Quote from: Dave G on 01/12/2018 11:49 pmWhat is surprising is Gwynne's announcement yesterday:Quote from: Houston Chronicle, January 11, 2018SpaceX has a rocket engine testing facility in McGregor and is building a launch site in Boca Chica, said Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX. The latter project, she said, will be ready late this year or early next year for early vehicle testing. SpaceX will then continue working toward making it a launch site.If they're still planning to launch Falcon 9 from Boca Chica, why would that require "early vehicle testing"? Falcon 9 is flight proven. And if she meant early pad testing with a vehicle, then why does she imply it will take some time after that for them to "continue working toward making it a launch site"?In other words, Gwynne's announcement yesterday could be interpreted as Boca Chica going straight to BFR.That would be cool if true. But I'd like to see the actual quote, not just a reporter's paraphrase, before I would read too much into the words "early vehicle testing".
What is surprising is Gwynne's announcement yesterday:Quote from: Houston Chronicle, January 11, 2018SpaceX has a rocket engine testing facility in McGregor and is building a launch site in Boca Chica, said Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX. The latter project, she said, will be ready late this year or early next year for early vehicle testing. SpaceX will then continue working toward making it a launch site.If they're still planning to launch Falcon 9 from Boca Chica, why would that require "early vehicle testing"? Falcon 9 is flight proven. And if she meant early pad testing with a vehicle, then why does she imply it will take some time after that for them to "continue working toward making it a launch site"?In other words, Gwynne's announcement yesterday could be interpreted as Boca Chica going straight to BFR.
SpaceX has a rocket engine testing facility in McGregor and is building a launch site in Boca Chica, said Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX. The latter project, she said, will be ready late this year or early next year for early vehicle testing. SpaceX will then continue working toward making it a launch site.
Quote from: BadgerLegs on 01/12/2018 12:01 amHas anybody considered the possibility that Musk wants to use the solar panels to prove the concept of making one's own Methane? With C02, water, and electricity, He can fuel the rocket on site with no outside assistance.I doubt it. Musk implied this wouldn't happen until much later. Remember, the biggest challenge of BFR is financial, not engineering. Any extra costs they can defer until after the initial Mars missions, they probably will.
Has anybody considered the possibility that Musk wants to use the solar panels to prove the concept of making one's own Methane? With C02, water, and electricity, He can fuel the rocket on site with no outside assistance.
Quote from: Dave G on 01/12/2018 01:54 amQuote from: BadgerLegs on 01/12/2018 12:01 amHas anybody considered the possibility that Musk wants to use the solar panels to prove the concept of making one's own Methane? With C02, water, and electricity, He can fuel the rocket on site with no outside assistance.I doubt it. Musk implied this wouldn't happen until much later. Remember, the biggest challenge of BFR is financial, not engineering. Any extra costs they can defer until after the initial Mars missions, they probably will.Before the large scale Sabatier reactor launches to Mars.It would be advisable to see if it’s really capable of continued production a few million kg liquid methane every synod.It would be really cool to do, at least once, a sub orbital flight with a BFS from Boca Chica with locally produced Methalox, from CO2 out of the air, using energy from the sun.People could get a changed mindset about the environment, when they see this is not some fantasy story.(CO2 pre-scrubbed and enriched to 96%)
It would be advisable to see if it’s really capable of continued production a few million kg liquid methane every synod.It would be really cool to do at least once, a sub orbital flight with a BFS from Boca Chica with locally produced Methalox, from CO2 out of the air, using energy from the sun.People could get a changed mindset about the environment, when they see this is not some fantasy story.(CO2 pre-scrubbed and enriched to 96%)
Before the large scale Sabatier reactor launches to Mars.It would be advisable to see if it’s really capable of continued production a few million kg liquid methane every synod.
Quote from: matthewkantar on 01/13/2018 04:04 pmWhy would the test stand be at Michaud? They can run the envisioned raptor in Texas.Yes, they can test a single Raptor engine in McGregor, but they cant' test 31 Raptor engines together. The BFR booster is too big for road transport. And even if they could get it there, the test stand at McGregor isn't rated for that much thrust.
Why would the test stand be at Michaud? They can run the envisioned raptor in Texas.
Quote from: Dave G on 01/13/2018 04:21 pmQuote from: matthewkantar on 01/13/2018 04:04 pmWhy would the test stand be at Michaud? They can run the envisioned raptor in Texas.Yes, they can test a single Raptor engine in McGregor, but they cant' test 31 Raptor engines together. The BFR booster is too big for road transport. And even if they could get it there, the test stand at McGregor isn't rated for that much thrust.Maybe you mean Stennis?
For the record, CO2 can be produced by several methods. You can buy chunks of the stuff from the grocery store for $2 a pound; I'm sure Elon could get it cheaper.
Quote from: BadgerLegs on 01/14/2018 02:27 amFor the record, CO2 can be produced by several methods. You can buy chunks of the stuff from the grocery store for $2 a pound; I'm sure Elon could get it cheaper.To be clear, I was responding to a post that suggested the current solar array at Boca Chica may be used to create methane from CO2 and water, in order to prove out this process ahead of Mars.My point was that proving this process in Earth's atmosphere may not be useful. I believe it would be better to prove this process at a smaller scale in a simulated Martian atmosphere, i.e. near vacuum with appropriate levels of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, argon, etc.. This would cost less, and be a more realistic test.
