301–305 of 305 posts
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If that’s the case, why is e.g. 10% of a 787 still using steel rather than titanium, which can be had at 11$ per kg?
The challenge is with design, certification, and manufacturing (forming and joining), not with affording the material. Plus, high strength steels can bear more stress than titanium, although they weigh more. This may be needed for certain space-constrained components.
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There's no definitional difference between "outer space" and just space. They're synonymous, and most commonly defined to begin at 100 km altitude. If there's any difference, it's that outer space refers to the physical region, as opposed to "space" that might refer to the mathematical and relativistic concept. "Deep space" is another definition, which commonly means beyond lunar altitude. Other regions of space typi…
> defined to begin at 100 km altitude I guess this is probably on Earth, which makes me wonder how far up from Earth's moon do you have to go to be "in space"?
For the moon, there is no such altitude, so space comes right down to the surface.
Possibly the most expensive thing in the world with a publicly listed price ($97M) and sales contact (sales@spacex.com)? https://www.spacex.com/media/Capabilities&Services.pdf Just find that amusingly 'accessible'.
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> defined to begin at 100 km altitude I guess this is probably on Earth, which makes me wonder how far up from Earth's moon do you have to go to be "in space"?
The 100 km comes from the "von Karmen line", the altitude at which the speed you'd need to be flying to generate enough lift to stay level would equal the orbital velocity. For the moon, there is no such altitude, so space comes right down to the surface.
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That doesn't make sense. So if I buy a top spec model and make it 400lbs lighter I can double the price?
A 1 lb saving saves $2,600 in fuel costs over the life of the craft. However, an airline's break even point is a portion of that (perhaps $1,000) because the fuel costs are spread out over the life of the craft and there is an opportunity cost to spending money on the more efficient plane. Of that $1,000, the aircraft maker will only capture a portion of the value - the airline expects to do better than break even. T…