/sci/ - Science & Math

>>10839950
>What are /sfg/'s opinion of winged flyback boosters?
Another good but untried idea. There are loads of them. Tethers, inflatables for the low heat reentry, nuclear stuff, etc etc etc - take your pick.
>Could it be viable?
Of course, why not
>Advantages? Disadvantages?
Both are unclear until tried, and both are highly specific to the particular case and implementation. May or may not be easier to return at the launch site (VTVL boosters need to be transported back when landed somewhere down the range, and a flyback one might need a better lift-to-drag which might incur a mass penalty). May or may not have worse turnaround times, depending on implementation.

>>10839971
>Substantially higher dry weight due to having wings, more surface area to perform maintenance on
Not obvious if it weights more than the additional fuel for VTVL, highly dependent on the particular case
>more surface area to perform maintenance on
>less payload for equivalent size and more refurbishment/repair costs
Not obvious either, until tried
>and you need full runways to land on rather than small pads
Hardly a disadvantage, runways are aplenty as long as you don't carry toxic components.

It's worth remembering that a rocket or spacecraft doesn't exist until it flies, preferably many times. Neither paper nor prototypes equal a proven vehicle. Simple, but many people seem to mistake concepts and prototypes for real hardware too easily.

>>10758877
>>10758860
The best ones are when they cut the engines just before the ignition, when the rocket is already on fire but the launch is aborted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUeYH4QqAgs
I wonder how they're dealing with situations like that, do they have automated fire suppression of some kind?