SpaceX - On to Mars

**Takeovers** · 03-01-2019, 02:35 AM

The shocks keep coming.

Suddenly we see 3 Raptor engines on the Hopper.

SpaceX - On to Mars-img_1334-jpg

Lots of speculation if these are real engines or mockups. There is good reason to believe in mockups.
But even if they are mockups, just look at the nozzles.
SpaceX - On to Mars-three_raptors-jpg

Look at these, a very interesting design. Everybody, including even me, immediately saw that these are different than conventional nozzles. They are optimized to work well at different altitudes or maybe they are designed to be able to throttle way down for landing, possibly both.

Only days earlier Elon Musk had announced that some time in January a new radically redesigned version of the Raptor engine will first be fired at their test site in McGregor, Texas. This is one reason why the engines are probably mockups, but of the new version. Also a new advanced alloy developed by SpaceX for the turbopumps will be used, high Nickel content to be resistant to hot oxygen gas at extremely high pressure, up to 800 atm pressure. Or they may be real engines but only in for fitchecks and they may be sent to McGregor for testfiring. Once these engines are ready for flight they will be the most advanced rocket engines ever built. Not the most powerful ones. They need to mount a number of engines even on the second stage for engine out capability. The rocket needs to keep flying at full capcity when an engine fails. Even more than one engine on long flights.

**Takeovers** · 03-01-2019, 02:43 AM

The leading duo of SpaceX are Elon Musk and Gwynne Shotwell. Gwynne Shotwell is the levelheaded of the two, keeping things in perspective, be the one big commercial customers trust. She has recently said 10 years are a very long time in the development of SpaceX. When others doubt it she firmly believes that no later than 10 years from now SpaceX will send people to Mars, possibly as early as 7 years from now.

SpaceX - On to Mars-601f55cc69358014e7df29e410e09924-jpg

SpaceX - On to Mars-601f55cc69358014e7df29e410e09924-jpg

Besides her position at SpaceX she is famous for her high heels.

She likes to tell this story: Already as a teen she enjoyed taking things apart and then reassembling them including a car engine. She wanted to be an engineer but was somewhat worried about the geek status then applied to especially woman engineers. One day her mother went with her to a presentation by a female engineer. That woman was very well dressed. At that time she decided to study engineering, seeing that she can be an engineer and well dressed.

**Takeovers** · 03-01-2019, 03:07 AM

Pictures of the latest known version of Starship. It is not clear if the design has changed but Elon Musk has said the outer moldline has not changed much.

Starship has got some aerosurfaces. Two at the front as canards, that can be moved for steering while entering the atmosphere from space. Three at the back, one fixed, two movable for steering. At landing the 3 are landing legs of identical size.

SpaceX - On to Mars-starship-aerosurfaces-jpg

SpaceX - On to Mars-starship-aerosurfaces-jpg

A mirror polished version. This one is fan art, taken the shape given by SpaceX and applied the mirror polished surface. Credit to Reese Wilson.
https://twitter.com/AstroReeseW

SpaceX - On to Mars-mirror-polished-starship-jpg

SpaceX - On to Mars-mirror-polished-starship-jpg

That's it for now. More will be added when new information comes in.

People mention that this looks more and more like the rockets in 1960ies SF. Rockets like God and Robert A. Heinlein wanted them.

**Takeovers** · 09-01-2019, 04:13 AM

This is how the test vehicle, the Hopper looks like when finished. Though I expect the tip is placed there only for a fit check. They still seem to work on the internal components.

SpaceX - On to Mars-dwagucwxqae6cn1-jpg

For size comparison see the man in the lift on the right. This thing is huge, estimated at ~40m high. The diameter is 9m. Though the real Starship, the one that will land on Mars, will be higher at 55m.

**Luigi** · 09-01-2019, 06:56 AM

Originally Posted by Takeovers

The diameter is 9m. Though the real Starship, the one that will land on Mars, will be higher at 55m.

That's some crazy sheet right there.

**OhOh** · 09-01-2019, 01:19 PM

Thanks.

**harrybarracuda** · 09-01-2019, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by Takeovers

She likes to tell this story: Already as a teen she enjoyed taking things apart and then reassembling them including a car engine. She wanted to be an engineer but was somewhat worried about the geek status then applied to especially woman engineers. One day her mother went with her to a presentation by a female engineer. That woman was very well dressed. At that time she decided to study engineering, seeing that she can be an engineer and well dressed.

Someone should tell her to get a new story.

**Takeovers** · 11-01-2019, 02:49 PM

Here the first official photo of the finished hopper body.

SpaceX - On to Mars-dwmagbzx4aebun-jpg

Actually still wrinky but they chose a camera perspective that doesn't show it so much. At the ground if you go to full scale you see someone in the real SpaceX spacesuit they have developed for NASA commercial crew. It again gives some scale to the size.

This is how close you can get to the hopper at a public road.

SpaceX - On to Mars-dwmco2vvaaemj6m-jpg

https://twitter.com/JaneidyEve/statu...68981032595456

Because this is Teakdoor here her twitter avatar pic.

SpaceX - On to Mars-unqkl_hd_400x400-jpg

**Takeovers** · 11-01-2019, 02:52 PM

Some more technical details released. The propellant tank is the 9m welded steel body of the hopper. Very exciting (at least to the fans like me) also that they already use autogenous tank pressurization. This is much closer to the full orbital flight vehicle than I thought possible. Given time for the full orbital vehicle app. June this year. That's for the second stage, the Starship. The first stage it needs to actually reach orbit will come a bit later.

