Posted on 04/16/2023 2:00:15 PM PDT by BenLurkin
...150-minute window that opens at 8 a.m. Eastern on Monday, April 17.
Standing at nearly 400 feet tall, Starship is made of gleaming stainless steel, an unusual choice in a business where every pound of weight matters. SpaceX started out looking at advanced, lightweight composites for Starship...steel was cheap, abundant, and most importantly, incredibly tough. It could hold cryogenic rocket fuel and tolerate the grueling heat of re-entry better than other materials.
The rocket also uses an unconventional fuel choice – methane. Most high-powered rockets use hydrogen for fuel because it is lightweight and highly efficient...
...methane does have some advantages...cheaper to produce and easier to handle the hydrogen, and trace amounts of methane are present in the atmosphere of Mars. That means that a future Starship mission to the red planet might be able to refuel by drawing methane from the atmosphere or another local source.
To make up for its extra weight, Starship depends on powerful engines called Raptors. The spacecraft itself uses six Raptors to fly, but the super-heavy booster that will lift it into space uses 33 of the engines, working together.
Again, the decision to use such a large number of engines is a trade-off, according to Lozano. It allows the rocket to produce an enormous amount of thrust, which it needs to get off the ground. But, he adds, "having that large number of rocket engines firing simultaneously – it's actually quite hard. I think that's going to be one of the biggest challenges."
Musk believes that the cheap, durable design of Starship will make it a workhorse for getting things into space. Speaking last year, Musk said he hoped Starship could be reused every six to eight hours, and the booster might be reusable, in theory at least, every hour.
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
It would be better to build it in orbit.🤔
These NPR writers are deliberately thick-skulled.
“...methane does have some advantages...cheaper to produce and easier to handle the hydrogen, and trace amounts of methane are present in the atmosphere of Mars. That means that a future Starship mission to the red planet might be able to refuel by drawing methane from the atmosphere or another local source.”
Space X haven’t been secretive about the plan to make methane fuel in situ using electrolysis of water and the Sabatier reaction with CO2. That’s Masks stated reason for choosing methylOx for the starship.
Looks very Martian Chronicles. The scary part is I think Musk wants it for a million-year picnic.
He should have negotiated an Air Force contract
—
USAF does not have a suitable site in south Texas and does not control Boca Chica. Vanderburg AFB is further from the Equator than Boca Chica - a disadvantage. Moreover, he would be at the mercy of USAF bureaucrats and no longer independent.
Potential Scrub, pressure issues in first stage?
At T-8 minutes, they’re talking about a scrub. Plan to run the count to T-10 seconds.
10-4 SCRUBBED TODAYS LAUNCH, 48 hour reset till next try.
Squantos you’re clear for your balloon flight 🤪
Darn it, I pulled all my Hobby Balloons down, last night...
They should have tried to launch anyways.
What’s the worst that could have happened?????
That laz is a “Go for it!!” kind og guy/
Democrats are charging for hot air .......SOB’s !!!!
I’ll have a picture for you in a fw weeks.....
Damned it !!!
Aren’t You near the He supply ?
Washington State Governor Inslee is predicted to sign the new “assault weapons” ban (on sales) on the 20th.
As well as Hitler’s b-day and pot day, it is the anniversary of the Columbine HS shooting. Although the ban would fit with all three.
SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, April 19 at 8:50 a.m. ET (12:50 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 21 second-generation Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. If needed, there are additional launch opportunities the same day at 9:47 a.m. ET (13:47 UTC), 10:31 a.m. ET (14:31 UTC), and 11:28 a.m. ET (15:28 UTC). Backup opportunities are also available Thursday, April 20 at 8:23 a.m. ET (12:23 UTC), 9:14 a.m. ET (13:14 UTC), 10:04 a.m. ET (14:04 UTC), and 10:55 a.m. ET (14:55 UTC).
The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched SES-22, ispace’s HAKUTO-R Mission 1, Hispasat Amazonas Nexus, CRS-27, and three Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl6-2
BTTT
SpaceX is targeting as soon as Thursday, April 20 for the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Starbase in Texas. The 62 minute launch window opens at 8:28 a.m. CT and closes at 9:30 a.m. CT.
Starship is a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, help humanity return to the Moon, and travel to Mars and beyond. With a test such as this, success is measured by how much we can learn, which will inform and improve the probability of success in the future as SpaceX rapidly advances development of Starship.
To date, the SpaceX team has completed multiple sub-orbital flight tests of Starship’s upper stage from Starbase, successfully demonstrating an unprecedented approach to controlled flight. These flight tests helped validate the vehicle’s design, proving Starship can fly through the subsonic phase of entry before re-lighting its engines and flipping itself to a vertical configuration for landing.
In addition to the testing of Starship’s upper stage, the team has conducted numerous tests of the Super Heavy rocket, which include the increasingly complex static fires that led to a full-duration 31 Raptor engine test – the largest number of simultaneous rocket engine ignitions in history. The team has also constructed the world’s tallest rocket launch and catch tower. At 146 meters, or nearly 500 feet tall, the launch and catch tower is designed to support vehicle integration, launch, and catch of the Super Heavy rocket booster. For the first flight test, the team will not attempt a vertical landing of Starship or a catch of the Super Heavy booster.
A live webcast of the flight test will begin ~45 minutes before liftoff. As is the case with all developmental testing, this schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to stay tuned to our social media channels for updates.
As we venture into new territory, we continue to appreciate all of the support and encouragement we have received from those who share our vision of a future where humanity is out exploring among the stars!
COUNTDOWN
All Times Approximate
HR/MIN/SEC EVENT
02:00:00 SpaceX Flight Director Conducts Poll and Verifies Go for Propellant Load
01:39:00 Booster LOX (Liquid Oxygen) Load Underway
01:39:00 Booster Fuel Load (Liquid Methane) Underway
01:22:00 Ship Fuel Load (Liquid Methane) Underway
01:17:00 Ship LOX Load Underway
00:16:40 Raptor Begins Engine Chill on Booster
00:00:40 Fluid Interfaces Begin their Ventdown Sequence
00:00:08 Raptor Startup Sequence Begins
00:00:00 Excitement Guaranteed
Is it time to start a new thread?
Thank you for keeping those for us interested updated!
FLIGHT TEST TIMELINE | BEST CASE SCENARIO
Completion of the milestones below are not required for a successful test, but each milestone completed will certainly make for an exciting test. All times approximate.
HR/MIN/SEC EVENT
00:00:55 Max Q (Moment of Peak Mechanical Stress on the Rocket)
00:02:49 Booster Main Engine Cutoff
00:02:52 Stage Separation
00:02:57 Starship Ignition
00:03:11 Booster Boostback Burn Startup
00:04:06 Booster Boostback Burn Shutdown
00:07:32 Booster is Transonic
00:07:40 Booster Landing Burn Startup
00:08:03 Booster Landing Burn Shutdown
00:09:20 Starship Engine Cutoff
01:17:21 Starship Entry
01:28:43 Starship is Transonic
01:30:00 Starship Splashdown
SPACEX © 2022
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