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> That's why I'm really skeptical of the architecture of landing atmospheric stages to the surface. They are just unnecessarily heavy. You have maybe quadrupled
by garmaine 5y ago
> That's why I'm really skeptical of the architecture of landing atmospheric stages to the surface. They are just unnecessarily heavy. You have maybe quadrupled your total launch amount from the surface (haven't done an analysis).
Lunar starship is not an atmospheric stage.
- Gravityloss 5y agoIn the fine article, in Casey Handmer's plan, Starship is landed to the surface and returns directly to LEO or even to Earth surface. So yes the heat shield goes all the way down to the lunar surface and back. https://caseyhandmer.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/artemisspacex.png?w=540&zoom=2 https://caseyhandmer.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/artemisspac...
- garmaine 5y agoThe Starship actually being built by SpaceX under the HLS contract for NASA has no heat shield or atmospheric engines. It is meant to be expendable, or for reuse only in space without servicing.
- Gravityloss 5y agoYes, which the fine article was criticizing.