totm nov 2023 SpaceX Discussion Thread

[CatastrophicFailure]

36 minutes ago, darthgently said:

can’t think of a valid use case but it would be so dang spectacular

Asteroid deterrence . 
 

[Nuke]

17 hours ago, Ultimate Steve said:

I guess being unemployed and not in education has its benefits. Watch party it is.

every day is education day when you aint got nothing to do. liner algebra, calculus, metal work, carpentry, electronics, programming, how to do these things with zero budget. would i have had all these skills if i stayed in school, nope. id be working some job either filling in holes dug by others or digging holes. i dont need money to prosper.

Edited 6 hours ago by Nuke

[tater]

 

[Ultimate Steve]

1 hour ago, darthgently said:

I’ve been subject to intrusive imaginings of a duel Superheavy launch and landing utilizing both towers at once.  I can’t think of a valid use case but it would be so dang spectacular

I could see it for bulk refueling. If they actually do get to the point of doing a Mars flotilla, they only get 1, maybe 2 shots at each orbital plane per day per launch site. If all of the Mars ships are in the same orbital plane for transfer and convenience reasons, doing only 1 launch per day would be effectively wasting half of their propellant throughput.

[Terwin]

2 hours ago, Nuke said:

thing i worry about here is that spacex lets this fast tracking go to its head and starts making mistakes.

Musk wants to 'go fast and break things' so making mistakes and learning from them is part of the game plan.

'If you do not need to put it back at least 10% of the time, you are not removing enough parts' sounds like another 'make mistakes and learn from it'

Verifying safety for human passengers by successfully launching unmanned lots of times with plenty of safety margin seems more reliable than proving that the vehicle is theoretically safe on paper like they did for the shuttle(before they realized it was a lot less safe then they thought).

[tater]

 

 

1 hour ago, Terwin said:

Musk wants to 'go fast and break things' so making mistakes and learning from them is part of the game plan.

Nonetheless, they still test and simulate everything. Going fast doesn't mean they're reckless.

[darthgently]

2 hours ago, Ultimate Steve said:

I could see it for bulk refueling. If they actually do get to the point of doing a Mars flotilla, they only get 1, maybe 2 shots at each orbital plane per day per launch site. If all of the Mars ships are in the same orbital plane for transfer and convenience reasons, doing only 1 launch per day would be effectively wasting half of their propellant throughput.

“So, you’re saying there’s a chance?”

[Vanamonde]

Some comments removed. Please avoid politics. It just never ends well.