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I am so much excited about this upcoming launch. If they get the F9Heavy to work like the F9, this opens up entirely new possibilities in space. With the F9Heav
by _ph_ 9y ago
I am so much excited about this upcoming launch. If they get the F9Heavy to work like the F9, this opens up entirely new possibilities in space. With the F9Heavy, not only very heavy loads can be put into orbit, but both the Moon and the Mars can be reached at a much lower cost than any previous system.
Beyond being just a cool new rocket, what faszinates me most about the F9Heavy, is the clever system approach by SpaceX. They are not only reusing the F9 design, but two of the three first stage cores alreay had launched cargo into the orbit. This is just mindblowing.
- Shivetya 9y agomy joy is the same as their current systems, that a private company can innovate in such an expensive and difficult industry. between this and deep sea exploration it just amazes me that technology has opened this to private industry and people. that is the science "fiction" I have been waiting to see come about
- dnautics 9y agoIt was my understanding that the F9H components cannot be recycled F9 units, despite me Musk's best efforts at engineering a solution.
- stormtv 9y agoBoth the side boosters on the F9H inaugural flight will be reused boosters. The center boosters are only able to fly on F9H but are planned to be reusable. Here are both the landing videos of the side cores that will be flying on the F9H https://youtu.be/4jEz03Z8azc https://youtu.be/4jEz03Z8azc https://youtu.be/DKqY8sy3nkM?t=55s https://youtu.be/DKqY8sy3nkM?t=55s
- jessriedel 9y agoThe two side boosters on the FH demo flight are recycled from previous F9 missions. The central core is new and will be recovered. I do not think it’s possible to use the central FH core on an F9 mission, but it will be re-used for further FH missions.
- mLuby 9y agoAny idea why that is? I could imagine that its structure being incapable of handling the additional mass.
- kilroy123 9y agoMe too! I really hope NASA just abandons their plans for a heavy launch system to get to the moon and mars. Use a mix of SpaceX F9 Heavy, Delta IV Heavy, and Ariane 5.
- valuearb 9y agoAnd Blue Origin's New Glenn. And Ariane 6. And Falcon 9 (which can lift as much as the Ariane rockets) And BFR. Yea, the US really should be spending $20B in taxpayer dollars building a new heavy lift rocket system that has zero re-usablity.
- chris_va 9y agoTo be fair, those companies are just copying Russian/NASA designs, so maybe the money is semi-useful.
- djwhitt 9y agoSerious question, are there any new components in the SLS worth copying?
- MPSimmons 9y agoThere aren't many new components. The tech in the Orion capsule is new, but the capsule design is very similar to previous capsules (aerodynamics don't change). All the rest is basically re-used tech from the shuttle. I may be wrong in this case about the upper stage. I don't know what they plan on using for those engines. If they're new engines (which I haven't heard of development regarding them), then that could be interesting, but they're likely reused OM engines from the shuttle or something like that.
- nickik 9y agoIn SLS, if we are not talking about Orion, not really. So, the engines is the same as the SpaceX Shuttle (RS-25). This is a great engine but nobody would build it today. It uses a fuel-rich design and almost universally people are now building Oxidizer-rich staged cycles. BlueOrigin BE-4 being a good example. Second these RS-25 use hydrogen but currently everybody is building methane based engines. Building a new hydrogen engine would maybe make sense for upper stages in some situation but then you would probably copy the RL-10 or the new BE-3U that BlueOrigin is working on. So I don't think that any modern project will try the same route as the RS-25 did. The SLS is using new solid boosters that are not worth copying unless you want to build gigantic nukes. Solid fuel just does not make sense in space flight currently (outside a few specialised applications). On the upper stage they will use very good but old and expensive engines (both in Block 1 and Block 1b). Structurally the SLS is also behind the times. I don't think anybody would design something like it, they were just forced to use old stuff they had from the Space Shuttle. So I don't think anybody would still copy SLS. Yes, SpaceX uses much of the old US and Russian ideas but in there current design, Falcon 9 they have already improved on pretty much everything. Their next Rocket, BFR, will go way beyond anything done in any other rocket. From the engines, to the structure, to the control, to cold gas thruster, fuel integration and so on.