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Are you sure that there's not a plan to recover the second stage once they've consistently been recovering the first stage? (I'm assuming that would be part of

by smoyer 11y ago

Are you sure that there's not a plan to recover the second stage once they've consistently been recovering the first stage? (I'm assuming that would be part of the road-map).

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
CarolineW 11y ago
From Wikipedia: The project's long-term objectives include returning a launch vehicle first stage to the launch site in minutes and to return a second stage to the launch pad following orbital realignment with the launch site and atmospheric reentry in up to 24 hours. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_reusable_launch_system_development_program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_reusable_launch_system_... However, from other sources: SpaceX would love to recover the second stage, which they had planned. But it sounds like they have given up on that. http://space.stackexchange.com/questions/7814/what-happens-to-the-falcon-9-second-stage-after-payload-separation http://space.stackexchange.com/questions/7814/what-happens-t... What they are referring to there is a transcript I have been unable to access. It's here: http://shitelonsays.com/transcript/elon-musk-at-mits-aeroastro-centennial-part-1-of-6-2014-10-24 http://shitelonsays.com/transcript/elon-musk-at-mits-aeroast... More discussion about it all here: https://www.quora.com/Could-SpaceX-feasibly-recover-the-second-stage-of-a-rocket-in-addition-to-the-first-stage https://www.quora.com/Could-SpaceX-feasibly-recover-the-seco... https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/1zg7zm/how_soon_can_we_hope_for_2nd_stage_reuse/ https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/1zg7zm/how_soon_can... https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=space-X+recovering+second+stage https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=space-X+recovering+second+...
- jbooth 11y ago
  Seems way harder for way lower returns to recover the second stage. Only 1 engine instead of 9, and you're recovering from orbital velocity which opens up several new cans of worms. Would they need heat shielding? The extra weight there might blow away any cost savings from recovering the engine.
  - jadyoyster 11y ago
    Heat shielding is needed, as well as extra landing engines that work outside of vacuum, since the second stage engine would destroy itself under atmospheric pressure. It's easy to see how quickly you start to get dimishing returns, but it would be cool if they could pull it off.
    - avmich 11y ago
      Some experiments were done in early 2000 with inflatable aerobrake. The concept was shown to work, but experiments weren't a complete success. However this technology I'm sure can be applied to the task of returning the second stage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_entry#Inflatable_heat_shield_reentry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_entry#Inflatable_h...
      - raducu 11y ago
        Or even more futuristic, plasma parachute/heat shield: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/early_stage_innovation/niac/2012_phase_I_fellows_kirtley.html http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/early_stage_innovation/niac/...
zardo 11y ago
It certainly was at the start. https://youtube.com/watch?v=sSF81yjVbJE https://youtube.com/watch?v=sSF81yjVbJE Apparently they are no longer pursuing stage 2 reuse on the Falcon 9. The next gen superheavy lift rocket, the BFR, is intended to be fully reusable though.

by smoyer 11y ago

Are you sure that there's not a plan to recover the second stage once they've consistently been recovering the first stage? (I'm assuming that would be part of the road-map).

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

CarolineW 11y ago

From Wikipedia: The project's long-term objectives include returning a launch vehicle first stage to the launch site in minutes and to return a second stage to the launch pad following orbital realignment with the launch site and atmospheric reentry in up to 24 hours. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_reusable_launch_system_development_program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_reusable_launch_system_... However, from other sources: SpaceX would love to recover the second stage, which they had planned. But it sounds like they have given up on that. http://space.stackexchange.com/questions/7814/what-happens-to-the-falcon-9-second-stage-after-payload-separation http://space.stackexchange.com/questions/7814/what-happens-t... What they are referring to there is a transcript I have been unable to access. It's here: http://shitelonsays.com/transcript/elon-musk-at-mits-aeroastro-centennial-part-1-of-6-2014-10-24 http://shitelonsays.com/transcript/elon-musk-at-mits-aeroast... More discussion about it all here: https://www.quora.com/Could-SpaceX-feasibly-recover-the-second-stage-of-a-rocket-in-addition-to-the-first-stage https://www.quora.com/Could-SpaceX-feasibly-recover-the-seco... https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/1zg7zm/how_soon_can_we_hope_for_2nd_stage_reuse/ https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/1zg7zm/how_soon_can... https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=space-X+recovering+second+stage https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=space-X+recovering+second+...

jbooth 11y ago
Seems way harder for way lower returns to recover the second stage. Only 1 engine instead of 9, and you're recovering from orbital velocity which opens up several new cans of worms. Would they need heat shielding? The extra weight there might blow away any cost savings from recovering the engine.
- jadyoyster 11y ago
  Heat shielding is needed, as well as extra landing engines that work outside of vacuum, since the second stage engine would destroy itself under atmospheric pressure. It's easy to see how quickly you start to get dimishing returns, but it would be cool if they could pull it off.
  - avmich 11y ago
    Some experiments were done in early 2000 with inflatable aerobrake. The concept was shown to work, but experiments weren't a complete success. However this technology I'm sure can be applied to the task of returning the second stage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_entry#Inflatable_heat_shield_reentry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_entry#Inflatable_h...
    - raducu 11y ago
      Or even more futuristic, plasma parachute/heat shield: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/early_stage_innovation/niac/2012_phase_I_fellows_kirtley.html http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/early_stage_innovation/niac/...

zardo 11y ago

It certainly was at the start. https://youtube.com/watch?v=sSF81yjVbJE https://youtube.com/watch?v=sSF81yjVbJE Apparently they are no longer pursuing stage 2 reuse on the Falcon 9. The next gen superheavy lift rocket, the BFR, is intended to be fully reusable though.