Re:SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]
by jvanderbot on Wednesday August 05, 2020 @05:34PM
(#24065875)
Transfer tanks, not fuel. In-orbit servicing using robots, please. or just dock the tanks as vehicles.
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Re:SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]
by krisoft on Thursday August 06, 2020 @03:20AM
(#24068817)
Sounds like a good idea. The problem is that for weight efficiency reasons in modern rockets the tank is the rocket. (So much so that they often crumble if you are not providing sufficient internal pressure.)
Re:SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]
by jvanderbot on Tuesday August 11, 2020 @03:18PM
(#24124684)
I'd accept a future in which weight efficiency is slightly reduced to enable in-orbit refueling with standardized tank delivery. As others have noted, it seems extremely challenging without it.