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If SpaceX's Starship becomes common enough, it will need a generic nickname. I propose "can". Then, the Superheavy booster is its "kicker". Both lower-case. I
by moloch-hai 4y ago
If SpaceX's Starship becomes common enough, it will need a generic nickname.
I propose "can". Then, the Superheavy booster is its "kicker". Both lower-case.
I agree that this thing, a Falcon refitted with cans' Raptor engines, is a natural follow-on once the engine is flight-proven. But it will face very stiff competition from a whole new generation of rocket startups. It might not get common enough to need its own nickname.
- sgtnoodle 4y agoI thought you were setting up yourself for a play on words, but I don't get it. Kicking the can? Fal-can? Is "starship" not already generic enough?
- Aqueous 4y agostarship is too whiz bang and not casual and cool enough. i suspect once space travel is common and every day enough it will become mundane to talk about it and at that point an improper noun like ‘can’ will become commonplace. i figure this will happen 2 to 3 decades from now
- moloch-hai 4y agoNo point in stalling. It is anyway nothing at all like what we call a starship in any other context. It resembles a shuttle rather more than STS did. It is unfortunate that we don't have a short name for "suppository", which it resembles more. I guess "bougie" could work.