Questions tagged [reuse]
Questions regarding the reuse of parts or equipment.
236
questions
-4
votes
0
answers
145
views
Can liquid mercury be used as a reusable rocket fuel? [closed]
If liquid Mercury is changed into solid Mercury thus generating energy and specific impulse why can I not then re-use the solid Mercury as a fuel?
3
votes
0
answers
179
views
What advantages will Rocket Lab's Neutron have over the Falcon 9?
With Neutron's debut coming up next year, are there any advantages of Rocket Labs design over SpaceX's Falcon 9 FT? The most obvious I can see are the attached fairings, but certainly with all the ...
- 1,001
0
votes
1
answer
202
views
Unknown Kistler Spacecraft
I've just watched the Hazegrayart "Kistler reusable spacecraft - a spacex competitor", and I have... a few questions.
Like:
What was the spacecraft called?
How far did the project get?
Did ...
- 991
3
votes
0
answers
119
views
What was the longest Rocketdyne F-1 full power test?
This number is relevant to the issue of F-1 reusability, as it determines how many flights are required before serious work needs to be done. That is because LOX/Kerosene engines have coking problems ...
- 2,645
1
vote
0
answers
59
views
How much did it cost to turnaround Rocketdyne F-1 test articles?
Despite being intended for an expendable vehicle, the F-1 was tested and rated for the equivalent of more than ten reflights.
How much did it cost to turnaround the test articles between the firings?
- 2,645
14
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Could the Rocketdyne F-1 have been reused?
Assuming the engine is recovered on a platform at sea similar to SpaceX, could it be refurbished and reflown at a low cost? Would the coking, corrosion, and other problems be any worse than that in ...
- 2,645
2
votes
1
answer
412
views
Does the viasat 3 that will be launching today have expendable side booster
The reuse of space system is the requirement of the future. Today A falcon heavy is launched for viasat-3. Is launch profile of the rocket fully expendable or partially expendable?
- 2,644
1
vote
1
answer
233
views
Were Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket engines damaged on impact?
Were Rocket Lab’s Electron Mission 26 rocket engines damaged on impact?
The photo of the recovered Electron Rocket https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/05/rocket-lab-catches-a-1-ton-booster-falling-...
- 18k
0
votes
1
answer
214
views
Are Falcon Heavy fairings reused?
I heard a lot about SpaceX reusing the fairings from the Falcon 9. Do they/ are they planning to do the same for Falcon Heavy?
3
votes
1
answer
220
views
How can you find out how many times a SpaceX fairing has been reused?
For the past few years, SpaceX has been reusing there fairings. While on some SpaceX webcasts they tell you, others they dont. Is there a way to find out how many times judging from how they appear? ...
14
votes
4
answers
6k
views
Why keep expending SpaceX boosters?
SpaceX has only (to my knowledge) landed one Falcon Heavy booster. All others were expended. SpaceX also said during the early days of the company that each Falcon 9 booster could fly up to 1,000 ...
- 1,472
22
votes
4
answers
6k
views
Why are only 2 out of the 3 boosters on Falcon Heavy reused?
In this picture it shows that the side boosters of the Falcon heavy will land. However, the middle booster is not going to land. Why is this the case?
- 4,710
2
votes
0
answers
103
views
SpaceX reusable rocket - when was technology first available and cost effective?
Today, a SpaceX rocket launching can be 97% cheaper than a Russian Soyuz ride cost in the ’60s
What is earliest year such reusable rockets could have been constructed given technology availability or ...
- 169
1
vote
0
answers
81
views
Does SLS reuse any actual shuttle flight hardware besides engines? [duplicate]
Will any SLS use flown (eg. SRB casings) or unflown (eg. ET tankage) hardware built for the shuttle program besides the engines (RIP)?
- 10.6k
0
votes
1
answer
824
views
How many times has SpaceX reused Falcon 9 first stage until 20th May 2022? [closed]
How many times has SpaceX reused Falcon 9 first stage until now?
Not about the possibility. I want to know the current progress with the Falcon 9 first stage.
- 17
0
votes
0
answers
101
views
Why can't the Falcon 9 first stage touch the water? [duplicate]
SpaceX is spending considerable effort to catch the Falcon 9 first stage onto a giant drone ship. I am aware that salt water ruins almost everything in the long run, but the first stage is a composite ...
