Comment on SpaceX rocket explodes during testing over TexasparentComments−electromagnetic12yHonestly, play KSP. Once you flip a rocket, its nearly unrecoverable and it just accelerates into the ground.−washedup12yNot only that, but it accelerates at a higher rate because the thrust vector and gravitational pull are pointing in the same direction.−sjtrny12yI wonder if the reusable rockets from SpaceX could recover from a flipped position during re-entry?−exDM6912yNo, they can't. Once you're supersonic, the aerodynamic stress will tear a rocket into shreds if there's even a few degrees of angle of attack.−Gravityloss12yBut if you're high enough, the forces are not very high, so there's probably a Q limit, (that is, proportional to density * speed^2).−lutorm12yYeah, the landing attempts obviously flip before entry, while they're out of the atmosphere.
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Honestly, play KSP. Once you flip a rocket, its nearly unrecoverable and it just accelerates into the ground.
Not only that, but it accelerates at a higher rate because the thrust vector and gravitational pull are pointing in the same direction.
I wonder if the reusable rockets from SpaceX could recover from a flipped position during re-entry?
No, they can't. Once you're supersonic, the aerodynamic stress will tear a rocket into shreds if there's even a few degrees of angle of attack.
But if you're high enough, the forces are not very high, so there's probably a Q limit, (that is, proportional to density * speed^2).
Yeah, the landing attempts obviously flip before entry, while they're out of the atmosphere.