Author Topic: What would you launch with 53mt to LEO ? (Read 136867 times)

savuporo · « **on:** 04/08/2011 05:07 am »

Suppose the first Falcon Heavy flight was completely free, not booked.

What would you put on it, as a payload ? Assume it would actually be configured for their claimed 53mt to LEO capability.

Cheese they already did on the first Dragon ..

I'd launch an unmodified Caterpillar D9 ( weighing in at just under 50 tons ), or a Cadillac Coupe de Ville.

tigerade · « **Reply #1 on:** 04/08/2011 06:26 am »

53mt worth of cheese?

hyper_snyper · « **Reply #2 on:** 04/08/2011 12:31 pm »

Find the most un-recyclable trash on Earth, round it up, put it in a container with a solar sail. Have an FH launch it into heliocentric orbit and let the sail slowly drag it into the sun. Oh wait maybe that's not such a good idea. Cheese sounds good.

Lee Jay · « **Reply #3 on:** 04/08/2011 12:38 pm »

Propellant/water/other consumables.

gospacex · « **Reply #4 on:** 04/08/2011 12:48 pm »

Quote from: savuporo on 04/08/2011 05:07 am

Suppose the first Falcon Heavy flight was completely free, not booked.

What would you put on it, as a payload ? Assume it would actually be configured for their claimed 53mt to LEO capability.

I assume you mean "keeping in mind that (1) SpaceX doesn't want to spend much money on preparing this payload such as adding the possibility to berth to ISS (this rules out sending up consumables), and (2) that the very first FH flight have somewhat higher probability of failing."

My proposal:

The absolutely hugest possible inflatable ball with SpaceX log on it. Hmmm. Making a 50 ton rubber ball would be a challenge in itself.

Perhaps several balls then... or use remaining capability for other suggestions in this thread.

kirghizstan · « **Reply #5 on:** 04/08/2011 12:52 pm »

Quote from: gospacex on 04/08/2011 12:48 pm

Quote from: savuporo on 04/08/2011 05:07 am
Suppose the first Falcon Heavy flight was completely free, not booked.

What would you put on it, as a payload ? Assume it would actually be configured for their claimed 53mt to LEO capability.

I assume you mean "keeping in mind that (1) SpaceX doesn't want to spend much money on preparing this payload such as adding the possibility to berth to ISS (this rules out sending up consumables), and (2) that the very first FH flight have somewhat higher probability of failing."

My proposal:

The absolutely hugest possible inflatable ball with SpaceX log on it. Hmmm. Making a 50 ton rubber ball would be a challenge in itself. Perhaps several balls then... or use remaining capability for other suggestions in this thread.

take your idea 1 step further. the first space based advertising. think the banners small planes tow but big enough to be seen from LEO everyone on the surface

yamato · « **Reply #6 on:** 04/08/2011 12:52 pm »

two Falcon1s adapted for in-flight engine start, with some simple scientific probe. These could set a new speed record

majormajor42 · « **Reply #7 on:** 04/08/2011 12:52 pm »

This is a Vandenberg launch. Has anything ever been launched from VAFB that was not intended for Polar orbit? While it may not be efficient to launch to other orbits/destinations from there, with mT's to spare, efficiency may not be a priority.

There are doubts, in other threads, that this first launch/test will be capable of 53mT anyhow. This thread is in reference to just that first launch targeted for early 2013, right?

yamato · « **Reply #8 on:** 04/08/2011 12:54 pm »

Quote from: gospacex on 04/08/2011 12:48 pm

Quote from: savuporo on 04/08/2011 05:07 am
The absolutely hugest possible inflatable ball with SpaceX log on it. Hmmm. Making a 50 ton rubber ball would be a challenge in itself. Perhaps several balls then... or use remaining capability for other suggestions in this thread.

Deepsky amateur observers would propably kill you for this ;-)

telomerase99 · « **Reply #9 on:** 04/08/2011 01:03 pm »

I'm pretty sure it is illegal to send logos to space visible by earth, I remember McDonalds wanted to do it in the late nighties and there was a big uproar about golden arches sailing through the night sky.

kirghizstan · « **Reply #10 on:** 04/08/2011 01:04 pm »

Quote from: telomerase99 on 04/08/2011 01:03 pm

I'm pretty sure it is illegal to send logos to space visible by earth, I remember McDonalds wanted to do it in the late nighties and there was a big uproar about golden arches sailing through the night sky.

it was a joke

Bubbinski · « **Reply #11 on:** 04/08/2011 01:37 pm »

Maybe an enormous earth observation satellite controlled entirely by the public, with dozens of cameras that provide a 24/7 live stream. Or the same thing only for astronomy, with dozens of small telescopes you could point anywhere you wanted. Again, a 24/7 live stream of the night sky.

