Quote from: Jim on 02/23/2017 06:53 pmQuote from: meekGee on 02/23/2017 06:50 pmAs for when did SpaceX start thinking about fairing recovery - I don't know, and neither do you. It's clearly not the final design, but whether they were built more robustly to enable even initial experimentation - we simply can't tell. But probably earlier than a year ago...The fairing design predates the first launchWhy would that support your case?
Quote from: meekGee on 02/23/2017 06:50 pmAs for when did SpaceX start thinking about fairing recovery - I don't know, and neither do you. It's clearly not the final design, but whether they were built more robustly to enable even initial experimentation - we simply can't tell. But probably earlier than a year ago...The fairing design predates the first launch
As for when did SpaceX start thinking about fairing recovery - I don't know, and neither do you. It's clearly not the final design, but whether they were built more robustly to enable even initial experimentation - we simply can't tell. But probably earlier than a year ago...
Quote from: meekGee on 02/23/2017 07:36 pmQuote from: Jim on 02/23/2017 06:53 pmQuote from: meekGee on 02/23/2017 06:50 pmAs for when did SpaceX start thinking about fairing recovery - I don't know, and neither do you. It's clearly not the final design, but whether they were built more robustly to enable even initial experimentation - we simply can't tell. But probably earlier than a year ago...The fairing design predates the first launchWhy would that support your case? because nothing supports yours and the fairing supports the payload and that it why it is heavy. There is no other US fairing that can support a payload.
Quote from: Semmel on 02/23/2017 04:06 pm....Also shines new light on the payload restrictions of about 10 T to the current payload. It was speculated that FH can not bring heavy payloads to LEO because the adapter is not capable to hold heavy loads. Maybe the adapter is not the limitation.. Maybe it's the fairing.It will be interesting to see what the maximum payload will be for the FH when vertically integrated at LC-39A
....Also shines new light on the payload restrictions of about 10 T to the current payload. It was speculated that FH can not bring heavy payloads to LEO because the adapter is not capable to hold heavy loads. Maybe the adapter is not the limitation.. Maybe it's the fairing.
Quote from: Zed_Noir on 02/23/2017 08:02 pmQuote from: Semmel on 02/23/2017 04:06 pm....Also shines new light on the payload restrictions of about 10 T to the current payload. It was speculated that FH can not bring heavy payloads to LEO because the adapter is not capable to hold heavy loads. Maybe the adapter is not the limitation.. Maybe it's the fairing.It will be interesting to see what the maximum payload will be for the FH when vertically integrated at LC-39Aif it happens at all.
This theory hasn't been mentioned yet so:Spacex fairing are heavier because they use a less expensive but lower strength carbon fiber. The high strength aerospace carbon fiber is double to triple the cost of a utility strength fiber. In addition to ensure the higher strength the resin system is also more expensive. ( Resin system + manufacturing system)Simply to get an equivalent strength out of lower strength fiber there must be more... hence heavier.But Cheaper
I like the idea that they built a cheap but heavy fairing ....
I don't see any evidence they are using anything other than current state-of-the-art aerospace composites for the fairing. Let's not pile speculation on speculation.
. The fairing is 13.1 meters (43 feet) high and 5.2 meters (17 feet) wide. It consists of an aluminum honeycomb core with carbon-fiber face sheets fabricated in two half-shells.
Fairing 2.0 will be a little different and slightly larger