Canon EOS 5D
ƒ/2.8
26 mm
1/15
320

That’s one big carbon fiber layup over aluminum.

It connects the booster stage to the upper stage. (we used a machined aluminum equivalent for the Mavericks QP rocket)

Big pneumatic pushers separate the stages mid flight. I’ll post an image of the smaller Falcon 1 separation below.

Mystery laser finger… must be alien technology.

6 responses to “Falcon 9 Interstage Coupler”

  1. jurvetson Avatar
    jurvetson

    From Demo Flight 2 of Falcon 1:

    Stage Separation – SpaceX Falcon

    On Demo Flight 3, the upper stage ignited inside of the interstage coupler… that destroyed the fragile upper stage bell (which is as thin as a Coke can).

    Reply
  2. Apollo 11 Avatar
    Apollo 11

    The engineer is a universal standard unit of measure in a photo. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Todd Huffman Avatar
    Todd Huffman

    Ah, I remember that part of the flight!

    Reply
  4. born1945 Avatar
    born1945

    Per the BBC new, there was a successful test of the Falcon 9 rocket engines today.

    Reply
  5. jurvetson Avatar
    jurvetson

    beauty – all 9 motors alight…. and for the local perspective, we turn to the Waco Tribune blog:

    "well shucks. I live over her in Teague on the Due hiway and my barn rattled so hard it knocked a couple bales of hay down from the top loft and scared my cows and they went hitailing thru the fence and out on the due hiway and pulled two big old pecan trees down and blocled the darn hiway. I don’t reckon it’s anyone’s fault though."

    Reply
  6. born1945 Avatar
    born1945

    lol 🙂

    Reply

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