All Questions
Tagged with design-alternativespacex
11 questions
-4votes
1answer
266views
How does SpaceX prevent fuel from cluttering together in zero G [closed]
What is the solution to stop fuel inside starship collecting in center of the tank during zero G flight? Here is a rough sketch of starship with rudimentary diaphragm system to control flow of fuel ...
6votes
1answer
624views
Why aren't smaller fairings used for smaller payloads?
I saw this picture of the DART spacecraft being encapsulated in its payload fairing. Why doesn't SpaceX manufacture a smaller (shortened or thinned) fairing for the spacecraft? It reduces mass and is ...
- 3,137
10votes
3answers
459views
Would it be possible to alter the orbit of one satellite, with the exhaust plume of a rocket sufficient to deorbit it?
SpaceX plan to launch Starships towards Mars; many of them. This will involve burning hundreds to thousands of tonnes of propellant in low(ish) orbit, since each may require several refueling steps. ...
- 1,193
1vote
2answers
699views
Flying saucer shape rocket vs cylindrical shape rocket
Here's my hypothesis- Cylinder shaped large rocket is not suitable for vertical landing due to its high center of mass and bulky weight. However an equally weighing saucer shape rocket has more ...
- 1,185
1vote
4answers
672views
Why SpaceX want to land the rocket on the ground?
click for full size Won't it be easier and save a lot of money to just catch it or land it in a basket? So rocket coming down can open arm longer than the diameter of the high basket where it goes ...
- 151
1vote
4answers
391views
Starship: Maximum damage if hijacked and weaponised?
Any sufficiently advanced space technology is indistinguishable from a weapon of mass destruction if misused. In the event that SpaceX lost control of a Starship to EvilHackers, what's the most damage ...
- 1,193
5votes
2answers
1kviews
Can you Hoverslam without going vertical?
Problem of the day, that pesky Starship Hoverslam. Imagining a crazy (childish) contest to see who could flip at the lowest altitude and brake to 0 rate of descent and land, it was (hilariously) ...
- 1,104
1vote
1answer
834views
Can Starship use dedicated smaller auxiliary landing fuel tanks?
Would it be better for Starship to have a separate set of small fuel tanks dedicated to landing the ship, maybe controlled separately or plumbed differently.
9votes
3answers
522views
Would this Starship design alternative be viable?
Considering Starship's atmospheric entry, belly dive and "bellyflop", latest iteration displays four aerodynamic surfaces, two aft fins and two canard fins. Soon, this configuration will be ...
user19132
23votes
3answers
6kviews
Why isn't SpaceX constructing the Super Heavy launch mount on top of the water?
With SpaceX creating their launch facility in Boca Chica Texas, right next to the water, why would they bother building a huge launch pad to withstand the blast, as opposed to building it on top of ...
- 1,001
7votes
2answers
2kviews
What are the challenges in recovering Falcon 9's second stage this way?
The Falcon 9's second stage is currently disposed of each flight. I know there have been some concepts by SpaceX on making it reusable, but evidently they have not yet done so. From my understanding, ...
- 175
