RCgothic

I propose: A planet is a gravitationally rounded body. A major moon is a planet that orbits a barycentre inside a non-stellar primary. A binary planet is a pair of planets orbiting a barycentre that is in free space at least some of the time. An asteroid is not gravitationally rounded. An asteroid orbiting a planet or planetoid is a natural satellite. A planetoid is a transitional form that is somewhat rounded by gravity. A minor moon is a planetoid that orbits a planet. Therefore the moon is a major moon that is a planet. Later in its life cycle it will be a binary planet with Earth.

11th consecutive launch and landing of this particular booster. Seventh. I must have misheard the stream. Of course it's not coming in anywhere near as hot as a falcon 9.

Add me to the "we should have dozens of planets" caucus. Ceres was a planet before Pluto was. A planet should be defined by its shape and size, not by where it happens to be. By current definition a rogue gas giant could not be a planet because it's impossible to clear a hyperbolic orbit.

Yes, SN8's propellant is limited by only having 3 engines and the requirement to get off the pad. Add 3 fixed thrust-optimised raptors instead of vacuum raptors blanks and that's another 750t of propellant (1150 total) it can carry. ~8km/s DV with 0 payload and 120t dry mass. That's ballpark P2P2Anywhere, but I'd expect any suborbital version to either *not* have range to anywhere on the planet, or to have more than six engines. Starship can comfortably fit nine sea level raptors.

Assuming a TWR of 1.2 with 0 payload, 120t dry mass, 210t thrust per Raptor and an average ISP of 340: SN8 would have 395t of propellant and 4.9km/s of DV. F9 first stage with 15.8t payload and 116t second stage on top has about 3km/s DV. But I don't really think this is a test they'll actually perform!

I think so. Once you've got engine relight and the landing manoeuvre sorted the limiting factor becomes thermal protection. You'd need a heat shield for a return from LEO, but not from 100km straight up. I'd be willing to bet SN8 could come in faster and hotter than an F9 first stage.

No, Pluto is a dwarf planet, or planetoid. That said, I think the *has cleared its orbit* criteria is rubbish. If you transported Pluto to the inner solar system it would be a planet. That doesn't seem like a good definition to me.

In Star Trek the Impulse Driver Coils envelop the ship in a low-grade subspace field that lowers the effective mass of the ship. Congratulations, now a miniscule quantity of propellant can propel a ship to high fractions of c. In Mass Effect a ship's drive core generates a negative mass effect field that actually lowers the vessel's mass. Same outcome. You've got a setting with warp drives and anti-gravity. Unless you've got a compelling story reason, hand-wave it.

There will definitely be tiles on the hot side of the flaps.

The second raptor is #32.

ST is a massive Battle Angel Alita fan and photoshoots Alita and her number 99 onto basically everything.

The problem you have with rock atoms is the same problem you have with air atoms. I think conventional wisdom is that is that you're shunted to the closest free space within 1000ft and take up to 3d6 damage. Or the teleport fails and you take 4d6.

Crew-1 delayed due to the issue with GPS-3. I guess it may have been more serious than we thought.

Hurray!

SN8 does look much more like a finished article, doesn't it?

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/10/space-force-considers-merging-cape-canaveral-with-kennedy-space-center/?comments=1 It appears that Space Force are considering a merger of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station with Kennedy Space Centre in order to more efficiently utilise the range resources.

Apparently successful. But so was last time!

Err, what... Lighting 28 Raptors with twice the thrust of Saturn V without a flame diverter is an interesting choice... A few weeks for highbay and superheavy stacking.

Appears that SN8 passed its cryo proof test. Both tanks completely frosted and detanked. Waiting for confirmation.

1) is mostly water vapour from the pad sound suppression system and possibly some dust being kicked up of the pad. 2) A more expanded exhaust is cooler so it isn't as bright.

And we also have a fairing catch! Don't know what happened to the other half yet.