PSA: SpaceX Starship's 6th Integrated Test Flight scheduled for Tuesday November 19th at 4:00PM CST
- Thread starter Phenomenally Frantastic
- Start date
Pretty cool. Is the Starship always planning on having a splashdown in the ocean or is it ultimately designed to land vertically or on land on its belly? I mean, I guess if it is designed to go to Mars it would need some way other than a splashdown landing. Maybe they can land vertically on Mars but not on Earth because of the differences in gravity.
Ultimately vertical. The ocean landing was for testing and safety purposes until they could be reasonably assured it would survive re-entry and not immediately explode upon landing.
“The strong gravity of Earth makes the physics of a fully reusable rocket with positive payload margin extremely difficult to solve, which is why it has never been done before.
Removing the mass of landing legs from the booster and ship by making the tower do the work of final velocity attenuation greatly improves payload margin.
This architecture also simultaneously substantially increases launch cadence, because the same arms that lift the booster and ship onto the launch stand also catch them, allowing immediate placement of the booster back on the launch stand and the ship back on top of the booster.”
Continues…
“Achieving materially positive payload margin to a useful orbit with a fully & rapidly reusable rocket has eluded prior attempts. Many have tried to embark upon this path only to give up when it became clear that their design would have negative or negligible payload margin.
This is an extremely difficult problem to solve, given the strong gravity of Earth, whereas it is easy on Mars and trivial on the Moon. In the early years of SpaceX, I was not sure that success was even in the set of possible outcomes!
Fortunately, it just barely is, but requires doing unusual things like shifting the mass needed for final velocity attenuation and post-landing stabilization of the rocket (so it doesn’t tip over in wind) to the ground, rather than carrying heavy landing gear on both stages.”
“Achieving materially positive payload margin to a useful orbit with a fully & rapidly reusable rocket has eluded prior attempts. Many have tried to embark upon this path only to give up when it became clear that their design would have negative or negligible payload margin.
This is an extremely difficult problem to solve, given the strong gravity of Earth, whereas it is easy on Mars and trivial on the Moon. In the early years of SpaceX, I was not sure that success was even in the set of possible outcomes!
Fortunately, it just barely is, but requires doing unusual things like shifting the mass needed for final velocity attenuation and post-landing stabilization of the rocket (so it doesn’t tip over in wind) to the ground, rather than carrying heavy landing gear on both stages.”
He sure likes taking credit for things other people accomplish...
Mueller unequivocally stated this was Musk’s idea.
Mueller was employee #1 that Musk hired and was considered the most senior engineer next to Musk at the time that meeting occurred.
Your ignorance and stupidity knows no boundaries.
That's called "buttering up to the boss".
Who also did not "found" Tesla. He bought it.
I suspect that an individual would have to garner a few accomplishments in life to be able to purchase an automotive company....
Like inherit a shit-ton of money from his dad...
They had a launch Thursday from Cape Canaveral. I stood on the balcony at our condo in St. Augustine and watched it. Pretty cool and CSB.
