NASA Rocket Test Shot With Incredible New HDR High Speed Camera

[Megalith]

The trouble with capturing booster tests is the incredibly bright conditions, but NASA’s got new HDR gear that can handle multiple exposures and capture footage at high speeds. Now we can now see details in plumes and components that we’ve never been able to before. Thanks to Etherton for the link.

“The HiDyRS-X project originated from a problem that exists when trying to film rocket motor tests,” explains NASA. “Rocket motor plumes, in addition to being extremely loud, are also extremely bright, making them difficult to record without drastically cutting down the exposure settings on the camera. Doing so, however, darkens the rest of the image, obscuring other important components on the motor.” The HiDyRS-X gives researchers the best of both worlds, and this QM-2 booster test was the camera’s first real world dry-run.

 

[Jim Kim]

The article is interesting.

 

[Catalan]

Waiting for someone to chime in asking how this is any different than a crappy Photoshop filter.

 

[drakken]

So the important parts for the lazy readers. grin.
It shows how the lip forces the edge of the plume to thin edge that stays sharp until they slow the gas to the afterburner at which point the edge of the plume is effect more by the slower velocity by higher flow of the max axiel turbine. Most rocket engines work by dumping cold gas into a combustion chamber then venting either hydrogen or solid propellant like ground magnesium. When it hits the air it donates causing thrust which pushes agaisnt the air beyond that and the air in the rocket mouth, which is being pushed out by a turbine spaying fuel into a either a pure gas mixture or mixed fluids. when you apply a filter to a a rolling cloud of water vapor you get no data... if you use lens filters you get data. That is how noaa creates the images you see on weather sites and tv. The bright plume of fire works the same way. Light travels at different speeds and they are essentially creating a HDRI image of the plume where the sensor captures
the photons are time stamped slices which then when set as numbers great than one are simply brighter the whole image is then scaled from zero to one, with out losing as much of the data as the ratios are kept. grin.

 

[evilsofa]

So the important parts for the lazy readers. grin.
It shows how the lip forces the edge of the plume to thin edge that stays sharp until they slow the gas to the afterburner at which point the edge of the plume is effect more by the slower velocity by higher flow of the max axiel turbine. Most rocket engines work by dumping cold gas into a combustion chamber then venting either hydrogen or solid propellant like ground magnesium. When it hits the air it donates causing thrust which pushes agaisnt the air beyond that and the air in the rocket mouth, which is being pushed out by a turbine spaying fuel into a either a pure gas mixture or mixed fluids. when you apply a filter to a a rolling cloud of water vapor you get no data... if you use lens filters you get data. That is how noaa creates the images you see on weather sites and tv. The bright plume of fire works the same way. Light travels at different speeds and they are essentially creating a HDRI image of the plume where the sensor captures
the photons are time stamped slices which then when set as numbers great than one are simply brighter the whole image is then scaled from zero to one, with out losing as much of the data as the ratios are kept. grin.

Could you draw us a diagram on a piece of paper, please?

 

[Raven88]

That is insane and awesome.

 

[LatexRat]

Great, now Earth's orbit is off cause some assholes strapped a rocket to it!