3 ms·
This is certainly part of it. The powered landing will give them precision control to touch down right on the launchpad instead of having to pick up the assets
by bfe 15y ago
This is certainly part of it. The powered landing will give them precision control to touch down right on the launchpad instead of having to pick up the assets at sea, saving lots of time and money. But it also allows for a module to land on the Moon or Mars. Mars has an atmosphere, but only with about 1% the density of Earth's, so for vessels with this scale of mass, parachutes aren't much use, besides the issue once again of being able to position your landing spot precisely. Supposedly at every design step where it's applicable Elon has opted to make everything as ready for Mars as possible.
- billpaetzke 15y agoSupposedly at every design step where it's applicable Elon has opted to make everything as ready for Mars as possible. Absolutely correct. I got that vibe from all employees I listened to yesterday. The underlying motivation of the company is: to go to and colonize Mars. Everything they do before then is to gain credibility, survive, and fund R&D toward reaching their ultimate goal.
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- bfe 15y agoI saw Elon give a talk about colonizing Mars at a Mars Society conference at Stanford 10 years ago, before he founded SpaceX. He's thinking long-term.
- JulianMorrison 15y agoThere's something more than slightly Heinlein about that company. I love it.