3 ms·
Wow, no kidding. The gold Merlin would be a quarter of the price![1][2][3] (At least in terms of materials.) [1]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/05/nasa-
by Ajedi32 5y ago
Wow, no kidding. The gold Merlin would be a quarter of the price![1][2][3] (At least in terms of materials.)
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/05/nasa-will-pay-a-staggering-146-million-for-each-sls-rocket-engine/ https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/05/nasa-will-pay-a-stag...
[2]: https://www.google.com/search?q=merlin+engine+dry+mass https://www.google.com/search?q=merlin+engine+dry+mass
[3]: https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%28630+kg+of+gold+in+USD%29+%2F+%24146+million https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%28630+kg+of+gold+in+U...
- mlindner 5y agoKeep in mind gold is a lot denser, so it'd be a miniature engine if you made it out of pure gold. If you take the volumetric space of all the materials that might lead to a different answer, but that's hard to do. (I guess you could make it out of gold foam.)
- Ajedi32 5y agoProbably closer to half the price of the RS-25 then, assuming normal Merlins are made mostly out of steel: https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%28%28%28630+kg+*+%28density+of+gold+%2F+density+of+steel%29%29+*+price+of+gold%29+%2F+%24146+million https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%28%28%28630+kg+*+%28d...