Quote from: Rik ISS-fan on 12/30/2017 12:33 amAFAIK Blue Origin is planning to convert a /several surplus panamax tankers into landing vessels. This is the maximum vessel size (800') that can utilize the spaceport berth, planned by port Canaveral. VLCC are far larger.Any idea why a tanker is preferable to - say - a container ship ?
AFAIK Blue Origin is planning to convert a /several surplus panamax tankers into landing vessels. This is the maximum vessel size (800') that can utilize the spaceport berth, planned by port Canaveral. VLCC are far larger.
What opportunities are there for Blue Origin to draw lessons from SpaceX's successes and failures, to modify its strategies accordingly?In what ways is SpaceX most likely to influence what Blue does?While SpaceX may have a "first mover" advantage in many ways, it also has to bear the risks of being a pathbreaker. Like the old saying goes, "the pioneers get the arrows, the settlers get the land".Where can Blue benefit from being a "second mover" following behind SpaceX?
Looks like customers are choosing NG over FH for heavy comsat launches. Looks like BO have got it right by offering 7m dia. fairing on NG while SpaceX has made the mistake of not offering a fairing of larger than 5.2m dia. on FH.
Looks like BO have got it right by offering 7m dia. fairing on NG while SpaceX has made the mistake of not offering a fairing of larger than 5.2m dia. on FH.
Mistake in the sense that they physically cannot increase the diameter much more than 5 m due to physics, transonic buffeting considerations, etc? There's an upper limit on what fairing vs core diameter ratio you can achieve and so the fairing diameter was fixed by the 12 feet diameter road-transportable limit imposed on the core.
Quote from: sanman on 02/13/2018 11:53 amWhat opportunities are there for Blue Origin to draw lessons from SpaceX's successes and failures, to modify its strategies accordingly?In what ways is SpaceX most likely to influence what Blue does?While SpaceX may have a "first mover" advantage in many ways, it also has to bear the risks of being a pathbreaker. Like the old saying goes, "the pioneers get the arrows, the settlers get the land".Where can Blue benefit from being a "second mover" following behind SpaceX?Because SpaceX has, as a matter of policy, not filed patents on their work, Blue Origin is free to borrow what they see of SpaceX's techniques and use them in their own work without fear of legal reprisal. They can't steal the designs outright (and have shown little inclination to do so: they seem to be a proud bunch), but they can certainly borrow ideas, especially when they have been seen to work. This reduces their risk, should they care to do so.Of course, this same logic applies to other companies and nations. We have already seen a Chinese company talk about something rather like a mini Falcon (legs and all), and we have seen others begin to break the former taboo against using many smaller rocket engines rather than one or two very large ones per stage.
Let me add that BlueOrigin has announced they will, land on a moving vessel. They'll use stabalizer fins to stabilize the vessel. (this is used on cruiseships)
Quote from: ugordan on 03/23/2018 09:06 amMistake in the sense that they physically cannot increase the diameter much more than 5 m due to physics, transonic buffeting considerations, etc? There's an upper limit on what fairing vs core diameter ratio you can achieve and so the fairing diameter was fixed by the 12 feet diameter road-transportable limit imposed on the core.SpaceX must have got some special exemption. General maximum width is 8.5 feet (2.59 m) with the maximum being 10 feet (3.05 m) for fire engines!http://www.dot.ca.gov/trafficops/trucks/width.htmlFor railways its 10'8" (3.25 m).https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loading_gauge
For railways its 10'8" (3.25 m).https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loading_gauge
Quote from: Rik ISS-fan on 01/10/2018 03:49 pmLet me add that BlueOrigin has announced they will, land on a moving vessel. They'll use stabalizer fins to stabilize the vessel. (this is used on cruiseships)Crazy idea and completely OT but....Those fins. They look like they could operate in 2 axes.Has anyone considered making them grid fins as well?