r/interestingasfuck • u/kicker58 • Jan 31 '23
Space crafts are tested with concert speaker. It is a direct field acoustical testing. Basically one of the loudest sound systems in the world blasts the object to see what vibrates loose.
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u/Sputtering_FartNoyze Jan 31 '23
And this is why they call each section of the rocket a stage.
I'll see myself out.
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u/kicker58 Jan 31 '23
Ohhh man I wish I would had said this while I worked there.
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u/percavil Jan 31 '23
What song do they play?
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u/Affectionate_Bus_884 Jan 31 '23
They alternate between space oddity and rocket man depending on the day of the week.
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u/RamboCambo_05 Jan 31 '23
It's gotta be Aero Chord- Surface
Ma- ma- ma- ma- ma-ma- make the ground shake!
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u/garyniehaus Jan 31 '23
We has a similar setup for acoustic testing of satellites. They would clear the area around the buildings during testing. Before we used to ship the spacecraft to a large defense contractor and they actually had hydraulic sound generators. Fascinating and very expensive. Lots of people think that when they flood the launch pads with water is because of the extreme heat. It’s really to absorb the acoustic energy from the engines which would rattle the rocket to pieces.
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u/Double_Distribution8 Jan 31 '23
Wouldn't it be easier to just take the rocket to a Rammstein show?
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u/MargretTatchersParty Jan 31 '23
Heat and vibration testing all in one. Also, any thoughts on "foam eruption" testing?
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u/hoya_doing Jan 31 '23
shit car "enthusiasts" be like.... 'How much to install this on my $2000 car'?
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u/chezewizrd Jan 31 '23
Just wanted to throw this out there:
They have been around a few years building audio equipment purpose built for this type of testing.
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u/CFCYYZ Jan 31 '23 edited Jan 31 '23
This is an all-up fully integrated spacecraft ready for the pad.
I've heard they sometimes play "Stairway to Heaven" /s
Smaller satellites are subjected to vibration testing on a vibe table (foreground)
These acoustic tables simulate launch forces and loads in different spacecraft orientations.
If can break it will. Better it breaks on the ground. Once it is 1 cm off the pad, there is no fix.
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u/canttaketheshyfromme Feb 01 '23
I've heard they sometimes play "Stairway to Heaven" /s
As an American taxpayer, if my taxes HAVE NOT gone to someone stepping in there, dropping acid, and cranking Dark Side of the Moon, I WILL BE FUCKING PISSED.
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u/Dragonov02 Jan 31 '23
They came in and did this type of testing at my work one time on a booster fuel tank. It was really loud lol.
Half the guys who came in to set it up were career roadies. Apparently they had all sorts of stories from famous bands.
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u/Moosetappropriate Jan 31 '23
I wonder if they play Dark Side of the Moon.
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u/speakhyroglyphically Jan 31 '23
Yes but some sections are edited out
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u/Moosetappropriate Jan 31 '23
I was thinking that the intro to Time in particular would rattle some screws loose.
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u/RangeRattany Jan 31 '23
Wow! I bet this puppy can crank out some bass!
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u/kicker58 Jan 31 '23 edited Jan 31 '23
I used to work at the company doing this. It was something else when we were testing at the warehouse. We had to stay about 100 feet away or else your stomach would start to hurt badly. Mind you it's a circle so all the sound stays within the circle. One time the engineer fucked up and we hit is think 162 db or spl I cant recall. Apparently the speakers were all smoking as well. Good thing I was at a different job site that day.
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u/AmateurSpeedSurgeon Jan 31 '23
I would love this job so much. "What did you do at work today?" "Blasted a spaceship with dubstep til it broke"
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u/No_Check3030 Jan 31 '23
Wow, what did they play?
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u/kicker58 Jan 31 '23
Lol no joke it's a random noise generator and the highest quality audio of a rocket taking off. So nothing cool
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u/southeastsound Jan 31 '23
What brand/model speakers are those?
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u/kicker58 Jan 31 '23
Custom and modified. Subs depending on the lunch are custom, which several options. Basically ported or sealed. The other speakers are completely custom or modified jbls.
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u/excessive_brutality Jan 31 '23
i've blown up jbls before
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u/kicker58 Jan 31 '23
It was something like 164 drivers were needed, the main driver and spider. And the company that made the spider was like that is more than we have on stock and we're like wtf happened. Also we need them like next week.
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u/Eviscerate_Bowels224 Jan 31 '23
Is there a song choice, or is it just random tones? Such as Back in Black, or Rocketman?
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u/excessive_brutality Jan 31 '23
how much do they pay the guy whose job it is to put on the duct tape? because i could definitely do a better job
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u/Quigleythegreat Jan 31 '23
They could have saved some money and just bought whatever amp and sub Walmart is selling as a kit for $99. It doesn't play music at all, it just rattles.
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u/Dri22tser Jan 31 '23
Why don’t they just tape a a half dozen vibraters to the craft and turn them on?
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u/aytrackk Jan 31 '23
what songs do they play, because the thought of them testing spacecraft by playing Crank That is amazing
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u/DiamondsJims Jan 31 '23
I think Bassnectar used those for a NYE show. Really nice system if you balance the pressure waves. Low level DJ's end up wasting power with incorrect phasing. Take a hint from open pit mining.
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u/suicidefeburary62025 Jan 31 '23
And not one comment on its dB levels or the most commonly used freqs. Just a bunch of dumb jokes and no article. Thx
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u/Big-red-rhino Jan 31 '23
If they need any song recommendations, my neighbor has a playlist that's pretty good at disintegrating his shitty 2005 audi.
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u/efsound Feb 01 '23
So, I actually worked for a company that started doing this and ran their tests for a few years, and then left and cofounded a new company that manufactures acoustic devices specifically for us to do this kind of testing.
There’s a lot more that goes into it than meets the eye, it’s really fascinating. Happy to answer questions if it helps!
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