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There's a really big difference between how 'reusable' the Shuttle was compared to what SpaceX is trying to achieve. SpaceX's goal is not just reusability, but

by cryptoz 11y ago

There's a really big difference between how 'reusable' the Shuttle was compared to what SpaceX is trying to achieve. SpaceX's goal is not just reusability, but "full and rapid" reusability, where the entire system is reusable with minimal refurbishment/inspection. The Space Shuttle took months of inspection, tens of thousands of people to work on it and countless millions of dollars to get ready for the next launch - and only a fraction of it was actually reusable. SpaceX is still very far from their goal, but it's worth describing that "full and rapid" reusability was not how the Shuttle worked. A reusable SpaceX rocket would be able to launch, deliver payload to orbit, land, refuel itself and load the next payload all in less than 1 hour and with a cost of ~$300k. They are very far from that of course, but it's a fantastical goal.

Retric 11y ago
Nope, SpaceX is not trying to reuse the second stage. The shuttle reused the second stage (the shuttle) and the booster rockets, just not the 'cheap' external fuel tank. Remember the second / final stage get's to orbit so return needs a heat shield or an obscene amount of fuel. The shuttle demonstrated the issues with reusing heat shields very well. PS: IMO, Space X is all about execution not technology. Landing a first stage rocket vs using taking a dip in the ocean is probably a good trade-off. But, most of there gains are about being lean and making incremental improvements.
- cryptoz 11y ago
  They are not trying to reuse the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket. They are planning for full reusability of their future rockets, however. That's what I'm talking about when I'm talking about their plans for full and rapid reusability. This is not something the Falcon 9 will achieve but is in their plans for reusability.
  - Retric 11y ago
    IMO, your overstating things. They mentioned back in 2012 plans for a reusable upper stage and even had a basic video. But, that second stage is a very hard problem and there not actively working on / testing it. So, if you want to include something that's little more than a power point deck then your a far more generous man than I. ED: It's the classic doing X, trying to do X, or hope to someday do X.
Thrymr 11y ago
The plan for the shuttle was 50 flights a year, with greatly reduced launch costs. It didn't work out that way. We'll see about SpaceX: they have one successful 1st stage recovery, and no re-launches yet. I hope they are successful, but they're a long way from proving that they can bring launch costs down all that much.

by cryptoz 11y ago

Retric 11y ago

Nope, SpaceX is not trying to reuse the second stage. The shuttle reused the second stage (the shuttle) and the booster rockets, just not the 'cheap' external fuel tank. Remember the second / final stage get's to orbit so return needs a heat shield or an obscene amount of fuel. The shuttle demonstrated the issues with reusing heat shields very well. PS: IMO, Space X is all about execution not technology. Landing a first stage rocket vs using taking a dip in the ocean is probably a good trade-off. But, most of there gains are about being lean and making incremental improvements.

cryptoz 11y ago
They are not trying to reuse the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket. They are planning for full reusability of their future rockets, however. That's what I'm talking about when I'm talking about their plans for full and rapid reusability. This is not something the Falcon 9 will achieve but is in their plans for reusability.
- Retric 11y ago
  IMO, your overstating things. They mentioned back in 2012 plans for a reusable upper stage and even had a basic video. But, that second stage is a very hard problem and there not actively working on / testing it. So, if you want to include something that's little more than a power point deck then your a far more generous man than I. ED: It's the classic doing X, trying to do X, or hope to someday do X.

Thrymr 11y ago

The plan for the shuttle was 50 flights a year, with greatly reduced launch costs. It didn't work out that way. We'll see about SpaceX: they have one successful 1st stage recovery, and no re-launches yet. I hope they are successful, but they're a long way from proving that they can bring launch costs down all that much.