SpaceX Super Heavy and Starship updates

[DocM]

Raptor SN06 has arrived for next week's Starship Hopper test

 

 

[DocM]

Yay!!

 

 

 

 

Edited July 12, 2019 by DocM

[Blue-Vision]

If this is for Starship alone ... woof.   Starship + Super Heavy together could/would be capable of upwards of 400 mT, then. Nice.

[DocM]

NOTAM for Starship Hopper hop

 

https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_9_0258.html

[DocM]

They bought it from Allen Park, Michigan

 

 

[DocM]

At Cocoa, I spy an inverted dome between the cargo and propulsion modules. Lower dome/thrust structure?

 

 

[DocM]

There was a Delta IV-style fireball after the static fire. Likely spilled liquid methane. Quickly dissapated.

 

 

[DocM]

Static fire + slow-mo + fireball (01:48) + slow-mo

 

 

 

[Beittil]

Quite an oopsie there... Can kiss the 20mtr hop test goodbye for the rest of the window I guess. 

[DocM]

Looks like a methane version of  Delta IV's hydrogen flare

 

[Blue-Vision]

Ooof ...  

 

That can't be allowed to happen with the big rocket. A methane fire like that *4 or more would be big damage, likely leading to a catastrophic failure on the cradle and an explosion.

 

In fairness, this is why testing happens and when problems like these get dealt with.

[Beittil]

Seems to me few holes in the ring around the base shouls allow the gaseous methane to escape rather than pile up and ignite. 

[DocM]

 

[DocM]

 

 

[DocM]

JUST! DO!! IT!!!

 

TIME Magazine...

 

Elon Musk Told Us Why He Thinks We Can Land on the Moon in 'Less Than 2 Years'

>
TIME: If you had to bet your house on it, when would you say the next boot prints show up on the moon?

Musk: Well, this is gonna sound pretty crazy, but I think we could land on the moon in less than two years. Certainly with an uncrewed vehicle I believe we could land on the moon in two years. So then maybe within a year or two of that we could be sending crew. I would say four years at the outside.

TIME: And when you say, "We," do you mean the U.S. or you mean SpaceX?

Musk: I'm not sure. If it were to take longer to convince NASA and the authorities that we can do it versus just doing it, then we might just do it. It may literally be easier to just land Starship on the moon than try to convince NASA that we can.  Obviously this is a decision thats out of my hands. But the sheer amount of effort required to convince a large number of skeptical engineers at NASA that we can do it is very high. And not unreasonably so, 'cause they're like, "Uh, come on. How could this possibly work?" The skepticism you know, they'd have good reasons for it. But the for sure way to end the skepticism is just do it.
>

[DocM]

We have a bulkhead

 

 

[DocM]

Road Closures 

 

Jul 22. 2000-2300 Central, 2100-0000 Eastern (wet dress rehearsal?)

 

July 24-25. 1400-2300 Central, 1500-0000 Eastern (hop)

[DocM]

WOOT!!

 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2019 by DocM

[DocM]

A better look at the new dome

 

 

 

[DocM]

They're cutting rows/columns of small vertical slots around the lower portion of the Boca Chica  propulsion module, hundreds of them. Sort of visible if you zoom the dome image in the post above.

Looks like the thrust structure will be slid inside then slot welded to the outer hull.

Slot weld

[DocM]

Thirty Five Raptor engines?!? 

 

It was 37, 31 + 6. Doesn't make sense unless they've dialed up Raptor another notch

 

 

Edited July 21, 2019 by DocM

[DocM]

 

[DocM]

 

[DocM]

 

[DocM]

NOTAM* for Wednesday's StarHopper hop

 

Time: 1514 Eastern