Re:SpaceX Crew Dragon Docks with International Space Station
by KineticLensman on Sunday March 03, 2019 @01:04PM
(#19295774)
> In the past we even had space ships, which could start from ground, go to space, do stuff, come back and the could be reused
The 're-used' aspect of the Shuttle involved massive re-fits which took months for each vehicle. It was like having to send your car back to the manufacturer for a total rebuild (often including engine change) every time you went for a drive. SpaceX is a massive improvement in this respect.
Re:SpaceX Crew Dragon Docks with International Space Station
by jacquesm on Sunday March 03, 2019 @04:01PM
(#19296837)
And two expended boosters and an expended fuel tank.
Re:SpaceX Crew Dragon Docks with International Space Station
by HALtheWise on Sunday March 03, 2019 @04:14PM
(#19296939)
Nitpick: the boosters were reused by parachute splashdown, but it was also really expensive due to (among other things) the corrosiveness of salt water. The External Tank was in fact expended.
Re:SpaceX Crew Dragon Docks with International Space Station
by KineticLensman on Sunday March 03, 2019 @04:58PM
(#19297190)
Each SRB consisted of 11 cylindrical steel sections. After flight and recovery, these were dismantled, refilled with solid rocket fuel as appropriate, and then reconnected to form a new SRB with all of the O-rings, etc.
So also a complete rebuild, with reuse occurring at the segment level, not of the whole booster assembly.
Re:SpaceX Crew Dragon Docks with International Space Station
by Robotbeat on Sunday March 03, 2019 @03:33PM
(#19296663)
Dragons are also reused (although at first, these newer ones will only be reused for cargo flights).
Additionally, SpaceX is serious about Starship/BFR. That's fully reusable and will be capable of going to the Moon (or even Mars) and back fully reusably: https://twitter.com/JaneidyEve/status/1102023437206388736
That said: All the constraints on making it reusable and safe for humans are also a key factor why Space Shuttle was so expensive. With SpaceX's rockets not all parts need to resist the stress of reentry etc.