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New Glenn Update

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Re: New Glenn Update

#21

Post by WJW »

SilverElfin wrote: post #12
sanex wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That seems like a big jump between flights. I'm used to the spend and explode fast incremental iterations of SpaceX.

I was thinking the same thing - big leap. But maybe there’s no real difference between ending up in Earth orbit versus lunar orbit, in that the basic aspects (thrust, staging, navigation, etc) are all there already? But everything relating to the lander (releasing it, landing it) would be new.

I recognize a fellow Kerbal space program enthusiast by what they consider to be challenges and what is just "more of the same". :)

Re: New Glenn Update

#22

Post by bryanlarsen »

throwaway48476 wrote: post #18
adgjlsfhk1 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> New Glenn has 3x the fairing volume compared to the Falcon Heavy, but can throw less mass. To be fair, the Falcon Heavy has way too little fairing volume for it's lift capacity (and apparently it is in the process of getting an extra 50% or so?)

Because the falcon boosters have to be road transportable.

The fairings aren't constrained to the diameter of the booster, they already have a larger diameter than the booster.

The small size of the Falcon Heavy fairing is probably due to the fact that they are the same size as the Falcon fairing, and it was designed when Falcon could throw < 1/2 the mass it can currently throw, let alone the Falcon Heavy.

Re: New Glenn Update

#23

Post by stevenjgarner »

dylan604 wrote: post #19
WorkerBee28474 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

NASA still had much smaller jumps in capability between flights. Check out the Smarter Every Day NASA talk.

Sure, we went through Gemini, Mercury, and Apollo 1-7 before humans orbited the moon. However, we started from blank sheet of paper back then. BO has the knowledge learned from Gemini, Mercury, and all of Apollo to start. I don't need a YT influencer to know my NASA history. I'm old enough it was taught in school while young enough to not have lived through any of it.

I am so old I lived through it! - 13 years old staying up all night to watch Neil take his little stroll. Genuine question, how DO they teach it in school? Do they get into the physics of any of it (orbital mechanics, rocketry etc)? Do they get into the cold war geopolitics of it? Do they teach the amazing accomplishments of the Soviet Union as well as NASA?

Re: New Glenn Update

#24

Post by testing22321 »

DennisP wrote: post #10
gangstead wrote: post #6

The incremental improvements to the engine thrust is par for the course. The exciting thing in this announcement is the new 9x4 configuration (9 and 4 engines in the first and second stages vs the current 7x2). They don't mention whether the tanks will get stretched to allow for more fuel, or if this just burns the fuel faster. Starship generations keep getting both more engines and longer.

Yep, 70 tons to LEO is more than the Falcon Heavy.

Thing that doesn’t exist yet will have better specs than thing that’s been in use for over 7 years!

News at 10

Re: New Glenn Update

#25

Post by margalabargala »

iknowstuff wrote: post #20
proee wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think SpaceX is taking the re-usability part of Starship as foundation. Meaning they won't move forward until it's solved. With Falcon they added it as a bit of a secondary priority. They've spent so much resources trying to get the second stage back to earth. I think they should have just focused on getting the whole system flying to orbit, throwing away second stage for now, and using that platform to replace fal…

Starship can fly to orbit, it's just not cheaper than a reusable falcon 9 that way

Starship has only flown 11 times. I suspect it's more cost effective than the Falcon 9 was when it had 11 launches, long before any reuse.

Re: New Glenn Update

#26

Post by cratermoon »

sanex wrote: post #8
SilverElfin wrote: post #4

For those who aren’t aware, the next flight is to lunar orbit, with a planned landing on the moon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Moon_Pathfinder_Mission_1

That seems like a big jump between flights. I'm used to the spend and explode fast incremental iterations of SpaceX.

The first flight of the Saturn V was 'all up'. Every stage was the real live thing. No dummy stages, real payload.

The third flight of the Saturn V took 3 astronauts in their spacecraft to lunar orbit and back.

https://appel.nasa.gov/2010/02/25/ao_1-7_f_snapshot-html/

Re: New Glenn Update

#29

Post by dylan604 »

stevenjgarner wrote: post #23
dylan604 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, we went through Gemini, Mercury, and Apollo 1-7 before humans orbited the moon. However, we started from blank sheet of paper back then. BO has the knowledge learned from Gemini, Mercury, and all of Apollo to start. I don't need a YT influencer to know my NASA history. I'm old enough it was taught in school while young enough to not have lived through any of it.

I am so old I lived through it! - 13 years old staying up all night to watch Neil take his little stroll. Genuine question, how DO they teach it in school? Do they get into the physics of any of it (orbital mechanics, rocketry etc)? Do they get into the cold war geopolitics of it? Do they teach the amazing accomplishments of the Soviet Union as well as NASA?

It's not like it was a class on rocket science, but more of just history of each program being a stepping stone towards the ultimate goal of landing on the moon

Re: New Glenn Update

#30

Post by righthand »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #28
decimalenough wrote: post #27

Presumably this was written by somebody from aerospace, who's unaware of the nuances of what "An update on New Glenn" usually means in Silicon Valley.

> the nuances of what "An update on New Glenn" usually means in Silicon Valley What does it mean?

Usually it’s how a closing down business announcement is titled in the startup world. It’s not typically used to give a real update on a project.
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