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I do wonder if there's a way to reuse engines without reusing whole rockets, that could wind up cheaper. Pop the engine out of the rocket with some small fuel t
by twic 2y ago
I do wonder if there's a way to reuse engines without reusing whole rockets, that could wind up cheaper. Pop the engine out of the rocket with some small fuel tanks, spin round and do a retro burn, then ... somehow land. I have not worked out all the details.
- stetrain 2y agoULA calls this "SMART reuse" but has not yet successfully achieved it with their Vulcan rocket. https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1350_crop_center-center_82_line/20150413_ula-smart-system.jpg.webp https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400... In some ways this is simpler, but in others it is more complex since you need a way to catch the engines before they dunk in the salt water. A rocket booster that is already set up with avionics, engines, and fuel can guide and land itself without needing a precise helicopter catch etc.
- arijun 2y agoI'm not sure how leaving the rest of the booster would make a propulsive landing easier. It seems like more complexity than just leaving some fuel in the tank, for less benefit. But ULA's Vulcan (which incidentally uses the same BE-4 engine as New Glenn) plans on using a helicopter to catch it's engines as they parachute down [1] [1] https://www.planetary.org/space-images/smart https://www.planetary.org/space-images/smart
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- stephenhumphrey 2y agoAs Diane Rehm once lamented on her radio show about two decades ago, as she was interviewing some cutting-edge engineer about his work, “why does it have to be so haaaard?!?”
- voidUpdate 2y agoThis concept is generally known as "Stage-and-a-half", and it was used on the Atlas rockets