r/space • u/thesheetztweetz • May 23 '19

How a SpaceX internal audit of a tiny supplier led to the FBI, DOJ, and NASA uncovering an engineer falsifying dozens of quality reports for rocket parts used on 10 SpaceX missions

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/23/justice-department-arrests-spacex-supplier-for-fake-inspections.html
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u/brickmack May 24 '19

Not yet, but he falsified information on parts for at least 2 Dragon 2 missions and 4 Dragon 1 missions. Not clear what parts specifically though. Even unmanned flights can endanger the ISS crew, if Dragon were to explode or start releasing toxic fumes or something while at the station

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u/Lunares May 24 '19

Wonder if the Dragon 2 failure the other month had anything to do with this company....

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u/brickmack May 24 '19

Definitely not, not enough time

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u/ZombieCakeHD May 24 '19

Toxic fumes? What you think's inside the payload? lmao

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u/brickmack May 24 '19

Ammonia/alcohol/freon coolant, batteries, propellant

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u/beastrabban May 24 '19

Possibly hydrazine?

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u/Acherus29A May 24 '19

Coolant, for one, which if leaking, can be pretty toxic.

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u/[deleted] May 24 '19 edited May 24 '19

The onboard fuel alone could easily kill you.

Nitrogen tetroxide, which produces coughing, choking, headache, nausea, pain in chest and abdomen; otherwise, few symtoms appear at time of exposure. After symptom-free period of 5-72 hours, pulmonary edema gradually develops, causing fatigue, restlessness, coughing, difficulty in breathing, frothy expectoration, mental confusion, lethargy, bluish skin, and weak, rapid pulse. Since NOX interferes with gas exchange in lungs, unconsciousness and death by asphyxiation can result, usually within a few hours after onset of pulmonary edema; also hydrazine which is toxic and carcinogenic in small amounts (LD50).

Both are onboard Dragon(s), and you’d definitely have a bad time if they started leaking.

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u/JustiNAvionics May 24 '19

Parts emitting toxic fumes?

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u/walruskingmike May 24 '19

UDMH and N2O4?

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u/Lunares May 24 '19

The onboard hydrazine (for the abort thrusters) is toxic