Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: Ronaldus Magnus III

Yes, but the one great flaw in Musk’s StarShip and booster design is their weight. The heavier they are, the less payload they can boost to orbit & the less height they can achieve.

For example, the Pentagon has some very large and heavy satellites they want to place directly into geosynchronous orbit. No way stops, no refueling. Earth to 20,000 miles high in one shot. Currently the Falcon heavy with two Falcon 9 boosters can be used. But, the planned satellites will not fit in the Falcon Heavy fairing. So the contract was awarded to Blue Origin which will go direct to orbit and have a large enough fairing ( that the rocket has not flown is beside the point ).

StarShip cannot do that because even with a far larger fairing, it has to be refueled at least once and possibly twice. All of that takes too long & is too complicated for the Pentagon.

Which to illustrate the point further, it will take some 15 prepositioned refueling ships to get to the Moon. More to return. Why is that bad? Because each of those refueling stops has to work perfectly every time. The idea is simplicity, and here, the job is unnecessarily complex.

Don’t even ask how many refueling ships need to be prepositioned to get to and from Mars.


20 posted on 08/06/2024 4:33:43 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies ]


To: PIF

Stainless steel is heavy ( Musk ), composite carbon fiber is light ( everyone else ).


21 posted on 08/06/2024 4:39:34 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies ]

To: PIF

Meanwhile, Americans are stranded on the Space Station because Musk is not being allowed to rescue them.

The Boeing space ship has failed and left them stranded.

Boeing was forced to pick up the NASA scraps and weld them into an incompetent amalgamation


22 posted on 08/06/2024 4:53:55 AM PDT by bert ( (KE. NP. +12) Where is ZORRO when California so desperately needs him?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson