Why is it such a big deal this time? Don't the Russians fly to ISS all the time?
Crew Dragon Docks with ISS
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Re: Crew Dragon Docks with ISS
#152SpaceX runs basically as a giant R&D program that also happens to accomplish useful things as byproducts of its approach (with the miracle of insurance to cover costs if things get explody). Every flight is data for incremental improvement. If you think of all SpaceX has ever done was try to get to this point, with somewhere around 80 flights on the Falcon 9, but for a variety of mission buyers (NASA, USAF, Commercia…
> all with launch equipment made by a single company that started a decade ago
SpaceX was founded in 2002, almost two decades ago
Re: Crew Dragon Docks with ISS
#153Earlier quoted context omitted.
Guidance systems are vastly less expensive now, and can take advantage of things like MEMs, fiber laser gyros, and GPS (and, of course, modern computing power). The tanks on Falcon are welded using Friction Stir Welding, which was invented in the early 1990s. The landing algorithm for the first stage uses convex optimization algorithms based on interior point methods, which were not available in the 1960s. However, s…
I'm going to go with SpaceX doesn't have to source from 50 states. It also hasn't had its funding turned off and on.
More generally, SpaceX doesn't have to pay the cost of crossing organizational boundaries. When that happens, unless the parts are standardized and commoditized, then requirements have to be formalized, contracts and costs negotiated. Time and again SpaceX found it was cheaper and faster to just do things themselves rather than buy from traditional aerospace contractors.
Re: Crew Dragon Docks with ISS
#154Earlier quoted context omitted.
Incredible. Also Tesla seems to be extremely focused on r&d. How does Elon Musk push and run his organisations so differently that he seems to be one of the only few, if not only one, capable of running big organisations that are able to accomplish this extreme level of innovation paired with tangible results?
My extremely naive interpretation: he’s at a sweet spot crossroads of a few favourable features: - he’s technical enough so that he actually understands what he’s doing (unlike a “non-technical cofounder”) - working on actually inspiring projects (unlike “let’s sell ads” Google, “let’s make rich people richer” finance, “no innovation” Boeing or “Instagram for dogs” bullshit startups) - he’s rich enough to be able to…
Elon Musk did not start SpaceX, Tesla or any of the other companies.
Re: Crew Dragon Docks with ISS
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m guessing the current price has to pay for a whole new rocket, as NASA probably won’t use a used (“flight-proven”) one for humans. Eventually I expect used ones to be not only cheaper, but also more reliable. Like for (water)ships - they say “it’s new after you’ve owned it for a year”, the implication being that you spend the first year discovering and fixing manufacturing defects.
What happens to the rockets after they're flown for a single mission? Do they belong to SpaceX for later re-use in commercial cargo missions, or does NASA own them?
NASA pays for the mission, transport XY amount of tonnage to the ISS. The rocket remains owned by SpaceX. In majority of situations, owning a rocket means little as it cannot be reused. Also very few customers have the means to "run" a rocket, NASA fits the bill and it's conceivable NASA could buy a F9 and use it after quite a bit of training, but this makes little sense for them and little sense for SpaceX.
Re: Crew Dragon Docks with ISS
#156Why is it such a big deal this time? Don't the Russians fly to ISS all the time?
Few reasons, it's been 9 years since the last crewed spacecraft took off from American soil.
Second reason is this is the first time the spacecraft has been built and run by a commercial company (spacex)
Re: Crew Dragon Docks with ISS
#157Earlier quoted context omitted.
My extremely naive interpretation: he’s at a sweet spot crossroads of a few favourable features: - he’s technical enough so that he actually understands what he’s doing (unlike a “non-technical cofounder”) - working on actually inspiring projects (unlike “let’s sell ads” Google, “let’s make rich people richer” finance, “no innovation” Boeing or “Instagram for dogs” bullshit startups) - he’s rich enough to be able to…
Elon Musk did not start SpaceX, Tesla or any of the other companies.
He did start SpaceX, not Tesla.
Re: Crew Dragon Docks with ISS
#158Why is it such a big deal this time? Don't the Russians fly to ISS all the time?
It's a capability NASA lost and is not close to achieving, it's a feel good story for USA, it's a really nice thing to improve competition in crewed launch space allowing NASA to go further with bigger missions (Moon and Mars).
Re: Crew Dragon Docks with ISS
#159SpaceX runs basically as a giant R&D program that also happens to accomplish useful things as byproducts of its approach (with the miracle of insurance to cover costs if things get explody). Every flight is data for incremental improvement. If you think of all SpaceX has ever done was try to get to this point, with somewhere around 80 flights on the Falcon 9, but for a variety of mission buyers (NASA, USAF, Commercia…
Imagine this started when Musk wanted to send seeds to Mars.
Re: Crew Dragon Docks with ISS
#160SpaceX runs basically as a giant R&D program that also happens to accomplish useful things as byproducts of its approach (with the miracle of insurance to cover costs if things get explody). Every flight is data for incremental improvement. If you think of all SpaceX has ever done was try to get to this point, with somewhere around 80 flights on the Falcon 9, but for a variety of mission buyers (NASA, USAF, Commercia…
Whilst I agree with the general sentiment, the Space Shuttle was the single most capable spacecraft that has ever flown. You are not being fair in measuring it simply on the basis of how much mass it could put in Orbit.