RatSat[1]: 184  or DemoSat[3] is an aluminum mass simulator on the fourth flight of the Falcon 1 rocket, launched on 28 September 2008.

Ratsat[4] remained bolted to the second stage of the carrier rocket after reaching low Earth orbit.

[1]: 177–179 [8] Though the fix for the problem was simple – add a time delay between main engine cut off and stage separation – SpaceX was running out of money and there was much uncertainty as to whether or not there would be a fourth flight for the company.

Compounding his financial stress was his recent divorce with Justine Musk - the resulting property settlement left him homeless, as well as having lost their first son due to SIDS.

However, when it was time for the plane to descend to Hawaii and the cabin depressurized, the small opening did not allow air to pass into the rocket tanks fast enough.

[1]: 183–189 With only 30 minutes of fuel left and the rocket continuing to crumble, the crew cut the shrink wraps with their knives and set to work fixing the problem.

[1]: 188–192 Using a borescope, a slosh baffle was found detached from the tank body, and it was clear that the Falcon 1 needed a total disassembly.

A 'proper' six-week long fixing procedure was proposed, but it was promptly rejected because by then, operational expenses would cause SpaceX to not have any funds left.

They loaded the plane with essential hardware and TEA-TEB ignition fluid, which is a substance that spontaneously combusts when in contact with air and for safety reasons is usually shipped by boat.

Once touched down on the Kwajalein Atoll airstrip, they were told to leave the airplane until the next morning when the military crews would be available to unload supplies.

Now with Thompson and Buzza on-site, the SpaceX engineers reassembled the first stage and performed a wet dress rehearsal with liquid oxygen.

Launch preparations on 23 September led the ground crew to replace part of a pipeline supplying liquid oxygen to the second stage Kestrel engine.

For the employees at the mission control room at Kwajalein, they monitored RatSat until the second stage's battery ran out of power.

They locked the mission control room and biked towards the dock, where they waited for the backup crew from Meck island and celebrated at a local bar.