3 ms·
I’m curious why stage zero isn’t at the end of a wharf with just good old ocean under it? You might still pump water as well, but why not start in a more suppor
by travisgriggs 3y ago
I’m curious why stage zero isn’t at the end of a wharf with just good old ocean under it? You might still pump water as well, but why not start in a more supportive configuration?
I’m reminded of all the secondary and tertiary pump systems that go into traditional PWR/BWR nuclear reactor designs because at all costs you most keep water flowing over the core. And then when they did the newer SBWR/APWR designs someone said “uh, I got an idea, let’s just make the upper floors of these things massive water tanks and then, ya know, gravity”
- GuB-42 3y agoOr why not launch from the water directly? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Dragon_(rocket) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Dragon_(rocket) More practically for Starship, I think one problem with the wharf idea is that you need to get a 5000t rocket there. Not unsolvable, but expensive. In fact, the problem isn't that making a launch pad that is able to withstand the thrust of Starship is impossible, they could have simply copied the Saturn V launch pad design. But the Saturn V launch pad design is (intentionally, for historical reasons) way overbuilt and expensive, prompting SpaceX to attempt a more economical solution.
- rich_sasha 3y agoSalt water everywhere bad perhaps?
- 93po 3y agoI have no idea how the physics work here. Does it take more energy to launch against water than solid ground, since the water gives way? is there an equivalent to the "ground effect" in rockets?