Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to A Question...

Probably not

While I don't have access to the Falcon I design, I'm pretty sure the tank is pressurized during flight to improve fuel flow and increase strength. I'm not real certain what happened in this instance. It sounds like they were expecting to hold for an extended time due to wind, so they were draining the fuel tank. I'm not certain why they did this since the fuel is kerosene and not cyrogenic. From what I've read, a drain valve didn't open properly so there was a partial vacuum created as the fuel tried to drain. This might have cause the tank to buckle or at least become distorted.

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