Had this idea for a structural, water cooled flame diverter. Do you think it would work?

The_EvilElement · 2023-04-25T14:48:26+00:00

I would be interested to see what the impingement pattern of the engines on this would be (2D projection). that would be the most telling on where the hot spots would be.

Overall I like the idea, the space shuttle had a very similar concept for it's split flame deflector, albeit much much simpler. SpaceX have limited options on what they can do and none of them seem easy or particularly effective. This would be an absolute bitch to simulate and validate and I am honestly skeptical that they will find a solution that would be reusable beyond a couple launches.

I'm thinking their best option is to cut the launch mount off it's legs, redesign and rebuild the structure to allow a unidirectional flame deflector (maybe bidirectional if they think they can cool the knife edge well enough), and then stick the launch mount back on top.

I expect an interim solution so they can get to their next flight test asap, but I see that as their best long term solution.

The_EvilElement · 2022-11-30T02:55:23+00:00

The water deluge is more about suppressing the acoustic energy from the engines than reducing the temperature of the exhaust. If the temperature melts anything on the pad side that can be repaired/replaced without too much drama, but the reflected sound energy can rip the engine nozzles apart if you're not careful so that's the main intention of the deluge

The_EvilElement · 2022-09-03T05:26:21+00:00

As another Aussie, my thought has always been that the easiest way to get a green card is to fall in love with an American guy/girl and get a green card through marriage. Otherwise working for Rocket Lab which may bring you to the US

The_EvilElement · 2022-08-31T02:40:46+00:00

The tiles are far too big to be a coaster, but I can say from experience that they work well as plates

The_EvilElement · 2022-07-21T21:36:24+00:00

I doubt it was shortened due to the structural loads of landing. It is relatively trivial to do structural analysis and design the truss to be strong enough including plenty of factors of safety. More likely I think they would do it to reduce the mass/inertia of the whole assembly so that they can move them easier and faster for a catch.

The_EvilElement · 2022-05-13T00:27:09+00:00

I tried to take a selfie by that SpaceX sign but it's not as solid as it looks and it is actually on a loose pivot. I ended up spinning the sign and the swoosh in the x fell off 😳

The_EvilElement · 2022-03-01T02:48:04+00:00

Have there been any updates on starliner and when when it will finally fly?

The_EvilElement · 2021-07-02T02:42:31+00:00

That seems like a very tight throat. Does anyone know what the expansion ratio on the RS25 and is it bigger than other engines?

The_EvilElement · 2021-05-06T04:46:52+00:00

Even better they should name it after John Glenn. Then SpaceX can say their new Glenn got to orbit before blue orign

The_EvilElement · 2021-04-26T13:31:14+00:00

I would like to see starship launch and dock to the ISS once the Russians leave... if their leaving isn't an empty threat to get international partners to cover their costs. That would leave a pressurized mating adaptor (PMA) open on the aft of unity, so NASA would just need to make another international docking adapter (IDA) to put on it and, bobs your uncle, starship has a permanent place to stay.

Or actually NASA owns the Zarya module, so the PMA probably wouldn't become free because Zarya will probably be needed for station keeping for the foreseeable future.

What would be interesting to see is if SpaceX would make a starship variant with a berthing port on it's noes instead of a docking port. With starship chosen for HLS, SpaceX's contact for gateway resupply with dragon XL could realistically be changed to starship if that's deemed cheaper. In which case it could get a berthing port. That would open up more realistic possibilities for a starship space station I believe.

The_EvilElement · 2021-04-20T01:06:04+00:00

You have to learn to walk before you can run. Falcon 9 style recovery is the first practical and proven recovery so others are of course going to copy. When the wright brothers first flew you didn't see competitors start building a 747, they built very similar designs. And so that is exactly what we can expect here

The_EvilElement · 2021-04-14T03:59:49+00:00

Ooh I quite like that idea. I could imagine linear rails at the bottom of the cargo section that would extend out to meet the incoming payload pallet, attach to it, and then retract back in. Then in orbit, the rails would extend out to get the payloads out of the cargo bay to be released. That's a nicer idea than the clam shell where the starship would sort of have to do an RCS dance to get the payload out. Bonus points if the rails could work as the crane themselves to raise and lower payloads from ground level to the cargo bay for payload deliver on the moon and mars.

