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This looks like a glitch on physics-load. Reverting doesn't help with those
SpaceX Launches, Landings and News
- Thread starter Shadows
- Start date
- Megathread
This looks like a glitch on physics-load. Reverting doesn't help with those
- Location
- Australia
Kinda crazy to watch that payload slowly fall and explode, knowing that that is $200,000,000 worth of hardware going up in smoke.
RRoan
Technogaianist
- Location
- 'round a far, distant star
300 bar chamber pressure holy shit
Also, Elon will be giving a presentation at the IAC on Tuesday about his/SpaceX's Mars plans. It'll be livestreamed here on Tuesday.
On the subject of the
Lopt the Treacherous
Deceiver of the Gods
Mars architecture presentation at IAC starting in 30 minutes:
And they just released a CG video showing the MCT in action. It's like a 1950s wet dream:
And they just released a CG video showing the MCT in action. It's like a 1950s wet dream:
Richardson
CAN YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?
- Location
- Yes
Seriously. Jesus christ. That transfer stage looks to be close to a thousand tons or more. And it's going to launch twice in one day. Seriously, immediately refuel and relaunch with a new, denser refueling stage. All that punching to Mars at... christ, I don't even-
This is straight up-I... no, this is insane! This is insane, and glorious, and holy shit it's actually happening!
Addendum: Seriously, christ, 2 and a half weeks to Mars!?!
This is straight up-I... no, this is insane! This is insane, and glorious, and holy shit it's actually happening!
Addendum: Seriously, christ, 2 and a half weeks to Mars!?!
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Lopt the Treacherous
Deceiver of the Gods
The speed of the transporter at earth departure is to be 62,000 mph. This is almost double the speed of the previous record holder, New Horizons, which was a very small, light probe launched by a large rocket, resulting in its unusually high departure speed of 36,000 mph. In an ideal transfer window, New Horizons, if it had been aimed at Mars, could have reached it in about 40 days. The MCT, at 62,000 mph, should be able to get there in about 3 weeks.
Twisted Mentat
Coding Kiwi
- Location
- Wellington, NZ
So want this to work. But also understand that 99% of these things fall flat on their face, never seeing the world.
Hoping this is one of the few that succeeds.
Hoping this is one of the few that succeeds.
- Location
- The Netherlands
Man I want details so badly! Concept looks solid, but there are a few points where I wonder how they'll be addressed:
- The mid air flip towards a propulsive landing. I can imagine it working in martian atmosphere, q is low enough to pull that off. But I worry how they'll do it upon earth return. It'd have to be aerodynamically unstable, or have some dumpable ballast weights to shift COM
- How do the interiors look? If the door is as high as implied, I wonder how the astronauts are supposed to get down to the ground. Let alone cargo.
- 1 refueling mission. That's gonna give some very tight margins. I believe that r/spacex calculated that 3 would be the likely number of refuel missions. Maybe they just omitted the repeats for the concept video?
RRoan
Technogaianist
- Location
- 'round a far, distant star
Dragon 2 will apparently have a weighted sled on tracks to control the COM during reentry. Wouldn't be surprised if they did the same on this.
- Location
- Canada
I'm a SpaceX fanboy, but I have huge, huge doubts if they can pull this off. They need a government backing them to accomplish anything on this scale.
- Location
- Canada
Sweet mother of God.
500 tons to low earth orbit.
In comparison, the best SLS can come up with is 140 tons, according to the ArsTechnica journalist I'm talking to right now.
Edit: He mentioned 80 days to Mars.... wow.
My only worry is that AMOS-6 has tarnished their launch reputation, and hence they won't be able to sustain their launches or their R&D.
500 tons to low earth orbit.
In comparison, the best SLS can come up with is 140 tons, according to the ArsTechnica journalist I'm talking to right now.
Edit: He mentioned 80 days to Mars.... wow.
My only worry is that AMOS-6 has tarnished their launch reputation, and hence they won't be able to sustain their launches or their R&D.
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- Location
- Canada
That Q&A session was literally cancer. I'm sorry... but there was no way to describe that.
You ask to come up on stage to kiss Elon? WHY?
I'm saving up for my ticket; I don't want to live on this planet anymore.
