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No sure if any of you have been keeping up with the advancements in space flight that Elon Musk's SpaceX company has been doing. Talk about some truly amazing stuff. They successfully launched a test flight of their Falcon heavy rocket yesterday. Being a test flight the payload was a Cherry Red Tesla Roadster Convertible set for pre entry Mars orbit. Fitting as Elon also owns Tesla Motors. SpaceXs drive is to make space travel cheaper and more economical, the centerpiece to that is the reusability of components, namely boosters and engines. 2 of 3 rocket boosters from yesterdays launch successfully returned to earth and landed on their landing pads in Florida. The third was to land on a drone pad in the Atlantic but lost a reentry engine shortly before touchdown resulting in a hard impact in the water beside the drone ship. Yesterdays Falcon Heavy cost was 90 million with a potential payload delivery to low orbit of 140,000 pounds, the roadster was only 2,700 pounds. Current cost per payload pound is $1000 with a goal of $500 per pound.
But the greatest thing that I can see is their plans to revolutionize world travel. Currently a flight from Ny to Beijing is almost 14 hours. A rocket can do it in 35 minutes utilizing low orbit. With the ability to land a rocket it starts to make such a thing a capable reality. Once technology is capable then its just a matter of cost which is mostly addressed through reusability. For instance a new 747 airliner costs 365 million, a Falcon Heavy is only 90 million, the key is reusability. In my lifetime I will see international travel by airplane become obsolete.
Here's a short version of the launch. Boosters land at around 1:55 mark. If you watch nothing else watch these two boosters land. Truly one of, if not the, greatest achievements of space flight in my lifetime thus far.
https://youtu.be/lS9XcEEek48
Full Falcon heavy launch.
https://youtu.be/wbSwFU6tY1c
But the greatest thing that I can see is their plans to revolutionize world travel. Currently a flight from Ny to Beijing is almost 14 hours. A rocket can do it in 35 minutes utilizing low orbit. With the ability to land a rocket it starts to make such a thing a capable reality. Once technology is capable then its just a matter of cost which is mostly addressed through reusability. For instance a new 747 airliner costs 365 million, a Falcon Heavy is only 90 million, the key is reusability. In my lifetime I will see international travel by airplane become obsolete.
Here's a short version of the launch. Boosters land at around 1:55 mark. If you watch nothing else watch these two boosters land. Truly one of, if not the, greatest achievements of space flight in my lifetime thus far.
https://youtu.be/lS9XcEEek48
Full Falcon heavy launch.
https://youtu.be/wbSwFU6tY1c
