Space Things

[Dadhawk]

Artemis is a heck of a rocket but the Saturn V was better looking on TV....

[Yoshoobaroo]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Artemis is a heck of a rocket but the Saturn V was better looking on TV....

Hey, we can paint it, but that’ll drop the load capacity by ~1000lbs. The white paint on The early shuttle external tanks weighed 600lbs, and this core stage is much bigger lol.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Yoshoobaroo

Hey, we can paint it, but that’ll drop the load capacity by ~1000lbs. The white paint on The early shuttle external tanks weighed 600lbs, and this core stage is much bigger lol.

I really just meant the shape more than the paint. Maybe they should just do wrap of some sort....

[bcj]

Uff Da!

[x808drifter]

My friends and I agree.
The only reason NASA is pushing so hard for the SLS is because SpaceX is making them look like fools to the general public.

We hope the SLS launches and everything goes smoothly.
But we also give it about a 20% chance of blowing up.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by x808drifter

My friends and I agree.
The only reason NASA is pushing so hard for the SLS is because SpaceX is making them look like fools to the general public.

We hope the SLS launches and everything goes smoothly.
But we also give it about a 20% chance of blowing up.

That is exactly what I've been thinking. Massive, wasteful project to maintain relevance.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

That is exactly what I've been thinking. Massive, wasteful project to maintain relevance.

Seriously. The main engines (RS-25) are actually repurposed Shuttle engines that have flown as part of the Shuttle program and are designed for reuse but will not be recovered as part of the launch, so lost to history.

https://www.space.com/artemis-1-space-shuttle-hardware

Like others, I want it to go off without a hitch, but not sure it should be going off at all.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Seriously. The main engines (RS-25) are actually repurposed Shuttle engines that have flown as part of the Shuttle program and are designed for reuse but will not be recovered as part of the launch, so lost to history.

https://www.space.com/artemis-1-space-shuttle-hardware

Like others, I want it to go off without a hitch, but not sure it should be going off at all.

I would much rather have that money be spent on renewable energy infrastructure/research. ...or just plain public education.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

I would much rather have that money be spent on renewable energy infrastructure/research. ...or just plain public education.

I think there is value in space travel and exploration, but at this point I think it's a private industry/contract thing, not government run.

[Dadhawk]

Well, Artemis has been a sad disappointment so far. It's good they are being cautious, but I think they may need a better plan this point.

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

I would much rather have that money be spent on renewable energy infrastructure/research. ...or just plain public education.

The problem with public education is the public (at any age) has to want to be educated for it to be effective. Money isn't going to solve that problem. Coming up with something awesome once in a while seems to be more effective.

As for the government doing such things, I feel like some USG technical agencies have been riding high on successes from 2 generations ago and have gotten both fat and stupid ever since. They definitely should have a role to play, but have become bad at playing that role.

As for leaving it all to industry/contractors, they will always have the executives interests as the highest priority. Industry can deliver a good solution, but someone has to keep them in line with where the funding came from. Some solutions are optimized for the public good and some are optimized for executive good.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Well, Artemis has been a sad disappointment so far. It's good they are being cautious, but I think they may need a better plan this point.

Using those old boosters are like taking a rusty 327 out of a 66 Malibu, throwing an electronic ignition on it and bolting it into your brand new Porsche.
Probably going to cost them 3 times as much than if they had just started fresh.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Using those old boosters are like taking a rusty 327 out of a 66 Malibu, throwing an electronic ignition on it and bolting it into your brand new Porsche.
Probably going to cost them 3 times as much than if they had just started fresh.

I would imagine it is at least that. They are taking engines that were designed for multiple uses and using them once, at least on the core stack. To some extent that's OK since they have flown multiple missions already but they plan on building 24 more of them for a 1 time use to the original specs!

Not sure about the solid rocket boosters and their reuse.

[x808drifter]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Well, Artemis has been a sad disappointment so far. It's good they are being cautious, but I think they may need a better plan this point.

Been that way since 2018 at least...