There is a new article up on the front page with details the Orion heat shield. I'm curious to know how SpaceX's heat shield for dragon is similar or different.
Saw these images posted on reddit, seems to be a second stage being prepared for transport from HQ, but it looks like one of the tank dome has mirror coating? Have we seen anything like this before?Photo credit goes to /u/redbeard4
It's official: SES-10 will be the first launch of a previously used Falcon 9 first stage. Story at SpaceNews. I'd link but on mobile...
So, do reused booster flights cut the queue?Seems they should, since the queue is historically for sequentially produced cores (the only way to get a core up to now, unless re-purposing ICBMs or whatever).
What about second stages and payload fairings? Seems like those could be limiting factors just as much as first stages depending on production rates. So I am not sure how much "queue cutting" is possible.
The nine engines that power the Falcon 9 first stage are arranged in the most efficient pattern possible for delivering power (thrust) and managing heat (thermal dynamics). We call this arrangement the “octaweb” – eight engines around the edge and one in the center. The octaweb could be considered the backbone of the Falcon 9 – a massive metallic structure that holds the engines in place, each in their own separate bay. Its weight, combined with that of the nine Merlin engines, gives a landing first stage an extremely low center of gravity.The octaweb structure is put together using a series of welds. Pictured here is one of our robotic welders going to work. But don’t worry – all of our robotic welders are closely monitored and overseen by people.