Re:SpaceX’s Starship SN1 prototype blows up during pressure ...
by thereisnospork on Saturday February 29, 2020 @07:46PM
(#22454319)
>Yea but consider the cost. Just slinging weld on a tank costs time and material
Sure, but its what, A few 10's of thousands of dollars for steel and welding for the test? If it saves a day of double or triple checking to just ""see if the damned thing blows up "" you have to weigh success odds and lessons learned vs. overhead costs. I wonder what a few days or weeks of overhead costs a company like SpaceX that would have had to be spent to make sure the test succeeded.
As a rule of thumb, calendar time is generally more expensive than equipment and man-hours - even in hard tech.
Sure, but its what, A few 10's of thousands of dollars for steel and welding for the test? If it saves a day of double or triple checking to just ""see if the damned thing blows up "" you have to weigh success odds and lessons learned vs. overhead costs. I wonder what a few days or weeks of overhead costs a company like SpaceX that would have had to be spent to make sure the test succeeded.
As a rule of thumb, calendar time is generally more expensive than equipment and man-hours - even in hard tech.