5 ms·
I wonder how much Starship mitigates that by having the descent propulsion controlled by the top thrusters. I'd assume they use the same thrusters from take off
by _joel 3y ago
I wonder how much Starship mitigates that by having the descent propulsion controlled by the top thrusters. I'd assume they use the same thrusters from take off too as we've seen the damage Raptor 2's can do, let alone 3 and whatever comes after the 350bar line.
Also, could regolith be bound or, well, packed down to build pads?
- yetihehe 3y agoThere is a project to inject small aluminum granules into exhaust, so they melt when leaving engine but solidify on contact, which would be a good way to cover your landing site with solid aluminum layer. A rocket engine could easily melt a ton of aluminum per minute.
- _joel 3y agoThat's still throw ejecta in the air though and sounds just like a recipe for disaster.
- yetihehe 3y agoIf you hover high enough in vacuum, gases have enough time to disperse and won't throw ejecta that much, but those melted aluminum droplets can travel relatively unimpended and solidify on contact. You land only when you have good solid surface.