Re:SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]
by grey-area on Wednesday August 05, 2020 @01:40AM
(#24057586)
The difficulty is making it light and strong. If you're doing an emergency patch repair on a small area you could sacrifice some cargo and use much thicker material and more welds to be sure it will hold. It wouldn't be easy but is much easier than the initial build.
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Re:SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]
by daniel_reetz on Wednesday August 05, 2020 @05:42AM
(#24058889)
The difficulty is making a weld that doesn't weaken or anneal the parent metal through heat induced material changes.
Welding thick to thin is nontrivial because of the different heat input required in each substrate. You tend to burn through the thin part.
Patching may be possible but thick patches don't make things any easier.
Re:SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]
by AstralStorm on Wednesday August 05, 2020 @02:59AM
(#24058009)
Most importantly, you mostly need it light to escape Earth's atmosphere. (And somewhat to have enough fuel.)
On Mars, Moon or in space this constraint is reduced.