10
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Two-Stage Fully-Reusable Shuttle
In chapter 6 of SP-4221 "The Space Shuttle Decision" they are talking about the fall of the "Two-Stage Fully Reusable Shuttle".
In one paragraph they talk about how this Two-Stage ...
- 1,134
1
vote
1
answer
154
views
Could Falcon 9 be Caught by the Orbital Launch Tower?
Would it be possible to catch Falcon 9 with the orbital launch tower by its current grid fins or load points that could be added? If they can do this and then remove the landing legs, would mass ...
- 327
2
votes
1
answer
304
views
What is the lowest the cost of launch can get to?
The cost of launch has been dramatically reduced by companies such as SpaceX building parts in house. Once that lowered the cost of launch as much as it could, they moved onto reusing the first stage, ...
10
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Why do $\text{CH}_4$ (Raptor) engines produce less soot than RP-1 (Merlin) engines?
SpaceX's Merlin engine, which burns RP-1 and LOX, has soot visible after the first stage lands. Many articles on the web say SpaceX's Raptor engine, which burns methane and LOX, is clean. ...
- 2,644
1
vote
0
answers
108
views
Rocket Lab Archimedes engine injector and reusable charecteristics [closed]
From what has been said, the Archimedes engine isn't particularly ambitious WRT its ISP, however Rocket Lab have said it would be highly reusable, which is interesting. Does anyone know of any special ...
- 812
8
votes
1
answer
709
views
CZ-4B Grid fins
In nov 2019 and sept 2020 the CNSA launched CZ-4B Y38 and CZ-4B Y41. Based on different images I noticed that this Long March 4B had grid fins. On CZ-4B Y41 the grid fins from Y38 were reused making ...
- 1,134
14
votes
1
answer
614
views
What is the heat shield refurbishment procedure for a crew Dragon capsule?
How, specifically, is the heat shield replaced or refurbished? More precisely... How do they know it will work for the next mission? :-P
- 6,250
6
votes
1
answer
314
views
Keep a 2nd stage in orbit and refuel [closed]
Why does SpaceX not develop a second stage that can be used to meet with a first stage to pick up payload and refuel, thus transporting goods to orbit repeatedly instead of being used only once?
- 69
22
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Do Falcon 9s get a thorough wash or a fresh coat of paint (they look clean pre-reflight)?
Before/during reflight, the boosters look white and clean, but after, they don't. I'm not sure if that's soot and/or burned paint.
I looked but it doesn't seem to have been asked before.
RE Is Falcon ...
- 2,301
4
votes
2
answers
774
views
Does Starship reuse actually serve a purpose for Mars, or only LEO/Earth-to-Earth?
(In this question, Starship refers to the reusable 2nd stage, not the full stack w/ Super Heavy).
I was thinking about it the other day, and I realized that I'm not sure a reusable Starship actually ...
- 419
29
votes
6
answers
11k
views
Isn't Starship way too big?
The Shuttle was designed with a huge payload of 20 tons. This was supposed to not be a problem since:
the reusability would drive down costs until satellite operators dropped expensive space hardware ...
- 2,645
7
votes
1
answer
476
views
How did the SpaceX come up with such a disruptive design in the Falcon 9?
Because of the answers to Why has a rocket system like Starship never been proposed before?
, now I need to ask something I'd always taken for granted.
If Falcon 9 wasn't revolutionary for technical ...
- 21.3k
3
votes
0
answers
152
views
How does Starship/Superheavy system compare with the hypothetical successor of Soviet Energia/Buran system, "Uragan"?
The both were meant to be fully reusable and have comparable scale.
- 3,117
10
votes
1
answer
569
views
How were STS SRBs disassembled
What was the process for disassembling the SRBs following their recovery?
Was it broken down to the field or factory seal level of segments, and how was it taken apart?
- 105
34
votes
8
answers
9k
views
Why not land SpaceX's Starship like a plane?
I get the reasoning behind designing Starship to land upright. It doesn't require landing gear and the turnaround is expected to be much faster. But I'm beginning to question that logic.
I think the ...
