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2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/sci/ - Science & Math

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5860917 No.5860917 [Reply] [Original]

hey this is why SpaceX is dabes.png
they are developing a reuasable launch system where each stage flies itself back to the launch site and lands under own power, ready to be reused in a few hours. this reduces the cost of space travel ridiculously as fuel is only like less than 5% of total cost

atm they are at the stage of testing each stage for takeoff, supersonic flight and autonomous landing. (pic related)

>> No.5860918

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSF81yjVbJE

>> No.5860931

we will see wehn the first fireball is produced

>> No.5860956

firecracker tech = neanderthal tech
boys love it

>> No.5861184

Do you think SpaceX will really start the first Mars colony?

>> No.5861865

spacex has done lots of neat, clever things to cut launch costs without compromising safety...
and this is probably the best one
of course its only been possible recently due to the falling cost, shrinking size and increasing precision of the required electronics
i look forward to seeing the first test of the full blown system, as well as some hard numbers about how much money this will save them

>> No.5861880

Is it really the best idea to use the rocket engine to land? I would have thought parachutes would be more efficient.

>> No.5861889

>>5861880

You don't suck enough dick to understand these things. Get back to your "pure" science.

>> No.5861893

>>5860917
>where each stage flies itself back to the launch site and lands under own power, ready to be reused in a few hours.
So they're wasting weight on fuel that's not going towards accelerating the rocket to orbit?

>> No.5861903

>>5861893

Yes but at the same time, they recover a whole lot of time. They could so a ton of launches in the time it takes for current technology to do just one.

>> No.5861973

>>5861893
if i remember correctly, it doesn't use much fuel to land since it free-falls most of the time.

in any case, the money gained by getting your entire vehicle back more than covers the cost of fuel. best part is that newer (and better) maintenance techniques means they can give the whole rocket a once-over and replace ANY even SLIGHTLY defective parts within like a week or something, and be ready to launch again. that's pretty damn significant