Gwynne Shotwell: SpaceX's Plan to Fly You Across the Globe in 30 Minutes [video] • Hacker News Board

Re: Gwynne Shotwell: SpaceX's Plan to Fly You Across the Globe in 30 Minutes [video]

#81

Post by phyller » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 9:11 PM UTC

abakker wrote: post #76

phyller wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you can bear with modern air travel today, the process, the rush, the waiting, the hassle with luggage, and worst of all being cramped in little seats with hundreds of other people around for really long periods of time, then I think you will probably be able to handle the rocket. The devil is in the details though. Regardless, not only do I think I would I appreciate the shorter, more violent flight more as I got…

Ever been bobsledding? I question how well even a fit adult deals with G forces that high. I consider myself pretty fit, but I found my experience at 4Gs to be completely unexpected. I could barely keep my head out of my lap. Sure, it was fun, and I didn't die, but they would not let the elderly, those with spinal injuries, or pregnant women ride a bobsled even for 90 seconds.

To that I would say the G-force strength and direction should be predictable, known even when they are designing the seats before building the rocket. So the passengers should be in an optimal position where they don't need to hold up their heads against the Gs but are cradled by the seat. I think that is very different from the bobsled analogy where the G-forces are changing intensity and direction all the time and you are not in an optimal position.

If the G-forces are unpredictable, well something went really really wrong.

But you are probably right in that there will be more medical restrictions than there are now. But someone with a spinal injury, or who is very pregnant, or very weak from age probably isn't going to be flying in today's aircraft either.

Re: Gwynne Shotwell: SpaceX's Plan to Fly You Across the Globe in 30 Minutes [video]

#82

Post by elif » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 9:12 PM UTC

sounds wrote: post #70

hackpert wrote: post #60

I think a major point that isn't being talked enough about in public (although I'm sure people in SpaceX have considered it before coming up with numbers) with the "point-to-point" transport system is simple demand-supply economics. Sure, let's say they can run 10 100-person flights per day from New York to Shanghai but do that many people even want to travel that route on that particular day?

More speculation here, I don't have any knowledge on the matter, but... If the flight time drops from 12 hours to 30 minutes, and prices are in the same ballpark of $2,000, then there would be more demand. The execs could all be in Shanghai for the board meeting and some of them could be back in NYC for dinner.

Ugh..

a crown jewel of human innovation, used to make sure the plutocrats don't have to suffer from the terror of foreign 5 star chefs.

can We call it "The Integral" instead of BFR? [0]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_(novel)

Re: Gwynne Shotwell: SpaceX's Plan to Fly You Across the Globe in 30 Minutes [video]

#83

Post by tintor » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 9:14 PM UTC

jedisct1 wrote: post #57

Does that mean no food, no snacks during the flight? That sucks.

The entire flight would be around 30min. Short airline flights don't serve meals already.

Re: Gwynne Shotwell: SpaceX's Plan to Fly You Across the Globe in 30 Minutes [video]

#84

Post by craftyguy » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 9:18 PM UTC

phyller wrote: post #72

aphextron wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but will your grandma say the same? My point is that this will never be a normal every day thing for the masses like air travel today.

If you can bear with modern air travel today, the process, the rush, the waiting, the hassle with luggage, and worst of all being cramped in little seats with hundreds of other people around for really long periods of time, then I think you will probably be able to handle the rocket. The devil is in the details though. Regardless, not only do I think I would I appreciate the shorter, more violent flight more as I got…

> we just all die instantly

It's surprising (to me at least) that it's not always instant. For example on the space shuttle Columbia, the astronauts went unconscious after a few seconds as the spacecraft was tumbling and breaking apart [1] but it's plausible that they could have regained consciousness if they survived the violent episode inside the shuttle as it broke apart.

1. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/31/science/space/31NASA.html

Re: Gwynne Shotwell: SpaceX's Plan to Fly You Across the Globe in 30 Minutes [video]

#85

Post by huhtenberg » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 9:22 PM UTC

aphextron wrote: post #23

Rocket based travel will never ever ever happen on a widespread scale simply because of the G forces involved. Passengers on an airliner will begin feeling uncomfortable at around 1.2 G's and > 20 degrees of bank angle. The thought of subjecting regular paying passengers to 3+ G's and a full 360 degrees of pitch/roll is absurd. It could definitely be a niche thing for people that are physically fit, but this just isn…

> a full 360 degrees of pitch/roll

Can't this be somewhat alleviated with some sort of free 360 deg. rotating suspension of the passenger cabin? So that the G forces are at least pointing "down".

Re: Gwynne Shotwell: SpaceX's Plan to Fly You Across the Globe in 30 Minutes [video]

#86

Post by jccooper » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 9:34 PM UTC

XR0CSWV3h3kZWg wrote: post #73

Ajedi32 wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assume there aren't commercial scheduled spaceline flights taking off from nuclear missile silos.

I haven't heard of missile defense systems that are capable of determining the origin of an ICBM while deciding if it should try and take it out.

Infrared boost phase detectors on satellites have been around since the 60s. The US and Russian detection systems, at least, certainly know the origin of any ICBMs. There's not many parties that don't have that data and also have counter-measures.

Re: Gwynne Shotwell: SpaceX's Plan to Fly You Across the Globe in 30 Minutes [video]

#87

Post by jccooper » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 9:36 PM UTC

pjmorris wrote: post #32

How do you tell the difference between commercial scheduled rocket flights and incoming ICBM's?

The ICBMs are usually not 9m wide, made of carbon fiber, carrying transponders, and making a gliding reentry.

Re: Gwynne Shotwell: SpaceX's Plan to Fly You Across the Globe in 30 Minutes [video]

#88

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 9:41 PM UTC

Ajedi32 wrote: post #59

XR0CSWV3h3kZWg wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assume that there aren't commercial scheduled airline flights going straight through a warzone?

Assume there aren't commercial scheduled spaceline flights taking off from nuclear missile silos.

[deleted]

Re: Gwynne Shotwell: SpaceX's Plan to Fly You Across the Globe in 30 Minutes [video]

#89

Post by jacquesm » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 9:42 PM UTC

XR0CSWV3h3kZWg wrote: post #56

Ajedi32 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The same way you tell the difference between commercial scheduled airline flights incoming kamikaze pilots?

Assume that there aren't commercial scheduled airline flights going straight through a warzone?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_Airlines_Flight_17

Re: Gwynne Shotwell: SpaceX's Plan to Fly You Across the Globe in 30 Minutes [video]

#90

Post by jacquesm » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 9:43 PM UTC

Betting against Elon Musk is historically unprofitable but if there was one of those bets saying that SpaceX will never actually field this other than for PR purposes then I'd probably take it.