NASA is blowing stuff up to study the explosive potential of methalox rockets

"We put fuel in a rocket, blow it up in a remote location, and measure how big the boom is."

See full article...

 

[A_Very_Tired_Geek]

Why do you inherently trust what SpaceX says? I'd rather NASA or other outside agency conduct their own tests to be sure.
It's not really different from when SpaceX starting landing F9s at the pad. I worked in the industrial area at CCSFS for a decade; the first handful of pad landings required full evacuation of that entire area, but after they proved success then it stopped being so broad. I see no reason to expect a different outcome here.

Agreed. To reword an oft quoted axiom: Verify before you trust. It's a rewording I find more practically useful. You're not really trusting anything if you need to verify the work anyway.