:B
- Location
- The Netherlands
"Hey Elon, I don't care about your rocket ship, but can you give me some free PR by looking at my swag electric bus?" Like, seriously? Where did they get these people?
I hope he does a press conference later on with some actual competent reporters. I want more details on the return infrastructure on the martian side. I also want to know what the big spherical tank inside the 1st stage methane tank is for. Can't be COPV since they're using the fuel itself as pressurant. Maybe the TEA-TEB storage? Though I have no idea why you'd store that at cryo temperatures.
Jim Starluck
CO, ICS Vanguard
- Location
- Cincinnati, OH
I'm right there with you.This is me and my brother right now.
- Location
- Canada
To paraphrase Miyazaki:
At this point, the /r/SpaceX sub is debating holding their own conference in the IRC. It was... bad.
And yeah, I hope we get more details on the infrastructure to Mars. $200,000 to get to Mars makes me HYPE.
- Location
- Canada
I want to believe, but I'm still remaining rational about this. If they get funded by NASA though, we're probably going to see a colony real soon.
RRoan
Technogaianist
- Location
- 'round a far, distant star
The booster has 42 engines. 42.
The big spherical tank shows up inside both of the spacecraft's main tanks as well:
And they clearly have feed lines to the engines. I'd guess they're tanks specifically for landing propellant to avoid having it slosh around in the cavernous main tanks. The booster doesn't have one in the oxidizer tank, but it does have that obnoxiously huge feed line running down the center of the fuel tank. I bet that line's big enough to contain all the oxygen needed for landing...
The big spherical tank shows up inside both of the spacecraft's main tanks as well:
And they clearly have feed lines to the engines. I'd guess they're tanks specifically for landing propellant to avoid having it slosh around in the cavernous main tanks. The booster doesn't have one in the oxidizer tank, but it does have that obnoxiously huge feed line running down the center of the fuel tank. I bet that line's big enough to contain all the oxygen needed for landing...
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Twisted Mentat
Coding Kiwi
- Location
- Wellington, NZ
Jim Starluck
CO, ICS Vanguard
- Location
- Cincinnati, OH
Well, it is the answer to Life, the Universe & Everything... I wonder if perhaps that is not a coincidence?
I'd hate to be the poor bastard writing the environmental impact report for that. 9,200 tons of liquid methane and oxygen (booster and tanker) means that any pad or early launch failure has the potential to rival Hiroshima and Nagasaki in scale.
Aside from the issues with financing it, I don't see them ever getting the regulatory approval to fly such a monster.
Aside from the issues with financing it, I don't see them ever getting the regulatory approval to fly such a monster.
Richardson
CAN YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?
- Location
- Yes
Thing is, they're already building the test components of the initial hull. They're already close to finalized designs on the craft, and already have the initial components built. Wait, I already told you this on SB!
Seriously, this is basically 'who cares if it might blow up, we pay dollars per kilo!' territory. So cheap that it doesn't matter that there is any possible risk at all, because you're going to be paying $50k for an average-sized sat on a properly reused booster. And if SpaceX fails, they've got the blueprints laid out for Bezos to take up the torch.
Seriously:
*Checks* Ah, with the tanker stated cargo capacity of 380 tons of fuel to the parking orbit, it's $9 dollars per kilo to LEO.
Let's do a little comparison of current launch costs, shall we?
For the promise of literally cutting millions of dollars off the cost to LEO, yeah, anybody in any frame of mind is basically going to 'TAKE MY LOVE, MY HATE, AND ALL OF MY MONEY' at SpaceX for this beautiful bastard.
Basically, as pointed out by the above comparison, it would be a strategic asset for the US to have this monster, as it would make space infrastructure pocket change. $2500 for a person to orbit (land anywhere in the world!), the possibility of orbital solar power on the cheap at long last, literally ALL the probes on a single launch, useful payloads to the moon...
And with this kind of money, Musk could go 'well, why don't I just build myself the mother of all barges and float my big beautiful bastard out into the middle of the pacific if you're so damn worried about it' if regulatory approval for launches from the US isn't a thing.
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Jim Starluck
CO, ICS Vanguard
- Location
- Cincinnati, OH
Well, they did launch the first Falcon 1s from a Pacific island, and there's nothing more supervillain than launching a giant rocket from your remote island base...