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Spacex is getting so good at making rockets, perhaps one day people will just take a ballistic trajectory across the atlantic, and arrive in 20 minutes! It's ha
by mathgenius 5y ago
Spacex is getting so good at making rockets, perhaps one day people will just take a ballistic trajectory across the atlantic, and arrive in 20 minutes! It's hard to imagine anyone being in such a hurry. I wonder if the spacex crew has thought about this at all.
- mmaunder 5y agoThis isn't as crazy as it sounds. Benefits: - You're confining the noise to the takeoff zone rather than the entire flight path. - You're in a vacuum (mostly in LEO) which massively reduces drag and is way more fuel efficient. - Reentry and landing require no fuel with good planning. Space Shuttle was a glider. Down sides: - Atmospheric reentry dissipates a LOT of energy over a short time which introduces risk and complexity. - You expend a lot of energy getting into orbit or your trajectory which also introduces risk and complexity - Vacuum has far greater depressurization risks than 35,000ft
- samatman 5y agoThe main downside is the G forces. Ten minutes at multiple G and an hour in free-fall sounds... fun, kinda? But it also sounds like the kind of thing most people wouldn't tolerate very well. Especially the sort of older folks who could afford it.
- noahmasur 5y agoYou mean like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqE-ultsWt0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqE-ultsWt0
- thoughtpeddler 5y agoYes at this rate, Boom is competing more with SpaceX than traditional airplane makers. 2029? I read that as 2031-2033. By then, the ballistic approach may be commercially feasible.