this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2024
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So I've heard and seen the newest launch, and I thought for a private firm it seemed cool they were able to do it on their own, but I'm scratching my head that people are gushing about this as some hail mary.

I get the engineering required is staggering when it comes to these rocket tests, but NASA and other big space agencies have already done rocket tests and exploring bits of the moon which still astounds me to this day.

Is it because it's not a multi billion government institution? When I tell colleagues about NASA doing stuff like this yeaaaars ago they're like "Yea yea but this is different it's crazy bro"

Can anyone help me understand? Any SpaceX or Tesla fans here?

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[–] [email protected] 173 points 1 month ago (36 children)

Disclaimer: Fuck Elon Musk and all the shady shit he's been pulling off.

That said, this is one of the most impressive things I've ever seen in terms of the potential it holds to shape the future.

Up until 5 short years ago we had:

  • No main booster recovery
  • No rocket nearly as powerful as this one
  • No successful flight of a full-flow stage engine
  • Nobody even considering the catch with chopsticks thing
  • No private company testing super heavy lift vehicles (BO is about to enter the chat as well)
  • No push for reusability at all

This was all built on top of the incredible engineering of NASA, but this one launch today has all of the above ticked.

This is like making the first aeroplane that's able to land and be flown again. SpaceX uses this example as well, like, imagine how expensive any plane ticket would have to be if you had to build a brand new A380 every single time people wanted to fly and then crashing it into the sea.

Going to space is EXPENSIVE. If this program succeeds it will both massively reduce the cost to space and spin off hundreds of companies looking to do the same in various ways.

Look at any new rocket currently in development, they all include some level of reusability in the design and that's all thanks to the incredible engineers of SpaceX paving the way, first with Falcon 9 and now with Starship.

We're talking industrial revolution levels of progress and new frontiers in our lifetimes, which is very, very exciting.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The Saturn 5 was able to lift 141t to LEO.

The Space shuttle was reusable.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

The Saturn V could lift 141t to LEO...once. Also it'll be at least another 5 years before we reach a stable max power version of Starship.

For example the Falcon 9 v1.0 first flew in 2010 and the current Block 5 version first flew in 2018 with more than double the LEO capacity when fully expendable.

If they configure Starship as fully expendable it can lift 250t to LEO (per SpaceX, so grain of salt there to be fair).

As for the shuttle, I love it to bits and I'm sad it had to be grounded. It was refurbishable but not really reusable and the massive liquid fuel tank was discarded in each flight.

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