**Luigi** · 11-01-2019, 04:39 PM

Cheers TO, great stuff.

**harrybarracuda** · 11-01-2019, 05:54 PM

Originally Posted by Takeovers

Because this is Teakdoor here her twitter avatar pic.

SpaceX - On to Mars-unqkl_hd_400x400-jpg

OK we're making progress, where is bobs and vagene?

By the way, you could do worse than watch Mars (2 seasons, Nat Geo), alternates between some fascinating drama based on the issues about establishing a Mars colony and some meaningful insights from experts in the field.

**harrybarracuda** · 11-01-2019, 06:00 PM

It looks like he's going for the more retro "Space rocket" look from the movies, the one that predated "Flying Saucers".

SpaceX - On to Mars-5b49babc903123a94baba8ace654af89-jpg

SpaceX - On to Mars-5b49babc903123a94baba8ace654af89-jpg

**Takeovers** · 11-01-2019, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

OK we're making progress, where is bobs and vagene?

I like her eyes. Face is what I always look for first.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

By the way, you could do worse than watch Mars (2 seasons, Nat Geo), alternates between some fascinating drama based on the issues about establishing a Mars colony and some meaningful insights from experts in the field.

I have heard before that the series has its upsides. I suffered through the first 8 minutes of episode 1, season 1. Then I had to go vomit and vowed to never expose myself to it.

**harrybarracuda** · 11-01-2019, 08:04 PM

Originally Posted by Takeovers

I have heard before that the series has its upsides. I suffered through the first 8 minutes of episode 1, season 1. Then I had to go vomit and vowed to never expose myself to it.

You should give it more of a chance. It is quite edumacafacational.

Assuming you can separate which bits are fact and which fiction of course.

It raises some very important issues, especially in Season 2.

**Luigi** · 11-01-2019, 08:20 PM

Any torrents? 1337x only has one or two odd episodes. Cheers.

**NamPikToot** · 11-01-2019, 08:37 PM

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

It looks like he's going for the more retro "Space rocket" look from the movies, the one that predated "Flying Saucers".

SpaceX - On to Mars-5b49babc903123a94baba8ace654af89-jpg

Seconded, my thoughts too - looks like something out of a 50s comic book.

**harrybarracuda** · 11-01-2019, 09:14 PM

Originally Posted by Luigi

Any torrents? 1337x only has one or two odd episodes. Cheers.

Should have gone to Specsavers

https://1337x.to/torrent/3284960/RE-...C-5-1-Joy-UTR/

S02 1-6 here:

https://1337x.to/search/mars+2016+s02/1/

**OhOh** · 11-01-2019, 09:29 PM

Thanks.

Is that the full size of the booster rocket, with just the spaceship module to add on top?

Presumably when full of the liquid/gaseous propellent, the tank creases will disappear?

Originally Posted by Takeovers

autogenous tank pressurization

For to that want an understanding of the pressurization here is a link.

https://space.stackexchange.com/ques...led-propellant

**Luigi** · 11-01-2019, 09:33 PM

^^ Thank you kindly Sir.

**Dragonfly** · 11-01-2019, 09:33 PM

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

You should give it more of a chance. It is quite edumacafacational.

Assuming you can separate which bits are fact and which fiction of course.

It raises some very important issues, especially in Season 2.

agree, it was a great series, give it a try again. A bit tedious at times and very British but a lot of interesting issues being addressed

a must see,

**Takeovers** · 12-01-2019, 12:00 AM

Originally Posted by OhOh

Is that the full size of the booster rocket, with just the spaceship module to add on top?

Not the full size. It is a shorter version of the smaller upper stage. A graphic for comparison
On the left the hopper as shown, just less wrinkly.

In the middle the full size upper stage. It is quite big because it has a payload volume or passenger volume that is about equal to the whole habitable volume of the ISS.
On the right the first stage.
SpaceX - On to Mars-49933703_397202267715617_1535694830126711380_n-jpg

SpaceX - On to Mars-49933703_397202267715617_1535694830126711380_n-jpg

Just for fun to compare with another old rocket, this is the monument in front of the Russian Cosmonaut museum in Moscow

SpaceX - On to Mars-moscow-jpg

**Norton** · 12-01-2019, 06:26 AM

Great thread TO. Thanks.
Love this stuff and have since a wee lad who gobbled up scifi books and often staring up into the night sky wondering what might be out there.

**BaitongBoy** · 12-01-2019, 06:39 AM

Can you imagine the first "Martian" born?...Will be quite the celebrity when visiting Earth...

**Luigi** · 12-01-2019, 10:18 AM

Originally Posted by BaitongBoy

Can you imagine the first "Martian" born?...Will be quite the celebrity when visiting Earth...

Might be quite a while yet. I remember Takeovers going into the ethical issues about even using mice to test out such things. Fetal development under such weak gravity etc is probably gonna be a major problem for having any martians.

**Luigi** · 12-01-2019, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by Takeovers

Thanks TO, just to confirm what is happening.

The Starship will sit on top of the Superheavy?

When free of the Earth's atmosphere (or thereabouts) they'll separate, the Superheavy will return to Earth and land vertically. The Starship will go on to Mars, also landing Vertically?

Cheers.

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