So SpaceX Starship test flight 8 had the same kind of Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly as flight 7. This is disappointing, but as The Silicon Graybeard says, space is hard.
What I find interesting is that SpaceX sends up so many Falcon rockets that it's become normal, if not exactly boring. But Starship is exciting, and misunderstood. If you're a SpaceX fan, I encourage you to read that last link.
Yep, and Musk is 'old school' that way. Shoot it, break it, fix it, shoot it, lather, rinse, repeat. Shades of Wernher Von Braun.
ReplyDeleteOld NFO, remember Vanguard? ;-)
ReplyDeleteShoot, break, fix indeed.
Scanned the Casey Handmer article. I think I may have read the article previously. I agree with him. Starship/Superheavy as envisioned is a disruptive technology.
ReplyDeleteIFT-8 was a little disappointing as SpaceX normally goes well beyond any failures in the next flight. This was so similar to the IFT-7 failure that it tickles the back of my mind that sabotage may have been the cause. There probably are some folks working for SpaceX on the Left who don't care about their future because of severe Trump Derangement Syndrome/Musk Derangement Syndrome.
Starship is disruptive for mass to orbit or suborbital transport to a fixed base (with refueling capabilities and a crane big enough to reach the cargo bay). The articles fantasizing about moving an entire armored division in hours ignores WAY too many constraints for the exercise to be real. First is having 1,000 Starships. That will take years to accomplish, even at 1 per day off the line.. Now expend all of them, leaving none for actual orbital deliveries. (no fuel at the destination means no return).
ReplyDelete