Whoa! SpaceX test-fires Raptor engine into 'water cooled steel plate'

[cn]

This is actually a test of the Boring Company's new "Not-A-Flamethrower Model 2"

[gregpapadatos]

I'd like to see what that steel plate looked like after the smoke and steam cleared.

[arimur]

The earths rotation speed has increased because of that monster XD

[lawrenceallen]

My Prediction? Instead of causing a rain of concrete & rebar, Starship booster will create a water vapor cloud so massive that it will actually cause a local rain shower!!!

[mariodistefano]

Fantastic test! It's exactly what I was expecting they would do! Great footage!

[deep_space_dave]

World's fastest instant hot water heater 🙂

[stevej]

I couldn't tell if the water was still flowing during the engine burn or if it created enough back pressure to stop it from flowing, I guess if they had temperature sensors on the back side of the plate they would certainly know.

[TD_YT]

The exhaust flow does not look as stable as an engine with no obstruction. You do not see the clear 'mach diamonds' in the flow, it looks chaotic.
But the plate looks intact, so that's good.

[Marrrrrko]

Plate seems to have held up pretty well. After this i have no doubt that at double the distance and shorter amount of time firing(during liftoff) the plates will hold

[BeshenyyaLapshechka]

Approximately the same thing was seen by a spider that I killed with a gas welding machine.😄🤣

[kanetao]

It's like watching a CGI generated movie scene. Incredible!

[christopherpardell]

Not at full power. And not even remotely like 33 firing at once. What shattered the concrete of the pad was the Constructive interference patterns of supersonic shockwaves generated by all those raptors firing at once. Some of the waves canceled each other out, but some of them combined in the confined space under the pad to create a periodic pulsing series of concussive shockwaves, each several times more powerful than the concussive detonation from the spin prime test that damaged the pad earlier. If you watch the drone footage of the launch, you can SEE the conscussive shockwaves shooting straight up next to the rocket in the first 4 seconds of engines firing. THIS is what pounded the pad to rubble, and you don’t see concrete really flying until these shockwaves begin to fade as the flat surface reflecting the shockwaves ceases to exist. The entire point of water deluge is to be flooding the space Between the engines and the surfaces you are trying to protect so the wave energy gets absorbed in atomizing the free flowing water. THEN the heat of the engines vaporizes that water and the Diverted blast of the engines sweeps that heat energy away from the pad. But you NEED the diverter for that to work. My guess is that a flat steel plate will NOT survive full engine firing without coining, Not from the heat, but from the impact energy of the constructive acoustic shocks.
Water UNDER the plate is not useful as you are asking the Steel to Absorb heat energy and then transfer it into the water to carry heat away. It is more efficient to have the water entirely above the steel and away from the plate to be atomized for more effective heat transfer.
A rapidly reusable rocket isn’t reusable without a rapidly reusable pad. The pad SpaceX designed is insufficient. It does not channel blast energy away from nearby supporting infrastructure. It does not divert blast and heat energy away from the pad and rocket. And it does not address the acoustic shockwaves which are the most damaging element of launch.

[WalterEKurtz-kpjf]

The water changed state to gas instantly, amazing

[Patrick_]

When a fire bending master during Sozin's comet goes up against the average water bender.

[georgewbushcenterforintell]

Heating up the quartz banger to give a friend a dab for her first time .

[TobiasDettinger]

And? Is the steel plate still in one peace? Context???

[kingghidorah]

Now do it to a concrete Block, to test if the test of a single engine is actually a valid test

[theuns-robertpretorius]

Basically me waking up and going to the toilet in the mornings.

[digi]

Awesome footage. I'm guessing this is probably from SpaceX but thanks for sharing still.

I can't wait for the next test flight. Its going to be even more spectacular than the first!

[Jsclet]

I ❤it. It is impossible for the Raptors exhaust to penetrate the steel plate. The water is many times denser that the exhaust gas, and with enough water pressure the problem is solved. No doubt they had this plan solved way before starships dug a hole in the launch pad.