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Correct me if I'm wrong. As humans even though we are technologically far advanced than we were 10 years ago, I suppose rocket technology and space exploration
by sajithdilshan 8y ago
Correct me if I'm wrong. As humans even though we are technologically far advanced than we were 10 years ago, I suppose rocket technology and space exploration areas have not been caught up with the latest technological advancements.
This is the perfect time for another space race. But the only problem is that I can only think of China as a contender.
- sbradford26 8y agoLaunch vehicles are similar to commercial aviation. They are very risk averse, they do not adopt new technologies nearly as quickly. There is a good reason for this, they let other industries vet technologies so it is known to be reliable by the time aerospace uses it. Also another consideration is the additional radiation concerns in space. Newer processors are more susceptible to single event upsets. So more processing power needs to be devoted to error checking or additional weight is necessary to rad harden the component.
- SECProto 8y agoNot to sound like a fanboy, but I think SpaceX would be a strong contender in any space race. Non-governmental, but very much pushing boundaries. edit: Hm, I've never been downvoted on HN before. Care to explain why? I think my comment is adding to the discussion, in that OP was speculating only China could possibly be a contender in a space race. Certainly, SpaceX developing propulsive landing and reuse of the first stage is pretty game changing - liquid flyback boosters had only been proposed before, never actually created & used. SpaceX's ongoing experiments with fairing return leave me optimistic that it will work out fairly soon, too.