darthgently Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 Could a Falcon 9 with single seat cabin (say 500 lbs with occupant) and no 2nd stage take off from KSC and land at Boca Chica? Just brainstorming ways that critical SpaceX personnel could commute between the sites, lol Imagine being a Boca Chica welder with a certain set of skills. Near the end of your shift Musk approaches and says, "are you up for more overtime and a road trip? Well not a road trip per se, anyway, how is your heart? Any fibrillation issues? KSC needs your certain set of skills ASAP. Pee before you go" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 RSS and the F9 mod are calling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kspbutitscursed Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 what is this LMAO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmerben Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 sounds doable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnemoe Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 2 hours ago, farmerben said: sounds doable I agree, say it would even work with an dragon capsule on top of first stage as its much lighter than second stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monophonic Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 Probably technically doable. Also, given the required set-up times for rocket launches, it is probably much quicker to just charter a bizjet to Brownsville and take company car from there. Also, given the flight path goes right over Orlando International, impossible to get FAA permit for a rocket hop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerbiloid Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 (edited) Sitting in Teslas. The F9 first stage jettisons the Teslas, and, without landing, turns back to Boca-Chica. The Teslas are chuting down, landing in desert, and ride to the object. Edited September 12 by kerbiloid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darthgently Posted September 12 Author Share Posted September 12 8 hours ago, kerbiloid said: Sitting in Teslas. The F9 first stage jettisons the Teslas, and, without landing, turns back to Boca-Chica. The Teslas are chuting down, landing in desert, and ride to the object. Plan C: 1. F9 + stripped basic Crew Dragon (renamed Crew Secret Squirrel) with no 2nd stage, booster RTLS after releasing Squirrel into ballistic path toward target, Squirrel uses super dracos to correct and land at target. 2. Sell to Pentagon as small team specops point to point insertion solution. 3. Go back in time to 1979 [@spacescifi pls insert solution here] and do Iran hostage rescue properly with 3 or 4 Squirrels simultaneously landing and teams securing the perimeter prior to rescue copters coming in. The shock and awe of multiple capsules making powered landings in proximity would be pretty cool, especially in '79 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubinator Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 Falcon 9 takes 40 minutes from start of fueling to launch. Is that faster than taking an average business jet across the gulf? They are even coming out with supersonic ones... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve9728 Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 50 minutes ago, darthgently said: Plan C: 1. F9 + stripped basic Crew Dragon (renamed Crew Secret Squirrel) with no 2nd stage, booster RTLS after releasing Squirrel into ballistic path toward target, Squirrel uses super dracos to correct and land at target. 2. Sell to Pentagon as small team specops point to point insertion solution. 3. Go back in time to 1979 [@spacescifi pls insert solution here] and do Iran hostage rescue properly with 3 or 4 Squirrels simultaneously landing and teams securing the perimeter prior to rescue copters coming in. The shock and awe of multiple capsules making powered landings in proximity would be pretty cool, especially in '79 I think you need His Angels with the drop pods Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gargamel Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 Pretty sure keeping an Emirates 380/747 on standby would be cheaper, easier, and waaaay more comfortable. But yeah it seems doable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darthgently Posted September 12 Author Share Posted September 12 56 minutes ago, cubinator said: Falcon 9 takes 40 minutes from start of fueling to launch. Is that faster than taking an average business jet across the gulf? They are even coming out with supersonic ones... Make that a business jet that can land on a tiny level surface and I'm with you on this. If Dragon can land as accurately as F9 then it could come in supersonic and land on a heli pad or a small concrete parking lot extremely quickly. The LZ surface may suffer, obviously. Anyway, just a whimsical thought experiment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBase Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 Boca Chica to KSC is 1666km according to google maps. So less than 2h with some businessjet. There are several comercial flights < 6h and of course some dead time until flight leaves, however I doubt a standby businessjet is cheaper than 10h extra wait time. For critical timeframes it is probably cheapest just to get personal on standby to Boca Chica. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darthgently Posted September 12 Author Share Posted September 12 2 hours ago, CBase said: Boca Chica to KSC is 1666km according to google maps. So less than 2h with some businessjet. There are several comercial flights < 6h and of course some dead time until flight leaves, however I doubt a standby businessjet is cheaper than 10h extra wait time. For critical timeframes it is probably cheapest just to get personal on standby to Boca Chica. All true. Undeniably. It makes one wonder if the OP was meant to be whimsical, humorous, and Kerbalish. Best, most fitting response: 23 hours ago, tater said: RSS and the F9 mod are calling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gargamel Posted September 13 Share Posted September 13 19 hours ago, darthgently said: Make that a business jet that can land on a tiny level surface and I'm with you on this. If Dragon can land as accurately as F9 then it could come in supersonic and land on a heli pad or a small concrete parking lot extremely quickly. The LZ surface may suffer, obviously. Anyway, just a whimsical thought experiment And then double the flight time as the passenger has to take a moment to collect themselves and pull themselves together, literally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannu2 Posted September 13 Share Posted September 13 I hope FAA officer who handle application of licensing external seat has enough KSP experience to understand that it is very natural and practical way to pilot space ships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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