I haven't been following New Glenn closely - I've had distractions - but
it seems obvious to me that IF this "dummy version" was built using some
of the same manufacturing processes and tooling as the flight vehicle -
I'd guess so from the photo but don't know - it's a very useful workup
for the production team, a chance to practice and get up to speed on
building the main structures where minor mistakes are not critical and
easily corrected.
And if as seems very likely it has been built to the same dimensions and
specs as the flight first stage (and presumably had mass added to
accurately simulate the missing bits, engines, tanks etc) then it's also
a very useful workout/debugger tool for the (necessarily substantial)
ground handling arrangements for the flight boosters, again with much
less worry about making and correcting minor mistakes.
IOW, they only have to learn to avoid ONE flight-booster destroying
error with this test piece for it to more than pay for itself. Not so?
Henry
On 11/10/2021 4:45 AM, roxanna Mason wrote:
It's a moral booster not rocket,
Otherwise a waste of money,
Ken
On Mon, Nov 8, 2021 at 6:53 PM Anthony Cesaroni <anthony@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:anthony@xxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
https://www.geekwire.com/2021/blue-origin-practices-dummy-version-new-glenn-orbital-rocket-florida/
<https://www.geekwire.com/2021/blue-origin-practices-dummy-version-new-glenn-orbital-rocket-florida/>
Anthony J. Cesaroni
President/CEO
Cesaroni Technology/Cesaroni Aerospace
http://www.cesaronitech.com/ ;<http://www.cesaronitech.com/>
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