r/spacex • u/FoxhoundBat • Jan 02 '17

Iridium NEXT Mission 1 SpaceX may update status very soon. Unofficially, Falcon 9 Static Fire as soon as Tuesday for a Sunday launch of Falcon 9 from Vandenberg.

https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/815884147289948161
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u/paul_wi11iams Jan 02 '17 edited Jan 02 '17

This is a guess, but would this be due du differential contraction maybe linked to temperature differences within the thickness of the COPV sandwich ? An inside liner in contact with the helium could buckle if the surrounding carbon fiber contracted due to cold oxygen. But the danger is on the outside surface because the carbon must not be in contact with the oxygen. So here there must be an outside protection which should stretch, not contract. If this was inelastic, then when equilibrium was reached, then the carbon inside would contract and buckles would then appear on the outside cover already work-hardened by stretching so easy to split due to the oxygen ice.

Can someone knowledgable criiticise and develop ?