Pete Sepulveda Jr., executive director of the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority, said his office is working with the Port of Brownsville on a wetland mitigation plan for a two-mile stretch of road that will connect State Highway 4 to docks on Ostos Road.Once approved by state and federal agencies, he said, construction of the road will take about one year and $10 million.The port connector is the first phase of the larger State Highway 32 construction project, also called the East Loop, which will route commercial trucks traveling between VeteransBridge and the Port of Brownsville around the city’s southeast side. That phase will cost about $60 million, Sepulveda said.
Quote from: Dave G on 01/14/2018 04:34 amQuote from: BadgerLegs on 01/14/2018 02:27 amFor the record, CO2 can be produced by several methods. You can buy chunks of the stuff from the grocery store for $2 a pound; I'm sure Elon could get it cheaper.To be clear, I was responding to a post that suggested the current solar array at Boca Chica may be used to create methane from CO2 and water, in order to prove out this process ahead of Mars.My point was that proving this process in Earth's atmosphere may not be useful. I believe it would be better to prove this process at a smaller scale in a simulated Martian atmosphere, i.e. near vacuum with appropriate levels of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, argon, etc.. This would cost less, and be a more realistic test.This process doesn’t work in Earth’s atmosphere, there’s to low amount of CO2 in it.This process has been shown to work with simulated Martian atmosphere, on a small scale.It hasn’t been tested on a milion kilo scale, do the electrodes last long enough?, how do the compressors hold up?, etc.? Better to find out if there are unexpected problems at Boca Chica than on Mars.SpaceX could either buy a around a hundred truckloads of solid CO2, or extract (scrub) CO2 out of the air, at Boca Chica.Extraction of CO2 is not part of the to be tested system, but it is how it could be done in the future here on Earth.Therefor its more inspirational, especially if the Falcon Spaceship uses fuel made out of CO2 out of the air, by sunlight.
Quote from: smndk on 01/11/2018 03:54 pmIs that “Franks tower”? Isn’t it a relatively new construction? It isn’t on google street view.This topic has been going since 2012, with 6 threads to sort of separate things a bit.Previous threads. Thread 1 COVERAGE Thread 2 COVERAGE Thread 3 COVERAGE Thread 4 COVERAGE Thread 5 COVERAGE If you're interested in the details, it may be worth your time to go back and skim some of the previous threads, looking at the attached pictures to see what sub-topics are being discussed.Nomadd started to looking to buy property there in Thread 3, so maybe start there. Lots of good stuff.Besides Nomadd, there are at least 2 other people living in Boca Chica Village that have posted on this thread, plus several others that live in the general area. At one point, we thought about showing where everyone lives on the map, but then changed that due to privacy concerns.Hope this helps.
Is that “Franks tower”? Isn’t it a relatively new construction? It isn’t on google street view.
Officials plan to break ground on Phase 1 of East Loop project in 2018Quote from: Brownsville herald, January 13, 2018Pete Sepulveda Jr., executive director of the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority, said his office is working with the Port of Brownsville on a wetland mitigation plan for a two-mile stretch of road that will connect State Highway 4 to docks on Ostos Road.Once approved by state and federal agencies, he said, construction of the road will take about one year and $10 million.The port connector is the first phase of the larger State Highway 32 construction project, also called the East Loop, which will route commercial trucks traveling between VeteransBridge and the Port of Brownsville around the city’s southeast side. That phase will cost about $60 million, Sepulveda said.
After several engineering studies, two congressional investigations and countless computer simulations, the decision was made to keep the intact half of the fence netting sound by cutting V shaped holes in the middle of every panel. The justification for putting that stuff up in the first place was "That's how they have to do it in California." Somebody thought a black wall looks better than a field of solar panels.
Could we perhaps create just a South Texas Launch Site UPDATES thread, with rigorous enforcement of updates only like we do in the launch threads. That way, those who want to get the updates but not get involved in months of speculation on things-we-don't-know-about could get just the updates.
Im surprised they SpaceX isn't using Tesla Powerwalls like Australia.
Quote from: Dave G on 01/14/2018 06:25 pmOfficials plan to break ground on Phase 1 of East Loop project in 2018Quote from: Brownsville herald, January 13, 2018Pete Sepulveda Jr., executive director of the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority, said his office is working with the Port of Brownsville on a wetland mitigation plan for a two-mile stretch of road that will connect State Highway 4 to docks on Ostos Road...Will this road Contruction stop SpaceX officials/Pad Crew from continueing to build the launch site this year? If it comes to that.
Officials plan to break ground on Phase 1 of East Loop project in 2018Quote from: Brownsville herald, January 13, 2018Pete Sepulveda Jr., executive director of the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority, said his office is working with the Port of Brownsville on a wetland mitigation plan for a two-mile stretch of road that will connect State Highway 4 to docks on Ostos Road...
Pete Sepulveda Jr., executive director of the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority, said his office is working with the Port of Brownsville on a wetland mitigation plan for a two-mile stretch of road that will connect State Highway 4 to docks on Ostos Road...