Company says it is building world's biggest rocket

Yahoo News ^ | 5 Apr 2011 | SETH BORENSTEIN

[mandaladon]

WASHINGTON – A high-tech entrepreneur has unveiled plans to launch the world's most powerful rocket since man went to the moon.

The rocket could lift twice as much cargo into orbit as the soon-to-be-retired space shuttle.

Space Exploration Technology's new rocket called Falcon Heavy is big enough to send cargo or even people out of Earth's orbit to the moon, an asteroid or Mars. Only the long retired Saturn V rocket that sent men to the moon was bigger.

Space X president Elon Musk said Falcon Heavy will be far cheaper than government or private rockets. Launches are about $100 million each. The first launch is slotted for 2013 from California.

Potential customers are NASA, the military, other governments and satellite makers.

Musk founded PayPal and launches smaller rockets.

[mandaladon]

Space X president Elon Musk said Falcon Heavy will be far cheaper than government or private rockets. Launches are about $100 million each. The first launch is slotted for 2013 from California government is always more expensive than private sector.

[ClearCase_guy]

Bernie Madoff thought he had the world's biggest racket.

But Social Security still wins that prize.

[ClearCase_guy]

[Venturer]

There is a big difference between plans and a rocket of his description.

call me back in 2013 and lets see how close he is.

[TSgt]

[printhead]

I stood under one of the Saturn V engines at the National Air & Space Museum once. I read somewhere that during launch power output was equal to 20% of the country’s electric power output for that time. And they designed that stuff with slide rules. Kind of like the big guns on the battleships, they won’t be built again.

[RexBeach]

Does Paris Hilton or Snooky know about this?

[Atlas Sneezed]

“World’s largest” except it ain’t.

[mandaladon]

[lurk]

Hey, dream big and go for it. As long as it’s a private venture and creates jobs, it’s cool.

One would think, though, that once the motor itself reaches a certain size, the thrust-weight ratio would start to flatten out.

[JRandomFreeper]

He's got a reputation of doing what he plans. His company is the first private entity to orbit a man-ratable capsule and return it safely.

/johnny

[thecabal]

Seeing that this is just an incremental improvement over his already-proven rockets, I don’t think this is just hype.

[mandaladon]

http://www.spacex.com/falcon_heavy.php

[Emperor Palpatine]

Well, Wehrner von Braun was a genius.

We actually went to the moon with less computer power than is in a calculator you can get for $1.98 at Wally’s today.

[Moonman62]

There is a big difference between plans and a rocket of his description.

call me back in 2013 and lets see how close he is.

Some of the components they will use have already been used successfully on real launches.

[BenLurkin]

So...27 different opportunities for a malfunction?

[The_Victor]

Space X president Elon Musk said Falcon Heavy will be far cheaper than government or private rockets. Launches are about $100 million each. The first launch is slotted for 2013 from California.

Potential customers are NASA, the military, other governments and satellite makers.

Musk founded PayPal and launches smaller rockets.

So I can charge one on my PayPal account?

[Moonman62]

I stood under one of the Saturn V engines at the National Air & Space Museum once. I read somewhere that during launch power output was equal to 20% of the country’s electric power output for that time. And they designed that stuff with slide rules. Kind of like the big guns on the battleships, they won’t be built again.

Initial studies for the F1 began in the early 1950's.

[smokingfrog]

But can he do it cheaper than the russians?

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

It will never happen as there is no Muslim outreach mentioned.