SpaceX is very capable of launching rockets and landing them back on Earth but it has had a few failures along the way. Earlier this month one of the company’s Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the launch pad and ended up destroying the expensive payload that it was supposed to take up to space. The company is working hard to find answers as to why this happened and now SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk would like you to help as well.
Musk has already said that this Falcon 9 explosion has turned out to be “the most difficult and complex failure we have ever had in 14 years,” adding that the company is still working on the investigation.
Why this explosion occurred during a filling operation that’s a routine matter has SpaceX and observers confused as there was no apparent heat sourced which would have caused an explosion. A bang sound can be heard a few seconds before the explosion and SpaceX is trying to get to the bottom of that.
Elon Musk tweeted that he would like people who have any recordings of the event to email them to SpaceX so that they have as much data as they can possibly get their hands on to investigate the issue and get to the bottom of it before the company resumes launch operations again.
SpaceX really is considering all possibilities, even those that are floating around online, that a UFO might be to blame or that another object struck the rocket which caused it to explode.
Support & advice from @NASA, @FAA, @AFPAA & others much appreciated. Please email any recordings of the event to report@spacex.com.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 9, 2016