Tommygun

Well as technology gets more advanced it takes longer to design and test it. The P-51 took 102 days to design and build the first prototype, the F-22 took about 11 years just to make it's first flight.

Any chance it could be a multi purpose design? That is, a cargo carrier and space station module.

I've never had an issue with the SLS. Ideally if NASA had a bigger budget it should have the SLS, but NASA can't afford both the SLS and have money left over to do any really big projects at the same time. With the funding they have, I think they would have been better off upgrading the Delta IV to a 100 ton payload rocket and learning to build smaller modular spacecraft.

Teflon or PTFE is used as an oxidizer for aluminium and magnesium. If you used liquid Teflon as a binder for the potassium nitrate, would it still be considered an oxidizer?

Well I guess, if you make a small motor, say 75mm long, you might get by and not use a binding material. They don't use any on those small "candy rockets". With a big motor you have issues with vibrations shaking the solid fuel and making it break apart.

I wonder how alcohol which is just a modified sugar molecule would work with it. Would you need to mix the potassium nitrate into something like rubber to keep it from just exploding?

But isn't that partly made possible by having a large ballast weight at the bottom. I think the cone shape needs less ballast.

Well strong oxidizers do have a tendency to react to things they touch, so it may be a safety issue. You may want to look into paraffin wax hybrids.

I've always heard that the cone shape was chosen for all of the US capsules as it is self righting if it tumbles over during reentry.

Well they did play around with the shuttle for 30 of those years and another 10 or so to design and test it.

I have had a few of these type of emergency flashlights over the years. The power plug and recharger is built into the flash light and it comes on when the power goes off. The problem I had with them is that the rechargeable batteries go bad pretty quickly and you have to buy a new light every 18 months or so, otherwise the light would only last 10 or 20 minutes. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Dorcy-Failsafe-Rechargeable-LED-Emergency-Flashlight-41-1032/204305304

There is also the Sea Dragon concept that could put 550 metric tons into LEO. Although I think launching from the sea would have made things much more difficult and expensive, the rocket itself is an interesting idea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Dragon_%28rocket%29

Oh that's right, I forgot about them being reused.

I was thinking the Smithsonian may want the first manned Orion though.

Youtube comments need to be banned as a human rights violation.

I'm having Apollo flash backs:

Nope that's off Baja California, so Margaritas for everyone.

Chutes out: It's wet!

Last image before reentry, 9 minutes of waiting now:

They pre-drilled two holes into the heat shield to see what happens! One is about 38mm deep and about as wide.

Free flight:

From Apogee:

It's so high! About 4900km so far.

Yes, it's scary looking. I'm a bit surprised they tolerate that much burning.

You pretty much have fire all over the place.