Posted on 01/13/2019 12:01:55 AM PST by vannrox
Elon Musk and SpaceX's ambitious plans to reach around the moon and all the way to Mars require a big effin' rocket. Now we know what it looks like.
Musk tweeted out an image on Thursday of an assembled early version of the SpaceX Starship, which was once known in polite company as the Big Falcon Rocket.
Starship test flight rocket just finished assembly at the @SpaceX Texas launch site. This is an actual picture, not a rendering. pic.twitter.com/k1HkueoXaz — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 11, 2019
"Starship test flight rocket just finished assembly at the @SpaceX Texas launch site. This is an actual picture, not a rendering," Musk wrote.
He first teased us in December with an image of the prototype rocket under construction.
The assembled version looks like a stainless-steel Airstream trailer mated with a space shuttle. A person or mannequin in a spacesuit stands nearby to give us a sense of scale. Starship is a monster.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnet.com ...
W/o Elon Musk, just ONE guy:
None of this new excitement about space would be happening.
The entire world space effort would still have that ponderous Post Office/DMV feel about it.
I’d say as far as gummint PORK goes, I’d give ole Elon a pass.
Elon is just amazing and he’s going to keep doing amazing things.
i have a hard time believing that thing can get off the ground with three bells that size
Musk got those fins of a ‘62 Cadillac El Dorado. BTW, there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of control surfaces or steering rocket nozzles. I seriously doubt that this thing would even be capable of accurately entering low Earth orbit. But then, He’s the engineering genius. Just listen to him for 10 minutes, he’ll tell you.
Yep, like tail landing rockets with 3D printed engines are a dime a dozen.
All the sour grapes and poo-pooing on someone actually doing things?!?
Its YUGE
When they get their Hugh and Series 3D printer running, the picture on the right will be the real rocket and the one they are building today will be the relic test bed.
Thought the same thing...a 50s sci-fi rocket...
That was Musk's claim last year, heh, the crucial test for practicality on that is, can the craft (or any craft) achieve orbit, then return to Earth (with or without propulsive landing) and be able to be recycled back to the launch pad.
The three main rockets are steering rockets.
https://youtu.be/XVgEKBwE2RM?t=499
“This is for suborbital VTOL tests. Orbital version is taller, has thicker skins (won’t wrinkle) & a smoothly curving nose section.”
Gee, every boy’s dream! .............................in 1932.............................
Looks familiar... "Project Moonbase", 1953
Oh, don’t discourage the Never-Musks!
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