Choosing to use Stainless Steel materials and other design changes to SpaceX Starship should enable it to have its first orbital mission in 2020. Design changes have made the rocket dramatically better and shortened the time for development.
Part of the rocket will be cooled with liquid methane.
How about the chances that Starship reaches orbit in 2020?
— Eric Ralph (@13ericralph31) December 27, 2018
Probability at 60% & rising rapidly due to new architecture
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 27, 2018
What was the trigger for the latest redesign?
— Walter MacVane (@EcoHeliGuy) December 27, 2018
Time. Although it also turned out to be dramatically better.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 27, 2018
That was a good article. Based on the past few days, I can’t help but think there won’t be an ablative coating on Starship, which would be wild! All shine 🤩
— Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) December 24, 2018
Leeward side needs nothing, windward side will be activity cooled with residual (cryo) liquid methane, so will appear liquid silver even on hot side
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 25, 2018
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
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Well, at least he keeps China from shamelessly cloning his plans – by fundamentally changing the design every other week.
The heat shield – you mean the ignition place. All that oxygen will be flowing past it while it gets heated up along with the methane – what could go wrong? The rocket nozzles you speak of haven’t been re-used.
Good thing that for the next 100 years, there’s almost no way that can matter.
EDIT: Unless Woodward’s “negative” term is proven real.
Earth’s climate is not being “destroyed,” except in the mind of pseudo-environmental wack-jobs that are DENIERS of massive climate research fraud.
Thats still to far away.
Looking forward to the launch date. I want to organize a party within viewing distance.
Optimistic.
Almost all rocket nozzles are cooled by the fuel/propellants. This is just expanding that technique to the heatshield.
Its not what you do its why you do it.
That’s what Tesla and Boring are for.
It’s amazing how many,meat puppets,Botts are trying to discredit Elon. He is so far ahead the pseudo intellectuals can’t keep up. Go SpaceX!
Other stars too far away? WRONG! Google Plasma Magnet Drive & Dipole-Drive.
It’s cooled with liquid methane
I expect a big explosion.
Elon is already moving the boring* parts of cities, the transport networks, roads, power systems etc. underground.
*Did you see what I did there?
Methane won’t combust, even if very hot, unless mixed with oxygen (or some other suitable oxidiser )
So providing no oxidising contamination gets into the methane plumbing it should be OK.
All but one stars are too far away.
The rate of technological development is amazing. Last week Elon Musk was still developing the BFR, today he’s building a warp drive.
Isn’t there a risk of that cryo liquid methane combusting?
Star?ship. Stars is too far away!
Congratulations should wait until first successful launch and landing. Not saying he won’t succeed. Just saying we should wait.
As far as I can tell, he is already working on both of those plans at the same time
I’m sure its the same way and terms your employer found you.
What exactly will destroy the Earth’s climate and does it have to do with Musk’s launch provider business and his dreams of going to Mars?
I’m curious how Elon has succeeded in employing such talented employees in all his enterprises? How big can he reach? Why not build environmentally sound underground cities and begin terraforming Earth before its climate is destroyed? Maybe its easier to start from scratch on Mars.