Where can I get that "Nozzle Pack" software? Google isn't being particularly helpful in this case.
Things can be done in parallel. You don't have to wait for the engines to pass qualification before you design the rest of the booster.
Has anybody considered that instead of individual TVC for each engine that the whole rocket could be steered with differential thrust?So for example with the falcon 9 get rid of TVC and use differential thrust on different engines around the ring of engines on the outside of the rocket.Still might have a problem with roll but that could be solved by making the outer ring slightly pointed right then left as you go around the ring and just applying different thrust to the odd or even engines.For landing you probably want one engine with TVC.It could save a lot of weight.With lots of engines I would expect finer control of the vector.Should be a greater vector with larger diameter rockets.
Quote from: rsdavis9 on 09/21/2017 02:47 pmHas anybody considered that instead of individual TVC for each engine that the whole rocket could be steered with differential thrust?So for example with the falcon 9 get rid of TVC and use differential thrust on different engines around the ring of engines on the outside of the rocket.Still might have a problem with roll but that could be solved by making the outer ring slightly pointed right then left as you go around the ring and just applying different thrust to the odd or even engines.For landing you probably want one engine with TVC.It could save a lot of weight.With lots of engines I would expect finer control of the vector.Should be a greater vector with larger diameter rockets.Last year's ITS booster was presented with rings of differential thrusting non-gimballing engines surrounding a TVC gimballed central cluster. Dragon 2 uses differential thrust steering for the abort motors. And N-1's booster used differential thrust for steering.
Thinking about the proportionality of rockets and rocket engines made me wonder about the following: Would it have been easier to colonize mars if the human species was smaller than it is now, or bigger than it is now?Or are we ourselves as a humans at 1,80 meter coincidently at the optimal size to build similar sized rockets engines and become a space fairing civilization?If we where smaller we might have built smaller rocket engines with higher T/W or build the exact same “optimal” engine size as we do now, but less of them where needed, to get 100 people to Mars. Or if we would have been bigger than now, we would be able to build large engines more easily, but maybe get in trouble with material properties not being sufficient. The only option then would be to get many small engines on a large rocket.And what size would an alien space fairing civilization be, if compared to our own size?
Quote from: jpo234 on 09/21/2017 09:36 amThings can be done in parallel. You don't have to wait for the engines to pass qualification before you design the rest of the booster.True but the engine needs to have completed some test fires. In case of full scale Raptor we've not heard of any being tested.
Quote from: Peter.Colin on 09/21/2017 05:51 pmThinking about the proportionality of rockets and rocket engines made me wonder about the following: Would it have been easier to colonize mars if the human species was smaller than it is now, or bigger than it is now?Or are we ourselves as a humans at 1,80 meter coincidently at the optimal size to build similar sized rockets engines and become a space fairing civilization?If we where smaller we might have built smaller rocket engines with higher T/W or build the exact same “optimal” engine size as we do now, but less of them where needed, to get 100 people to Mars. Or if we would have been bigger than now, we would be able to build large engines more easily, but maybe get in trouble with material properties not being sufficient. The only option then would be to get many small engines on a large rocket.And what size would an alien space fairing civilization be, if compared to our own size?Throttle levels are much slower to respond and less precise than hydraulic TVC. Whether differential throttling could be fast or precise enough I think is unlikely.
After seeing the presentation today, I feel like the new size and new design of the BFR makes it a perfect multi utility workhorse.It could be in service for a long time before the next BFR will be realized.What size would make this one seem like a rowboat, as Musk said the 12 meter would seem in the future.And is a bigger size even nescerry?
Quote from: Peter.Colin on 09/29/2017 10:33 pmAfter seeing the presentation today, I feel like the new size and new design of the BFR makes it a perfect multi utility workhorse.It could be in service for a long time before the next BFR will be realized.What size would make this one seem like a rowboat, as Musk said the 12 meter would seem in the future.And is a bigger size even nescerry?I think that if this BFR actually gets built and flies that it's the larger BFR doesn't get built. A 12 million Lbf rocket, is not a small rocket, this could do a ton of work.