mustang was designed to use the Allison V-1710 engine, which had limited high-altitude performance in its earlier variants. The aircraft was first flown operationally by the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a tactical-reconnaissance aircraft and fighter-bomber (Mustang Mk I). Replacing the Allison with a Rolls-Royce Merlin resulted in the P-51B/C (Mustang Mk III) model and transformed the aircraft’s performance at altitudes above 15,000 ft (4,600 m) (without sacrificing range),[9] allowing it to compete with the Luftwaffe’s fighters.[10] The definitive version, the P-51D, was powered by the Packard V-1650-7, a license-built version of the two-speed two-stage-supercharged Merlin 66, and was armed with six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns.[11]
More like the Saturn 1B, just less expensive and more efficient.
They originally were Allison powered then Merlin and
lastly Packard. I believe Packard manufactured the Merlin design.
They all sounded cool. I love air shows where P-51s and B-17s do demonstration flights. Their sound is surpassed only by their beauty.
re: tag line
I have a coffee cup that reads:
Trust your mother but cut the cards...
I confess, I stole mine from a church sign..................
I thought about specifying the p51D immediately after I posted. I remembered there were several variants, but in my def need, P51D is the one we most often see in movies, documentaries, etc
The P-51 started as an Allison engined attack plane and was designated the A-51. The British bought a bunch but were disappointed at the performance of the Allison. They modified the some A-51’s by attaching Rolls Royce Merlins instead and the P-51 was born.
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