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Last week, SpaceX soared into the headlines with the first launch of the world’s most powerful rocket, the Starship. Standing at nearly 400 feet tall when fully stacked, the enormous rocket lifted majestically off the pad and reached an altitude of around 25 miles around four minutes after liftoff, at which point it exploded dramatically.
The test flight has generally been hailed as a success despite the explosion, as the rocket made it into the air. It certainly was an impressive sight to behold. But subsequent photos of the launchs pad at the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, show significant damage, far beyond what had been expected.
In addition to damage to the launch pad, which could potentially have contributed to the failure of some of the rocket’s engines, nearby residents and environmental activists have complained of environmental damage to the surrounding areas. The Starship is now grounded until the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can perform an investigation into the incident.
The failure of the launch pad was “catastrophic,” according to Phil Metzger, a planetary scientist at the University of Central Florida who has worked on launch pad research for NASA. Images from the facility taken after the launch show blackened structures, chunks of concrete missing, and a huge crater in the ground. The destruction of the launch pad generated a large cloud of dust and debris, which spread out from the facility, including some which struck at least one of nearby vehicle.
“Launch pads are as complex as rockets are,” Metzger told The Verge. The problem at Boca Chica was that the concrete material that makes up the pad, called Fondag, cracked due to the heat and force of the rocket engines firing. The gasses being expelled from the engines then entered the cracks at a high pressure and fractured them further, eroding the material of the launch pad away.
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WSJ’s The Future of Everything
Will Cloud Streaming Kill the Videogame Console?
Videogame cartridges and discs have mostly been replaced by downloads. Now, some console makers like Microsoft want to move videogames into the cloud-streaming business. Joost van Dreunen, an industry analyst and CEO of market research firm Aldora, joins WSJ’s Danny Lewis to talk about the new technology behind streaming complex, interactive videogames and how it could change the multibillion-dollar industry.
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Science of Success: Table-Tennis Star Ni Xia Lian’s Olympic Longevity
Most athletes’ competitive years are in their 20s and 30s, but 61-year-old Ni Xia Lian has been playing professional table tennis for nearly 50 years. The Chinese-born Luxembourgish table-tennis player was one of the oldest athletes at this summer’s Paris Olympics. On the Science of Success, WSJ’s Ben Cohen speaks with Ni and Tommy Danielsson, her coach and husband, about how she’s maintained her longevity in competitive sports.
The Longevity Business Is Booming, But Is There a Limit to Our Lifespan?
Life expectancy has been increasing over the years, and so has the longevity business. WSJ health and wellness reporter Alex Janin tells WSJ’s Charlotte Gartenberg about the booming business of extending our healthy years and our lives overall. But, despite the increase in life expectancy in the past few generations, some scientists believe we’ve already reached a plateau. WSJ health and science reporter Amy Dockser Marcus looks at the debate over the limits to longevity and finds that, no matter the hype, some scientists think you won’t live to 100.
The New Pharma Frontier: Could Drugs Made in Space Help You Live Longer?
In the future, the drugs helping you live healthier, happier and longer may have components manufactured in space. In this conversation with WSJ’s Danny Lewis from the Future of Everything Festival in May, Eric Lasker, an executive at Varda Space Industries, and Sita Sonty, former CEO of Space Tango, discuss the advantages and limitations of space manufacturing and how it can benefit pharmaceutical development.
People Are Living Longer. Can Old Age Be an Opportunity?
More and more people are living longer lives thanks to modern technology and medicine. But what does that mean for our mental health and making sure we’re living better as well as longer? Stanford University Center on Longevity founding director Laura Carstensen digs into how the milestones of life should be reworked, and tells WSJ’s Danny Lewis how society can adapt and plan for the 100-year lifespan to become common.
Science of Success: Is Your Home Oversubscribed?
What makes your house a home? For starters, it’s spending time there, relaxing, cooking and watching TV. These days, that means lots of subscriptions, which also means lots of money. In fact, Americans spend billions of dollars on subscriptions they’ve actually forgotten about. On the Science of Success, WSJ’s Ben Cohen looks at the booming subscription business and ways to help you get that spending in check.
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