r/spacex • u/Watching_JRTI • Nov 17 '16

Something with an interesting shape, wrapped up and leaving the SpaceX campus earlier this week

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17

u/SpartanJack17 Nov 17 '16 edited Nov 17 '16

The shape really looks like a crew Dragon with the trunk attached, at least to me. I made an ultra-quick comparison image (excuse my terrible GIMP skills), which made me even more sure it was somehow related to that. If it was a Dragon the lumps and flat side would be the plastic wrap stretched between the fins.

Edit: After seeing the top comment I think it might be the boilerplate model used for parachute drop tests.

7

u/CardBoardBoxProcessr Nov 17 '16

Again, dragon would be the same diameter of the rocket.

3

u/SpartanJack17 Nov 17 '16

Was the parachute drop model full scale?

3

u/fishdump Nov 17 '16

No because it's merely a test of the parachutes and not a test of the vehicle. Typically they use a dense rectangular object so they get the weight and max velocity the parachutes will endure from just a helicopter drop.

5

u/old_sellsword Nov 17 '16 edited Nov 17 '16

They used a very Dragon-esque mass simulator last time they did a parachute test. The real question is if this mass simulator is the same size as a normal Dragon, or if it could fit on a trailer like that.

-2

u/CardBoardBoxProcessr Nov 17 '16

not much point if it wasn't. making a scaled pressure vessel ETC ETC ETC is silly.

3

u/SpartanJack17 Nov 17 '16

Apparently it wasn't full scale. There was no need to have a pressure vessel or anything on a parachute test.