SpaceX testing Starship, it did fly today and landed, ish... For so many "Never been done before's" it did well, and the next prototype is already flight ready.
Stonesie wrote:SpaceX testing Starship, it did fly today and landed, ish... For so many "Never been done before's" it did well, and the next prototype is already flight ready.
Incredible isn't it? It's not so much the technology that's so impressive it's the method of prototyping and production. Lightyears ahead of anything that's been done before.
It is, and how free they are with information, I can't imagine ULA live streaming the first flight of a prototype, although after this, they might.
Within half an hour Elon published the cause of the landing issue as low pressure in the methane header tank, and oxygen rich exhaust will eat anything including the copper cooling channels within the nozzle... Hence the green flame.
Monty wrote:
Incredible isn't it? It's not so much the technology that's so impressive it's the method of prototyping and production. Lightyears ahead of anything that's been done before.
Do you believe that's due to the lack of govt./NASA involvement...??
Monty wrote:
Incredible isn't it? It's not so much the technology that's so impressive it's the method of prototyping and production. Lightyears ahead of anything that's been done before.
Do you believe that's due to the lack of govt./NASA involvement...??
No, it's just the prototyping principle they are working to, and it's really simple but very effective. They have multiple stage prototypes that run concurrently, whatever they learn in one can be utilised up or down the range. They don't have to test one, learn from it and then build another one so it massively speeds up the development and reduces cost.