Jump to content

SpaceX Discussion Thread


Skylon

Recommended Posts

7 minutes ago, RealKerbal3x said:

The weird thing is, I'm way more concerned about the impact this incident will have on Starship progress than I am about SN8 exploding.

Not that weird.  Obviously the hope was for SN8 to land, but it was definitely not expected to.

SN9 tipping was not planned.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, RCgothic said:

This fin looks a bit damaged to me:

I think the edge had been caved in.

 

 

Yeah - the retaining strap seems to penetrate the metal.  zoomed in on the lower right image - and that does not look up to spec.

 

My thoughts; the actuators are probably gooned up as well.  They probably need to redo all previous pressure testing - or just call it 

 

F

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kicking around some ideas for the Starship landing legs...what do y'all think of this?

1997553.jpg

The internal legs rotate out just like the ones on SN5, SN6, SN8, and so forth. However, they are solid pieces of metal; no crush cores or auto-leveling elements. Each leg is paired with an external fairing like the ones shown in the renders on the SpaceX website. They contain a hydraulic piston with an internal crush core, just like the ones on the Falcon 9 first stage.

This means that the most sensitive element -- those hydraulic pistons with crush cores -- doesn't have to rotate. The load path is split -- half against the base of the skirt, and half through the piston and fairing to the upper skirt. The hydraulic pistons can provide a degree of auto-leveling. The rotating joint is completely separate from the piston and so they can both be serviced/swapped out independently.

Depending on how much internal clearance you have, the legs could even be much farther out...not as far out as Falcon 9, of course, but significant nonetheless.

1997555.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, sevenperforce said:

Kicking around some ideas for the Starship landing legs...what do y'all think of this?

1997553.jpg

 

I like the design of that very much. You put a lot of thought into that. The only problem area I can see is how much of an uneven or unlevel surface they could be used on, especially the wider variant. If they are used for auto-levelling, wouldn't that put all the weight on one part of the foot? The foot itself needs to be able to rotate a little to allow for that. Maybe it's in the design but I missed it. 

EDIT: If you're adding external fairings anyway, how about a worm screw powered by an electric motor, like a glorified version of this? 

Hff71ccbb1e5643f09caeabc0cb1a740cv.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why am I noticing a curse of odd-numbered Starship prototypes?

- Both Mk1 and SN1 popped

-SN2 survived

-SN3 popped

-SN4 was destroyed by a GSE issue (not its fault, so it's not part of the curse)

-SN5 flew, but its engine was on fire a bit

-SN6 flew without any visible issues

-SN7 was tested to destruction

-SN8 flew almost perfectly

-SN9 tipped over in the high bay

It doesn't apply in all cases, but I can see a pattern emerging here :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, RealKerbal3x said:

Why am I noticing a curse of odd-numbered Starship prototypes?

- Both Mk1 and SN1 popped

-SN2 survived

-SN3 popped

-SN4 was destroyed by a GSE issue (not its fault, so it's not part of the curse)

-SN5 flew, but its engine was on fire a bit

-SN6 flew without any visible issues

-SN7 was tested to destruction

-SN8 flew almost perfectly

-SN9 tipped over in the high bay

It doesn't apply in all cases, but I can see a pattern emerging here :P

its the Kerbonacci Sequence!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

59 minutes ago, Deddly said:

I like the design of that very much. You put a lot of thought into that. The only problem area I can see is how much of an uneven or unlevel surface they could be used on, especially the wider variant. If they are used for auto-levelling, wouldn't that put all the weight on one part of the foot? The foot itself needs to be able to rotate a little to allow for that. Maybe it's in the design but I missed it. 

I think I have an idea for how the foot could auto-level. Working on it now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, tater said:

The only problem is the fact that anything external complicates TPS.

Lunar Starship? That's fine, never does Earth EDL.

Anything external only complicates TPS if you have to have a seam in the TPS. My model doesn't need a seam in the TPS.

Okay, here you go. I think this would actually work.

index.php?action=dlattach;topic=52460.0;

The "high heel" or "stiletto" has no hydraulics in it; just a spring and a crush core. The pistons on the outer fairings have hydraulics and crush cores. The only actuated part in the "stiletto" is the hinge itself. The pistons do all the auto-leveling and the springs in the "high heel" will compensate automatically.

This design can handle coming down on one leg, on two legs, lateral velocity -- anything. Everything that contacts the ground is safely tucked up inside the skirt until it needs to be deployed. No seam in the heat shield. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, sevenperforce said:

Anything external only complicates TPS if you have to have a seam in the TPS. My model doesn't need a seam in the TPS.

There's still the interface with the tank/hull, even if the gear fairings are 1 piece.

The renders you're talking about are lunar Starship, right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...