I can't seem to find that the full payload weight of the Tesla and mounting stand (for a better word) that the FH launched. Basically I am wondering what the total weight. SpaceX says FH can do 16,800 kg (37,000 lb) to trans-Mars injection. A Tesla alone obviously doesn't eight 37,000 pounds.
Quote from: DeanG1967 on 02/20/2018 05:47 pmI can't seem to find that the full payload weight of the Tesla and mounting stand (for a better word) that the FH launched. Basically I am wondering what the total weight. SpaceX says FH can do 16,800 kg (37,000 lb) to trans-Mars injection. A Tesla alone obviously doesn't eight 37,000 pounds.A fully-recoverable FH can only do about 3.17 tonnes to TMI. That 16.8-tonne figure is with all three cores expended.
Quote from: sevenperforce on 02/20/2018 06:33 pmQuote from: DeanG1967 on 02/20/2018 05:47 pmI can't seem to find that the full payload weight of the Tesla and mounting stand (for a better word) that the FH launched. Basically I am wondering what the total weight. SpaceX says FH can do 16,800 kg (37,000 lb) to trans-Mars injection. A Tesla alone obviously doesn't eight 37,000 pounds.A fully-recoverable FH can only do about 3.17 tonnes to TMI. That 16.8-tonne figure is with all three cores expended.It should be noted that their trajectory was nowhere near optimal. You wouldn't usually do a GTO-capability demonstration before launching to Mars and then fire above the company headquarters to show off. So you have Oberth effect losses and on top of that a happy mix of booster blocks that I'm sure will not perform as well a 3x Block V when they have figured out minimal fuel to land.
Great discussion but nobody answered the question I asked.What was the ACTUAL payload weight of the FH demo?google says a Tesla model S weights 4,469 to 4,941 lbs. FH can lift more than that but besides the mounting hardware was there other ballast in the payload??
Quote from: DeanG1967 on 02/24/2018 11:26 amGreat discussion but nobody answered the question I asked.What was the ACTUAL payload weight of the FH demo?google says a Tesla model S weights 4,469 to 4,941 lbs. FH can lift more than that but besides the mounting hardware was there other ballast in the payload??The Tesla payload may have weighed less than a standard Tesla Roadster. The front disc brakes were removed, for example.
[My guess] Total mass of everything forward of the PAF interface: 1500kg
Quote from: deruch on 03/01/2018 01:52 am[My guess] Total mass of everything forward of the PAF interface: 1500kgI can't find a source saying the burn was to depletion.Is there one?
This should probably go in the Falcon Heavy thread, but there is no doubt that Falcon Heavy can lift the required mass to all the EELV reference orbits, and send 3500 kg to Pluto with a Jupiter assist. The upper stage is undersized for booster reuse, but is fine if the boosters are expended (even just the center core). I_sp is only one third of the rocket equation... The other two thirds are initial mass and mass fraction, and the Falcon upper stage is by far the best at both of those.
Hey everyone.I have a question!In a fair number of discussions I've had lately there is talk of Falcon Heavy's weak upper stage.I understand that the 2nd stage is not as efficient and has a lower ISP compared to other rockets (i.e. Ariane 5, Atlas V), however, there seems to be significant doubt that the Falcon Heavy can even do what SpaceX claims it can. (3500 kg to Pluto; hit all EELV reference orbits)Are these concerns legitimate or are they just not really accounting for all of the factors?
• Falcon Heavy: 20t to GTO & 13t to TMI (website: 26.7t & 16.8t)o All center core Merlins were flight-proveno 22,000kN @ SL o 1410t @ liftoff: 370t RP-1, 910t LOX (all the above numbers were vaguely qualified)o Learned that it’s extremely hard to lift the T/E (“several million pounds of steel”) up the relatively steep hill between the HIF and launch mounto “When we do the three engine landing burns, there are certain attachments between the engines,” which is what caused the recovery failureo Roadster will orbit between the planets “until we go out and bring it back for a museum,” laughtero “[Crossfeed] may be introduced a bit later on”
Will the Block 5 version come closer to the web site numbers?
Side boosters landing on droneships & center expended is only ~10% performance penalty vs fully expended. Cost is only slightly higher than an expended F9, so around $95M.