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Merged SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Explodes After Launch/Starship hop

3point14

Pi
3point14
Joined
Nov 4, 2005
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Whatever you think of Elon and his antics, this should be good.

It's either going to be a stunning example of how to belly-flop an enormous rocket flip it and land it on its backside or it's going to be an epic RUD.

I think it may be happening tomorrow...
 
They've done a couple of successful 150m hops. Hope the 15km one goes just as well.
 
Mike! said:
???
.:confused:
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Well, you know, They Built that City with Rock and Roll.



Now I guess they want to hold a 50's themed dance. A Starship Hop.


....also something about a big rocket scheduled for a 15 km up and down test launch, sometime within the next week.
 
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sts60 said:
Hope so. It will finally surpass what the Delta Clipper did 27 years ago. :-)
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Haters gonna hate. As far as I'm concerned, they've already surpassed the Delta Clipper. Not that it matters, much, but it's kind of depressing that it's taken almost 30 years for someone to take the proven concept and actually set about making it a going concern.
 
Delayed until Monday

ETA: No actual scheduled time yet, but the necessary road closures are from 8am to 5:30 pm CST on Monday
 
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theprestige said:
Haters gonna hate. As far as I'm concerned, they've already surpassed the Delta Clipper. Not that it matters, much, but it's kind of depressing that it's taken almost 30 years for someone to take the proven concept and actually set about making it a going concern.
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You needed two things, someone with the money, vision, and drive to take the gamble on entering the launcher market and embracing these abandoned ideas. And you needed a NASA/Government that was willing and able to support shaking things up.
 
ohms said:
They've done a couple of successful 150m hops. Hope the 15km one goes just as well.
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sts60 said:
Hope so. It will finally surpass what the Delta Clipper did 27 years ago. :-)
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theprestige said:
Haters gonna hate. As far as I'm concerned, they've already surpassed the Delta Clipper. Not that it matters, much, but it's kind of depressing that it's taken almost 30 years for someone to take the proven concept and actually set about making it a going concern.
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Ah, I was teasing, not hating. As much of an orifice as Elon Musk is personally, I wish SpaceX success with this project (and I say that as someone who worked on SLS). And I generally concur with your sentiments.
 
sts60 said:
Ah, I was teasing, not hating. As much of an orifice as Elon Musk is personally, I wish SpaceX success with this project (and I say that as someone who worked on SLS). And I generally concur with your sentiments.
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Trebuchet said:
Falcon 9 did that years ago.
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Well, yes, but Delta Clipper was touted as a 100% reusable SSTO (Single Stage to Orbit). IMO, SSTO is a pipe dream, and always will be unless rocket science can come up with a new fuel or an engine design that can supply very high thrust at an ISP up in the high 500s or more. SSTO might be possible, but I doubt such a vehicle would or could deliver a significant payload to orbit.

Delta Clipper never got past the hop stage, hovering for a minute or two before landing again. That aspect was surpassed even before Falcon 9 by the Grasshopper test flights. However, even Falcon 9 does not surpass what Delta Clipper was intended to be, a fully reusable rocket - 100% of the hardware being safely landed for re-use. The second stage of Falcon 9 is de-orbited to burn up on re-entry.

Starship is intended to ultimately achieve what Delta Clipper was supposed to... be a fully reusable rocket with heavy light capability. While Starship is not an SSTO, its two stages, but does it really matter at the end of the day, if you are getting 100% of your hardware back.
 
Trebuchet said:
Falcon 9 did that years ago.
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You mean the launch vehicle, right?

I guess there’s a tendency to just think of an integrated spacecraft - even a prototype - differently. But, yep. Here’s a pair of them back at the Cape after the Heavy launch last year.
 

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smartcooky said:
Well, yes, but Delta Clipper was touted as a 100% reusable SSTO (Single Stage to Orbit). IMO, SSTO is a pipe dream, and always will be unless rocket science can come up with a new fuel or an engine design that can supply very high thrust at an ISP up in the high 500s or more. SSTO might be possible, but I doubt such a vehicle would or could deliver a significant payload to orbit.

Delta Clipper never got past the hop stage, hovering for a minute or two before landing again. That aspect was surpassed even before Falcon 9 by the Grasshopper test flights. However, even Falcon 9 does not surpass what Delta Clipper was intended to be, a fully reusable rocket - 100% of the hardware being safely landed for re-use. The second stage of Falcon 9 is de-orbited to burn up on re-entry.

Starship is intended to ultimately achieve what Delta Clipper was supposed to... be a fully reusable rocket with heavy light capability. While Starship is not an SSTO, its two stages, but does it really matter at the end of the day, if you are getting 100% of your hardware back.
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That's a good point. The first "stage" is a reusable rocket that can boost its payload partway to orbit and then return intact. That payload being a second reusable rocket that can boost its payload the rest of the way to orbit and then also return intact. It's not SSTO but you can think of it as two stages, or as two reusable vehicles operating in cooperation.

Add three more such vehicles and you can form a megazord.
 
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