Or a large inflatable test module for a future ISS replacement, or a test fuel depot.

notherspacexfan · « **Reply #12 on:** 04/08/2011 01:48 pm »

How about a few million postcards?

Postcards are ~5-6 grams, lets call it 10g with packing materials.
53mt would be 5.3 million postcards. Paper has a density ~= water so it would volumetrically fit in the fairing. Lets assume we want to chip in $50M toward the cost of the test flight, $50M/5.3M cards = $9.45, add the cost of terrestrial postage ($0.28) and some slop ~= $10.

We partner with the USPS to sell the $10 "space stamps" with a picture of the Falcon Heavy. They get some great marketing out of it, "we deliver EVERYWHERE". In return, they do some extra size sorting of the postcards to make them easier to bundle. Every kid in the country would be sending their postcard to:

SPACE
c/o Elon Musk
1 Rocket Rd
Hawthorne, CA 90250

kirghizstan · « **Reply #13 on:** 04/08/2011 01:58 pm »

Quote from: notherspacexfan on 04/08/2011 01:48 pm

How about a few million postcards?

Postcards are ~5-6 grams, lets call it 10g with packing materials.
53mt would be 5.3 million postcards. Paper has a density ~= water so it would volumetrically fit in the fairing. Lets assume we want to chip in $50M toward the cost of the test flight, $50M/5.3M cards = $9.45, add the cost of terrestrial postage ($0.28) and some slop ~= $10.

We partner with the USPS to sell the $10 "space stamps" with a picture of the Falcon Heavy. They get some great marketing out of it, "we deliver EVERYWHERE". In return, they do some extra size sorting of the postcards to make them easier to bundle. Every kid in the country would be sending their postcard to:

SPACE
c/o Elon Musk
1 Rocket Rd
Hawthorne, CA 90250

this is actually an awesome idea assuming it deorbits so as not to become space junk

gospacex · « **Reply #14 on:** 04/08/2011 02:18 pm »

Quote from: kirghizstan on 04/08/2011 12:52 pm

Quote from: gospacex on 04/08/2011 12:48 pm
The absolutely hugest possible inflatable ball with SpaceX log on it. Hmmm. Making a 50 ton rubber ball would be a challenge in itself. Perhaps several balls then... or use remaining capability for other suggestions in this thread.

take your idea 1 step further. the first space based advertising. think the banners small planes tow but big enough to be seen from LEO everyone on the surface

Since people like interactivity: put some colored lights in the ball. Let them be controlled from the ground. Sell time on these things so that people can, say, play their mp3's and see it blinking to the rhythm.

kirghizstan · « **Reply #15 on:** 04/08/2011 02:21 pm »

Quote from: gospacex on 04/08/2011 02:18 pm

Quote from: kirghizstan on 04/08/2011 12:52 pm
Quote from: gospacex on 04/08/2011 12:48 pm
The absolutely hugest possible inflatable ball with SpaceX log on it. Hmmm. Making a 50 ton rubber ball would be a challenge in itself. Perhaps several balls then... or use remaining capability for other suggestions in this thread.

take your idea 1 step further. the first space based advertising. think the banners small planes tow but big enough to be seen from LEO everyone on the surface

Since people like interactivity: put some colored lights in the ball. Let them be controlled from the ground. Sell time on these things so that people can, say, play their mp3's and see it blinking to the rhythm.

how long till someone posts a message stating that you can't make the payload before selling all the advertising spots.

notherspacexfan · « **Reply #16 on:** 04/08/2011 02:25 pm »

Another idea, World's most expensive fireworks show.

Sheikh Khalifa's 65th birthday will be January 25th, 2013. So he can treat himself to the coolest fireworks show in the history of the planet. Launch 53mt of birdshot on the Falcon heavy, launch into a polar orbit, deorbit on his birthday over the UAE, once leaving orbit, set off a small explosive charge to disperse the shot. Falling stars filling the sky!

MikeAtkinson · « **Reply #17 on:** 04/08/2011 02:41 pm »

A Beyond Earth Orbit DragonLab, passing close to the moon on the way out.

TyMoore · « **Reply #18 on:** 04/08/2011 02:48 pm »

Maybe test a 'bus' that can take up 3 or 4 Dragon COTS modules at the same time?

I can't help but wonder how big of a space observatory could be launched with a payload of 53 mT. Something maybe twice the aperture of Hubble, or more: 8m optical telescope...

That would be really something to see and to see with!

Archibald · « **Reply #19 on:** 04/08/2011 03:22 pm »

What a bout a big water ballast ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Highwater

Or perhaps some huge space sculpture everybody could seen from the ground ?
http://www.arsastronautica.com/article.php?news_id=14