5 ms·
But why, if you don't need to
by simmonmt 2y ago
But why, if you don't need to
- avmich 2y agoAghm, sorry, I meant, the tanks actually are pressurized at landing and not at risk of buckling. Why depressurize?
- fastball 2y agoThe pressure is enough to help push out liquid fuel but I don't think that means the pressure can be fully relied upon to provide structural support.
- avmich 2y agoThat's literally how original Atlas rockets and modern Centaur stages work.
- fastball 2y agoStarship is literally not an Atlas rocket or Centaur stage. Starship uses autogenous pressurization, which is not what Atlas/Centaur used.
- m4rtink 2y agoSure, but I am quite sure pressure is expected to be in place & provides the necessary strength for all the maneuvers.
- avmich 2y agoYou know, that's completely unimportant. The important parts are that 1) Starship stage is under pressure when landing and 2) pressurization makes a thin-walled metal cylinder much stronger resisting buckling. Details of how Starship works and how pressurization is historically used to increase strength are just to support these two points. But if you already have these two points, you should admit that the argument "Starship can't land on legs because there's too big of a risk of buckling" has some counterarguments. And the overall decision isn't as clear as we'd like to have it.
- fastball 2y agoActually, it is very important. Autogenous pressurization has a much higher risk of pressurization loss than a system which uses inert gases, due to the potential for the ullage gases to mix with the liquid fuel and condense. This is relevant when designing the landing system.