totm nov 2023 SpaceX Discussion Thread

[tater]

 

[magnemoe]

On 3/17/2019 at 9:58 PM, Flying dutchman said:

I think it's great they are not putting too much effort into the hopper anymore. The real mountain to climb here is keeping this thing stable through reentry and flipping it before landing. I think that is what makes or breaks this spaceship and i can't wait for them to begin testing this.

Still see an issue with hopper tipping over at least then not under trust during decent. Yes you could spin stabilize. 

The problem is that drag is not going up much then you tilt the hopper it might even go down. This will create stability issues then not under trust. 

[CatastrophicFailure]

1 minute ago, magnemoe said:

Still see an issue with hopper tipping over at least then not under trust during decent. Yes you could spin stabilize. 

The problem is that drag is not going up much then you tilt the hopper it might even go down. This will create stability issues then not under trust. 

Solution: always be under thrust. 

I’m not sure if the original Grasshopper or F9R did any engine-off coasting from altitude, but it’s a safe bet the StarHopper will not— it doesn’t need to. Starship won’t do a hover-slam like a Falcon booster, the engine(s) will come on for the final flip to tail-down, and presumably be running until touchdown. 

This hopper obviously doesn’t have any of the other needed aerodynamic hardware for unpowered descents either. 

[Xd the great]

15 minutes ago, magnemoe said:

Still see an issue with hopper tipping over at least then not under trust during decent. Yes you could spin stabilize. 

The problem is that drag is not going up much then you tilt the hopper it might even go down. This will create stability issues then not under trust. 

Maybe they should make the fins longer and thinner and more rod-shaped. Like your arms and limbs during parachuting.

I can't imagine a starship tumbling and then righting itself.

[magnemoe]

1 hour ago, CatastrophicFailure said:

Solution: always be under thrust. 

I’m not sure if the original Grasshopper or F9R did any engine-off coasting from altitude, but it’s a safe bet the StarHopper will not— it doesn’t need to. Starship won’t do a hover-slam like a Falcon booster, the engine(s) will come on for the final flip to tail-down, and presumably be running until touchdown. 

This hopper obviously doesn’t have any of the other needed aerodynamic hardware for unpowered descents either. 

Grasshopper had to power down as then low on fuel twr would be far higher than one. 
Starship is much heavier and the raptor has an higher throttle range but the hopper is also much lighter than the orbital starship. 
Grasshopper should not be able to hover, nor the hopper even if starship probably can. 

[StrandedonEarth]

How full will it be for the first flights? Did they put any baffles in those tanks?

[Jacke]

On 3/17/2019 at 1:35 PM, kerbiloid said:

It's not made in a barn.
It IS the barn.

A spaceport of future.

 

Quote

Chores today:

• Plow back 40
• Patch fence in the far SE corner
• Clean up the wreck at the end of the runway
• Patch the leak in the LOX feed lines to the launchpad
• Move the doublewide farther behind the safety bunker

 

[KSK]

I’d say Squad do need to bring back the Barn - but for the Tier 4 space centre buildings. Because realism.

I’m going to Heck for this aren’t I? Where all the good trolls hang out.

Edited March 19, 2019 by KSK

[tater]

 

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

7 hours ago, KSK said:

I’d say Squad do need to bring back the Barn - but for the Tier 4 space centre buildings. Because realism.

I’m going to Heck for this aren’t I? Where all the good trolls hang out.

Squad: We made a rocketship game with fuel tanks that look like sheet metal tanks.

Everyone else: That's so unrealistic! These shiny spaceplane parts look so much better!

Squad: OK, we'll revamp the old parts.

SpaceX: LOL

[KSK]

1 hour ago, Mad Rocket Scientist said:

Squad: We made a rocketship game with fuel tanks that look like sheet metal tanks.

Everyone else: That's so unrealistic! These shiny spaceplane parts look so much better!

Squad: OK, we'll revamp the old parts.

SpaceX: LOL

It’s the Pegasus 1 mobility enhancers attached to the side of the dome that I like. Presumably so that the SpaceX engineers can scamper over their creation like caffeinated rodents.

Or something,

[magnemoe]

11 hours ago, KSK said:

I’d say Squad do need to bring back the Barn - but for the Tier 4 space centre buildings. Because realism.

I’m going to Heck for this aren’t I? Where all the good trolls hang out.

Trolls are playing other games, in WOW troll is an playable race. 

And no trolling is not about trolls, its an way to fish using an net traveling along the sea bottom. 

And yes its SpaceX who is trolling everybody. 
This is not how your build rockets, hold my beer, coat and glasses  

[StrandedonEarth]

4 hours ago, Mad Rocket Scientist said:

Squad: We made a rocketship game with fuel tanks that look like sheet metal tanks.

Everyone else: That's so unrealistic! These shiny spaceplane parts look so much better!

Squad: OK, we'll revamp the old parts.

SpaceX: LOL

At least SpaceX is using the PBR shaders for that nice shiny look. IMO that’s all the RockoMax swimming pool / oil drum tanks needed. 

They really need to get some “Jeb’s Junkyard” stickers for the F9 grid fins and landing legs. 

[tater]

 

[tater]

Sunk cost fallacy need not apply for a position at SpaceX:

https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-all-in-steel-starship-super-heavy/

This is the BFR carbon fiber tent and part:

[StrandedonEarth]

32 minutes ago, tater said:

Sunk cost fallacy need not apply for a position at SpaceX:

https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-all-in-steel-starship-super-heavy/

This is the BFR carbon fiber tent and part:

I wonder what they did with the tooling/mandrel piece. Could they still use it to wrap stainless steel sheets around?

the “S.S.” in “S.S. Heart of Gold” has new meaning from the old days...

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

2 hours ago, StrandedonEarth said:

I wonder what they did with the tooling/mandrel piece. Could they still use it to wrap stainless steel sheets around?

the “S.S.” in “S.S. Heart of Gold” has new meaning from the old days...

That pile of scrap is the BFR tool.

[Ultimate Steve]

That's understandable but it's still a bit sad to see for some reason.

[tater]

1 hour ago, Ultimate Steve said:

That's understandable but it's still a bit sad to see for some reason.

I kinda love it.

Not working, move on.

 

[Xd the great]

4 hours ago, Ultimate Steve said:

That's understandable but it's still a bit sad to see for some reason.

They should have sold it off to whatever University.

[Cunjo Carl]

Rumor from over at the spacex redit was that the rent was getting prohibitive and the port was trying to strongarm SpaceX into a worse deal so they peaced out. That could explain some of the 'take no prisoners' approach to clearing out the old space.

[Barzon]

Almost at page 600!

[Starman4308]

23 hours ago, tater said:

Sunk cost fallacy need not apply for a position at SpaceX:

https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-all-in-steel-starship-super-heavy/

This is the BFR carbon fiber tent and part:

To be fair, holding onto the plant is not itself a sunk cost fallacy. So long as there was some probability of needing it again (such as if major issues were found with the stainless steel design), it makes sense to retain it.

However, they must have reached a tipping point where the chance of ever needing it was too small compared to the cost of upkeep... which goes along with the rumor that the rent was being increased.

[tater]

 

Live camera of Hopper. Could fire in the next couple minutes (or any point in the next several hours).

[StrandedonEarth]

So, they could light that candle at any time, and I’m stuck at work. The stream would make good background on a Saturday morning....