[BurningFrog]

It's certainly looked fully intact when reaching ground.

When they manage to do the intended landing it should be pretty unharmed, but I'm sure it will take a while before same-day reuse is attempted.

[modeless]

One of the flaps burned through again. Not as bad as the first time. The hinge area seems like the hardest challenge.

[bryanlarsen]

It was a flap hinge that burnt through, not the flap. They have a solution for block 2 which we'll likely see in test 7 -- move the flap slightly further back so that the hinge isn't in direct flow.

[dylan604]

Is this a bit of over engineering? How much is drag reduced during liftoff by having the flaps folded?

[modeless]

The reason the flaps move is to provide attitude and speed control during reentry. Like a skydiver spreading their arms and legs.

[dylan604]

oh, you mean like actual flaps of pretty much any aircraft. doh! i was thinking it was like the folding of the wings for planes on an aircraft carrier. sometimes my brain, boy, i don't know