Quote from: sevenperforce on 04/04/2017 05:26 PMQuote from: Rocket Science on 04/02/2017 11:30 PMa few months back I toyed with the idea of using the legs to generate lift and control...Mechanically, current legs are a non-starter on this. I don't know whether Block 5 will have automatically retractable legs, but probably not.And aerodynamically...no, I don't think this works. Even with the COM being so far forward, the drag on those legs at anything over a few km/s would flip the stage like a shuttlecock.Elon Musk has just said, the gridfins become a lot larger and provide more drag. That could counter some more drag of the legs. Or just one leg. He did announce too that the rocket can do some more lift as well. I don't believe that helps on ascent but can increase drag on the way down. The increase of capability must come from somewhere and not from more engine thrust alone.
Quote from: Rocket Science on 04/02/2017 11:30 PMa few months back I toyed with the idea of using the legs to generate lift and control...Mechanically, current legs are a non-starter on this. I don't know whether Block 5 will have automatically retractable legs, but probably not.And aerodynamically...no, I don't think this works. Even with the COM being so far forward, the drag on those legs at anything over a few km/s would flip the stage like a shuttlecock.
a few months back I toyed with the idea of using the legs to generate lift and control...
They might switch to an ablative coat that can be quickly applied and removed. Something that provides good thermal insulation, and protects the core from re-entry heating. Better ablative paint would allow them to try even hotter landing which use shorter re-entry burns, and in turn with the stronger titanium grid-fins allow them to glide and aerobrake.
Copying here as more appropriate on this thread:Quote from: hans_ober on 04/05/2017 02:08 AMThey might switch to an ablative coat that can be quickly applied and removed. Something that provides good thermal insulation, and protects the core from re-entry heating. Better ablative paint would allow them to try even hotter landing which use shorter re-entry burns, and in turn with the stronger titanium grid-fins allow them to glide and aerobrake.Surely to get very rapid re-use there needs to be less use of ablative coatings? How else are 10 re-uses without refurbishment, and a potential 24 hrs between flights, going to be achieved?
Does anyone happen to know whether COTS spray-on ablative materials are even available? Washing the soot off the stage and spraying on a fresh coat of ablative protection probably wouldn't count as a full "refurb" and could be done after each flight.
@jeff_foust on Twiiter currently reporting on Shotwell's talk at 33SS.https://twitter.com/jeff_foust
Quote from: Flying Beaver on 04/05/2017 05:55 PM@jeff_foust on Twiiter currently reporting on Shotwell's talk at 33SS.https://twitter.com/jeff_foustFrom the tweet: "Shotwell: Refurbishment cost is substantially less than half of a new one, and will get better"What is substantially less? Is that 40%, 30%?
I find it astounding that going through that stage with a fine comb, doing things that have never been done, and finding out all that needed finding out was done with less than 50% of the cost of building a new one.It can only go way down from there.
Quote from: guckyfan on 04/05/2017 09:11 PMI find it astounding that going through that stage with a fine comb, doing things that have never been done, and finding out all that needed finding out was done with less than 50% of the cost of building a new one.It can only go way down from there.Materials cost? Labour to make the big tanks and engines? Both very time consuming I assume.
Is there an official statement about the reasons not to refly again the SES-10 first stage?
Quote from: Endeavour126 on 04/06/2017 04:30 AMIs there an official statement about the reasons not to refly again the SES-10 first stage?Elon Musk thinks it is of historic value and wants to donate it to the cape as a display piece of sorts.
Don't know where else to post this. Gwynne Shotwell's talk at the 33rd Space Symposium shot on someone's mobile:Seems to include most of the Q&A too.
At about 10:30 in the video Gwynne says something about future refurbishment cost that I can't quite make out. There's a "10" and "labour" but I'm not sure what else.Quote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 04/15/2017 04:43 PMDon't know where else to post this. Gwynne Shotwell's talk at the 33rd Space Symposium shot on someone's mobile:Seems to include most of the Q&A too.
You could always have a door in the top of the core storage facility and install a rack system like fridge soda can dispenser...
..."It will be on the order of a tenth the work, the labor."