Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

SpaceX’s monstrous, dirt-cheap Starship may transform space travel

economist.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 431 posts

Re: SpaceX’s monstrous, dirt-cheap Starship may transform space travel

#11

Post by walrus01 »

colechristensen wrote: post #7
walrus01 wrote: post #3

For size comparison, interesting that they put a SLS block 1 in there, which has never flown or been to orbit, but didn't include the Soviet N1 which at least has flown a few times (in catastrophic, exploding fashion) but also has never been to orbit. They did include an Energia, which is a defunct program and has zero chances of ever getting manufactured again, same as the N1.

I mean, the SLS is slated for a launch in the next few months and the N1 was a failed program that ended fifty years ago. I can see very well the reasons for including one and not the other.

certainly, but it's also not rare to see an N1 when doing a side-by-side comparison with the Saturn V

Re: SpaceX’s monstrous, dirt-cheap Starship may transform space travel

#12

Post by tjchear »

CamperBob2 wrote: post #10
kilroy123 wrote: post #6

If you're ever in the Houston area, I highly recommend going to see NASA Johnson Space Center. They have a full-size replica (?) Saturn V rocket on its side, you can see. You simply can't grasp how big these rockets are until you see it up close. It's like a tall building blasting off into space. They're humongous. I hope to one day see Starship up close in person as it takes off to space.

I found it depressing. Ships aren't built to stay in the harbor, and rockets aren't built to lie on their side rusting. They say we couldn't build another Saturn V if we tried. Apparently that old saw is true enough, at least for the original contractors.

For lack of a political will or the technical know how?

Re: SpaceX’s monstrous, dirt-cheap Starship may transform space travel

#13

Post by CamperBob2 »

tjchear wrote: post #12
CamperBob2 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I found it depressing. Ships aren't built to stay in the harbor, and rockets aren't built to lie on their side rusting. They say we couldn't build another Saturn V if we tried. Apparently that old saw is true enough, at least for the original contractors.

For lack of a political will or the technical know how?

The popular wisdom is that we literally lost some of the technical specs and drawings. A lot of the R&D would have to be redone from scratch... not that it wouldn't make sense to do that anyway, 50+ years later.

Re: SpaceX’s monstrous, dirt-cheap Starship may transform space travel

#14

Post by geocrasher »

The thing that's impressive to me, in addition to the sheer size of these machines, is the engines. The Raptor 2 is groundbreaking. And there's 30+ of them between both stages. It's just incredible, and there's nothing like it that's been done.

Re: SpaceX’s monstrous, dirt-cheap Starship may transform space travel

#15

Post by danavar »

kilroy123 wrote: post #6

If you're ever in the Houston area, I highly recommend going to see NASA Johnson Space Center. They have a full-size replica (?) Saturn V rocket on its side, you can see. You simply can't grasp how big these rockets are until you see it up close. It's like a tall building blasting off into space. They're humongous. I hope to one day see Starship up close in person as it takes off to space.

In Huntsville AL they have one stood up outside a museum right off the highway - it’s insane to see

Re: SpaceX’s monstrous, dirt-cheap Starship may transform space travel

#16

Post by mlindner »

strangesongs wrote: post #2

"Precisely when, though, remains unclear" The subheading says so much

Because there's a lot of uncertainty at the moment that depends on the result of the FAA environmental review. If there's a "yes", then launch is likely this year. If there's a "no", then launch is likely not this year.

Re: SpaceX’s monstrous, dirt-cheap Starship may transform space travel

#17

Post by mlindner »

Tepix wrote: post #5
spicybright wrote: post #4

If only we could lower that peskty 1% chance of exploding each flight down a smidge. Well, at least this means the rockets will be cheaper to replace!

What's the source for the 1%? It's not even flown into space yet. Its extremely high flight rate makes it likely that its reliability will be closer to planes than rockets eventually.

They watched a popular youtube video that's making the rounds that claims that number as well as a couple of other incorrect statements.

Re: SpaceX’s monstrous, dirt-cheap Starship may transform space travel

#18

Post by tablespoon »

geocrasher wrote: post #14

The thing that's impressive to me, in addition to the sheer size of these machines, is the engines . The Raptor 2 is groundbreaking. And there's 30+ of them between both stages. It's just incredible, and there's nothing like it that's been done.

> The thing that's impressive to me, in addition to the sheer size of these machines, is the engines. The Raptor 2 is groundbreaking. And there's 30+ of them between both stages. It's just incredible, and there's nothing like it that's been done.

I may be wrong, but isn't the reason there are so many engines on their rockets is because SpaceX isn't good at building big rocket engines?

Re: SpaceX’s monstrous, dirt-cheap Starship may transform space travel

#19

Post by tjchear »

kilroy123 wrote: post #6

If you're ever in the Houston area, I highly recommend going to see NASA Johnson Space Center. They have a full-size replica (?) Saturn V rocket on its side, you can see. You simply can't grasp how big these rockets are until you see it up close. It's like a tall building blasting off into space. They're humongous. I hope to one day see Starship up close in person as it takes off to space.

Saw the first falcon that landed that was put up at SpaceX HQ. It's not as big as Saturn V, but it's still humongous up close.

I also went down to Vanderberg AFB on a whim with a friend of mine to see a Falcon launch. That supersonic boom as the landing booster punched through the atmosphere, followed by smell of rocket exhaust in the cold dusk air is something I'll never forget.

Post reply on HN