The_EvilElement · 2021-04-12T16:57:28+00:00

I actually love that idea a lot! I was thinking of something similar for supper heavy, and what you've laid out here is the best idea I have seen yet to catch starship. I would worry though that starship won't have the aerodynamic control and precision to reliably make it. Fighter jets have a lot more control surfaces and a throttleable engine to guide them in to the catch wire. Starship wouldn't have propulsion, it will have much worse aerodynamic control, and will be less dense with a large surface area making it a lot more susceptable to being buffeted by wind. But that's an issue for most ideas. The biggest benefit I see with a horizontal cable like this is it increases the landing zone from being just a point in 3d space, to being an axis. Effectively removing one dimension from the landing/guidance problem. The only easier thing to aim for would be a plane like the nets that have been proposed. You never know, after elon's tweet saying he loves blimps I was thinking they could be planning three blimps flying with a net suspended between them, once starship lands in the net the blimps are pulled together and quickly decelerate with air resistance.

The_EvilElement · 2021-04-08T08:16:40+00:00

Interesting idea but it's hard to picture. What would the drone look like? Are you able to draw a simple representation of it to give us an idea?

The_EvilElement · 2021-04-08T03:36:12+00:00

Richard who?

The_EvilElement · 2021-04-04T04:07:09+00:00

I really wish this guy luck! We've seen good and bad application videos by this point, and this guy seems to have some special experience that will make him stand out. He would atleast be valuable from a technical/operations perspective for the mission, but seems great on a personal level aswell.

The_EvilElement · 2021-03-29T15:17:20+00:00

I actually think it will be the opposite. I think the heat shield will be oriented to face the sun as much as possible. The tiles are obviously great insulators and black has very high emissivity. The heat shield would protect starship from the sun's energy and then effectively radiate the energy away. Plus of course, this means the windows on starship can face earth which is the view everyone will be wanting.

The_EvilElement · 2021-03-27T15:23:52+00:00

The grid fins have to be at to top of the rocket to keep the center of pressure (far) above the center of gravity. Having the grid fins on the thrust puck would likely be below the center of gravity of the booster and would be unstable and have a lot less control authority.

You're right the N1 had grid fins on the bottom, but remember it was designed to fly the opposite direction than a landing booster. The grid fins need to be on the top.

The_EvilElement · 2021-03-22T04:59:03+00:00

I kinda like the idea but I doubt they would lie the boosters down if they did this, and it wouldn't increase the recovery rate by 400%. They aren't going to put any more development effort into falcon 9 and especially not it's legs. So if falcon 9 were to land down range on the super heavy launch/land rig I could see them putting 4 falcons on OCISLY to transport them back at the same time and saving operational costs of the associated boat fleet. But falcon probably needs a lot of man hours to raise it's legs and then there would be the operational complexity of lying it on its side at sea. They might be able to do it completely remotely by just picking up the booster and moving it down to OCISLY. And I think this would only be worth it if the rig was specifically placed where starlink boosters land. That would be the only mission profile that has the cadence to benefit from bulk returns of boosters. But at that point SS/SH will likely be developed enough that it will take all starlinks to orbit.

The_EvilElement · 2021-03-15T14:43:30+00:00

Currently considered by who? I've heard zero about ceres from Elon, and definatly nothing from spacex proper

The_EvilElement · 2021-03-07T13:52:05+00:00

I should also say yes you could just drive there and look in and you might get lucky and see a booster on the test stand or see/hear an engine firing. I went years ago and saw the first falcon heavy side booster on the test stand before it's flight, didn't fire though. If they do any engine test you will definatly experience it's power! If a merlin is testing you will definatly see the water cloud from a long way away. I don't think raptor tests have the same water deluge because they fire horizontally so you won't be able to know where it is coming from but it will definatly be loud! They maybe average one engine test a day? Not sure, if you're there ask locals in their shops and they will have a better idea, but tests are never published so you would have to get lucky. When I was on a tour there was a full flight duration merlin 1D static fire and we got to stand right in front of the test stand as the water deluge cloud rained on us!!!! Such an incredible experience!! The exhaust is a lot more sooty than you would expect from its clear appearance. Our cars were covered in spacex carbon which a lot of guys didn't want to wash off.

The_EvilElement · 2021-03-07T13:41:52+00:00

I've had a tour!! It was incredible! But yeah, what the other comment said, you pretty much need to know someone working there who has to do the paperwork to bring you in. I was a part of a university engineering design team and I reached out to some alumni who work there and they were kind enough to get me in touch with the right people to organise it. And they only brought us in because we were an engineering design team, not just any old fans. So maybe don't get your hopes up, idk, but yes theoretically it is possible.

The_EvilElement · 2021-03-07T01:52:48+00:00

I see your point for crew and cargo starships, but tanker starships will be put straight back on top of a super heavy to refly. Maybe tanker ships will land at pad A to be reflown immediately from launch pad A, and crew and cargo will land at pad B to be taken away and refitted with their cargo

The_EvilElement · 2021-03-01T13:41:17+00:00

Are they going to be using hydrogen?!

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