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.
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.