Thread: Suppressors and water

When the Saturn V rockets took off from the launch pad they spray water because it absorbs some of the energy of the rocket blast. Apparently without the water spray the launch pad would be wrecked.

Originally Posted by stug

When the Saturn V rockets took off from the launch pad they spray water because it absorbs some of the energy of the rocket blast. Apparently without the water spray the launch pad would be wrecked.

If you go view the takeoff of Elon Musk's recent rocket (which did not have any water cooling jets employed) you can see huge chunks of concrete bouncing around everywhere. Some bounced right up and hit hydraulic lines inside the motor, some hit some solid state motors, and so in only a minute or so the rocket failed. Apparently the craters gouged into the reinforced concrete by the rocket motors were meters deep