4 ms·

Nobody seems to think about space stations. You could launch much bigger modules with Starship, and many more of them, so you could create a much larger space s

Nobody seems to think about space stations. You could launch much bigger modules with Starship, and many more of them, so you could create a much larger space station for a cheaper price.

WalterBright 5y ago
Instead we are intent on crashing the space station into the ocean.
- panick21_ 5y ago
  NASA has a commercial station program ongoing and they are handing out contracts. BlueOrigin suggested station does have modules far larger then current ISS, but its attended to be launched on New Glenn, not Starship.
- ncmncm 5y ago
  Without the space shuttle, ISS has lost its reason to exist. Without ISS, the shuttle would have had no reason to exist.
- maccam94 5y ago
  The ISS orbit naturally decays without regular boosts due to atmospheric drag. I'm hopeful that Starship is fully operational by the time the ISS reaches EOL, maybe a few Starship launches would have enough delta-V to push the ISS up into a graveyard orbit.
tigershark 5y ago
You can actually repurpose a starship as a space station. ISS is 915 m^2, starship should be around 1100 m^2. Now imagine using several repurposed starship as space station modules..
- freemint 5y ago
  Rockets and space station have very different material requirements.
ncmncm 5y ago
It makes way more sense to launch the whole space station in one piece. ISS is how it is because they couldn't.
- maccam94 5y ago
  But why not build an even bigger space station by combining payloads from multiple launches?
  - ncmncm 5y ago
    We hardly have any use for the one we have. The best that could be done is one cheaper and better suited to the few uses we have discovered.
  - snek_case 5y ago
    Possibly, with bigger modules, you could build it in a way that each module is fully redundant, has its own power, thrusters, docking, etc. That way you'd have a fully operational station from the first module, and great redundancy if there was ever an accident.

Nobody seems to think about space stations. You could launch much bigger modules with Starship, and many more of them, so you could create a much larger space station for a cheaper price.

WalterBright 5y ago

Instead we are intent on crashing the space station into the ocean.

panick21_ 5y ago
NASA has a commercial station program ongoing and they are handing out contracts. BlueOrigin suggested station does have modules far larger then current ISS, but its attended to be launched on New Glenn, not Starship.
ncmncm 5y ago
Without the space shuttle, ISS has lost its reason to exist. Without ISS, the shuttle would have had no reason to exist.
maccam94 5y ago
The ISS orbit naturally decays without regular boosts due to atmospheric drag. I'm hopeful that Starship is fully operational by the time the ISS reaches EOL, maybe a few Starship launches would have enough delta-V to push the ISS up into a graveyard orbit.

tigershark 5y ago

You can actually repurpose a starship as a space station. ISS is 915 m^2, starship should be around 1100 m^2. Now imagine using several repurposed starship as space station modules..

freemint 5y ago
Rockets and space station have very different material requirements.

ncmncm 5y ago

It makes way more sense to launch the whole space station in one piece. ISS is how it is because they couldn't.

maccam94 5y ago
But why not build an even bigger space station by combining payloads from multiple launches?
- ncmncm 5y ago
  We hardly have any use for the one we have. The best that could be done is one cheaper and better suited to the few uses we have discovered.
- snek_case 5y ago
  Possibly, with bigger modules, you could build it in a way that each module is fully redundant, has its own power, thrusters, docking, etc. That way you'd have a fully operational station from the first module, and great redundancy if there was ever an accident.