CatastrophicFailure

Could be worse. Grew some cayenne peppers this season, was cutting them up for the dryer, oops, my eye itches... Seriously tho, how do you peel those suckers without them turning into mush?

AFAIK the engines need to run on liquid. If you tried to run them on gas, well, you’d find out exactly how a BFS tolerates exploding engines.

But ya can’t ask for better timing for once. Reasonable hours on a Saturday AND the first west-coast RTLS! They’ve made a very impressive test piece, but it remains the big unknown as far as mechanical issues. Falcon 9 has already demonstrated they can build a rocket that can survive an engine exploding, a failing Raptor likely wouldn’t cause a RUD, there are no helium tanks to break loose or burst outright, but how is that huge composite structure going to handle repeated hot/cold cycles, flight pressures, etc? They’ll still need to bring some cryogenic methane/oxygen all the way to Mars for landing/maneuvering.

It is perhaps worth noting that neither of the two Falcon 9 failures could occur on the BFR, there’s no helium system, it will use the fuel and oxidizer themselves to pressurize the tanks, so no worries about burst helium bottles. There could, of course, still be other failure modes, but the technical stuff we are seeing demonstrates more and more that SpaceX has done and continues to do their homework, and then there’s all the stuff going on behind the scenes that we don’t see. I think it’s the integrity of the tanks themselves that’s the biggest risk of a RUD right now.

Sounds like a keeper indeed. And belated happy returns of the day. Also best check your pockets, those meerkats are shifty.

Details, man!

Context received.

Ok, this one demands some context...

Ooooooh, origin story! Ooooooh, ginormous weird-looking ship! Ooooh, I need to wait and experience this on more than just a phone.

Holey mother of—! And I thought I had an expensive commute taking a ferry every day. I’ve never before heard someone say driving was actually cheaper than public transit, especially in Europe.

I recall Musk saying they plan to do exactly that, tho I’m guessing the very first BFG is going to be a pretty stripped down affair: no heatshield, fewer engines, etc. Like the original Grashopper (OG?).

Aw yeah, running the tank dry ain’t gonna hurt that thing. Tho best to avoid it anyway, for obvious reasons. As a bus driver, this astounds and confuses me. Straight six? Surely the head gasket isn’t that hard to replace... right?

Interesting... so apparently the issue was with the second stage, if they had to take the whole thing apart and test fire it. That can’t be a trivial thing to do.

Not realistically. This is exactly why they’re building the BFFactory right on the pier in LA.

Likely, since that seems to be their shift of focus there. With two pads in Florida, I can’t see having another “east coast” Falcon pad being a huge priority. Somewhere to launch the BFG from, now that is. Especially since they have a deposit now.

This. Tho @p1t1o c’mon, man we need details! You never forget your first.

That’s the one, tho that theory has largely been debunked. still great fodder for fiction writers tho... So, back on topic, Boca Chica, right?

The first cargo ship needs to be called Planet Express Ship.

Now that’s... interesting... ETA: Wait, I get it, took me a minute.

I don’t know what’s more disturbing, that it exists at all, that it happens so much there’s actually a name for it, or that said name sounds so... silly.

That’s... odd. Copy+pasting the entire link gives an “invalid address” error, but just swapping SufabZk.jpg into a working link gives a 404.

Ok, I see a grating where the wind comes in, but how does the wind get out? of the room, that is... Also, what’s the plaque on the exhaust assembly say?

Proof the SpaceX team plays Kerbal, they made it to carry the standard orange tank.

That’s no moon...