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How the CRS-1/SPX-1 Falcon 9 rocket physically survived its #1 engines blown fuel dome during its last launch: it has armor around its Merlin 1C engines and between the engines and the tankage. This allows for an engine-out is a unique capability not available in other current launchers.
Falcon 9 engine cluster showing the grid of armor plates that isolate a malfunctioning engine from the others in the 3x3 cluster.
In this pic you can also see where the lower left outer armor plate is removed. That engines Kevlar blast blanket (note the diamond shaped stitching) is also visible.
The rest was all due to a very advanced autonomous and multi-redundant avionics package. Falcon 9 knows where it's supposed to go in time & space and adjusts its flight path and engine burns accordingly. Yup - it's an autonomous drone.
These details will change in the coming Falcon 9 v-1.1 because its Merlin 1D engines will have 1 center engine surrounded by 8 others arranged in an octagon. This to lighten the thrust structure (engine mounts) and redistribute the much more powerful Merlin 1D's heavier loads.
F9 v-1.1 will also be 229 ft high vs. F9 1.0's 157 ft. This to accomodate more fuel for its thirstier M1D engines.
New 1.1 (top) vs. 1.0 (bottom) engine and armor patterns
Photo of 1.0 vs. a Photoshopped approximation of 1.1
Falcon 9 engine cluster showing the grid of armor plates that isolate a malfunctioning engine from the others in the 3x3 cluster.
In this pic you can also see where the lower left outer armor plate is removed. That engines Kevlar blast blanket (note the diamond shaped stitching) is also visible.
The rest was all due to a very advanced autonomous and multi-redundant avionics package. Falcon 9 knows where it's supposed to go in time & space and adjusts its flight path and engine burns accordingly. Yup - it's an autonomous drone.
These details will change in the coming Falcon 9 v-1.1 because its Merlin 1D engines will have 1 center engine surrounded by 8 others arranged in an octagon. This to lighten the thrust structure (engine mounts) and redistribute the much more powerful Merlin 1D's heavier loads.
F9 v-1.1 will also be 229 ft high vs. F9 1.0's 157 ft. This to accomodate more fuel for its thirstier M1D engines.
New 1.1 (top) vs. 1.0 (bottom) engine and armor patterns
Photo of 1.0 vs. a Photoshopped approximation of 1.1