SpaceX Grasshopper a reusable rocket being developed

[Dee Man]

1 minute ago, dorlomin said:

NASA has an Administrator at its top, not a CEO. 

 

[thisal]

I just read spacehopper reusable rocket!!!

It might work.

[hellbhoy]

32 minutes ago, dorlomin said:

NASA has an Administrator at its top, not a CEO. 

Just in case someone had just emerged from a 36 year stint in a cave and had missed the whole Shuttle thing. 

Still not got over that theory bashing you got chump?

[dorlomin]

SPACEX TO SEND PRIVATELY CREWED DRAGON SPACECRAFT BEYOND THE MOON NEXT YEAR

 

Ummmmm wow.

[Netan Sansara]

2 hours ago, ThatBoyRonaldo said:

Great news that we're ceding space exploration from publicly funded and scientifically focused organisations to some billionaire w****r's company so he can run package holidays for other wankers.

Except when there's no real appetite for public funded space missions, the only real solution is private companies. Also worth noting that this launch is expected to cost 1% of the real budget of the Apollo missions, which is quite an incredible stat.

[welshbairn]

11 minutes ago, richDFC said:

Except when there's no real appetite for public funded space missions, the only real solution is private companies. Also worth noting that this launch is expected to cost 1% of the real budget of the Apollo missions, which is quite an incredible stat.

Do you mean one of the Apollo launches or the entire programme?

[Netan Sansara]

20 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

Do you mean one of the Apollo launches or the entire programme?

I think it was around 1% of a launch. Largely down to the fact that NASA had so much money and components were ridiculously expensive back then.

SpaceX big cost savings should, in theory, come from the fact that the rockets are reusable. Fuel is only a fraction of the total cost of a launch, it's relatively inexpensive.

[Shandon Par]

It's like a viral advertising campaign for the next Bond film. 

[welshbairn]

Hope he's not dropping his unmanned Mars mission scheduled for next year. Got 40/1 on it happening during Trump's first term.

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

2 hours ago, richDFC said:

I think it was around 1% of a launch. Largely down to the fact that NASA had so much money and components were ridiculously expensive back then.

SpaceX big cost savings should, in theory, come from the fact that the rockets are reusable. Fuel is only a fraction of the total cost of a launch, it's relatively inexpensive.

You have to add on $200M to make MiB3 so we could launch the ArcNet.

[dorlomin]

9 hours ago, richDFC said:

SpaceX big cost savings should, in theory, come from the fact that the rockets are reusable. Fuel is only a fraction of the total cost of a launch, it's relatively inexpensive.

They have not reused a rocket yet, they have recovered a couple. Their big savings have come from making something like 80% of their components in house. Rocket components were mostly sold to manufacturers on government contracts so the whole process was about squeezing as much cash out the tax payer. The relatively low volumes made meant that SpaceX could reproduce the products from scratch in start up mode. They were focused on cost rather than meeting government specs.

[Netan Sansara]

1 hour ago, dorlomin said:

They have not reused a rocket yet, they have recovered a couple. Their big savings have come from making something like 80% of their components in house. Rocket components were mostly sold to manufacturers on government contracts so the whole process was about squeezing as much cash out the tax payer. The relatively low volumes made meant that SpaceX could reproduce the products from scratch in start up mode. They were focused on cost rather than meeting government specs.

Yeh, with the end goal that they can reuse them without having to manufacture all new components.

You're absolutely right though about the in house stuff. NASA had an absolutely massive budget (relatively speaking) during the space race years so could simply chuck cash about, whereas as you say Musk is focused on making this a viable business, thereby keeping costs low.

[Cerberus]

Any ladies out there want a ride on my rocket?

[dorlomin]

 

[welshbairn]

Timely bump.

On 28/02/2017 at 13:01, welshbairn said:

Hope he's not dropping his unmanned Mars mission scheduled for next year. Got 40/1 on it happening during Trump's first term.

Thought Paddy Power might have paid out, for publicity value at least, when he sent his Tesla Roadster beyond Mars orbit. Did they f**k.