- 457
1
vote
1
answer
426
views
How long is Falcon 9 suicide burn?
My question is
How long is a Falcon 9 suicide burn?
I assume the answer might vary between rides, depending on the payload lifted and its destination orbit so the time might not be the same for a ...
- 113
3
votes
1
answer
186
views
What's the benefit of making boosters land nicely (SpaceX) instead of parachuting them at sea (Space Shuttle) [duplicate]
SpaceX boosters return by landing nicely thanks to an elaborate guiding system. This requires, well, a guiding system (so, more electronics, more opportunities for failure and massive engineering ...
- 149
4
votes
1
answer
256
views
Starship deceleration during belly flop?
Was just wondering what level of deceleration did they get during that belly flop manouver?
Updated:
Hiya, you're all correct, and I was a tad vague in my question! What I'm after is the vertical ...
- 41
2
votes
1
answer
154
views
Does Falcon 9 perform static fires before every launch?
Before launching every Falcon 9 rocket, is SpaceX performing a Wet Dress Rehearshal (WDR) and a static fire?
If not before every launch then is it doing it before every first launch of a new booster?
...
- 2,590
6
votes
1
answer
492
views
Which RS-25s are on the Artemis 1 rocket?
The SLS core to be used for the Artemis 1 flight will use four RS-25 engines. These reusable engines were used on the Space Shuttle Orbiter previously.
Is there a listing of which SSMEs are planned ...
- 6,732
2
votes
1
answer
93
views
Will there be any additional benefits of reusability for the space tug?
We are now seeing certain advantages of the reusable use of different rocket stages. Decrease in price (perhaps not so much yet), increase in launch reliability, etc.
Are there any other benefits of ...
- 325
4
votes
1
answer
109
views
Does the SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage fleet, fly in order?
SpaceX by the end of 2020, made it very clear that they have solved the first stage reflight problem. Two cores have flown 7 times. Several are over 4 flights. At the beginning of 2021 they have about ...
- 79.4k
24
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Are SpaceX Falcon rocket boosters significantly cheaper to operate than traditional expendable boosters?
The title pretty much sums it all up. I remember somebody once remarked about the space shuttle program that “the space shuttle was originally designed to be a space truck. But the shuttle is to ...
- 383
0
votes
1
answer
334
views
Why isn't the engine's Case-Throat-Nozzle reusable in Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo?
I raed on https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/engine-powering-future-civilian-spaceflight-enters-collections-180971493/ (mirror):
RocketMotorTwo is a hybrid rocket motor that ...
- 1,164
3
votes
0
answers
233
views
Was the Martin Spacemaster a feasible design for a fully reusable launch system?
The first time I saw this design was in this post and I was intrigued. The Martin Spacemaster from ~1970. What a cool design! Lots of SSME's, fully reusable, asymmetrical cockpit, and air breathing ...
- 223
4
votes
0
answers
163
views
Which components are non-reusable after a sub-orbital spaceflight with Virgin Galactic?
I wonder which components are non-reusable after a sub-orbital spaceflight with Virgin Galactic.
What I have found so far:
https://www.virgingalactic.com/learn/ (mirror):
With the exception of the ...
- 1,164
4
votes
0
answers
130
views
Does Falcon-9's second stage "blow" into the first stage's top intentionally? [duplicate]
Every time I watch Falcon-9 moments like that at
, I wonder:
Is it really intentional that the main engine of stage 2 after startup blows directly into stage 1´s top, ...
- 303
19
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Is Falcon 9 repainted before reuse?
Before reusing the first stage of Falcon 9, is it repainted?
If yes then why?
- 2,590
3
votes
1
answer
208
views
Are any parts of Sokol suits re-used?
The Sokol spacesuit is the Russian launch and re-entry suit. They appear to be custom-made for each cosmonaut, with mission patches and nametags sewn on to the suit.
Even if the suit as a whole is ...
- 47.8k
1
vote
1
answer
118
views
How long it takes for the Falcon 9 payload fairings to reach the sea?
The payload fairings of Falcon 9 are released at about 3:15 min
How much time they need to fall and reach the sea?
And what is their maximum speed while reentry?
- 2,590
1
vote
1
answer
122
views
Falcon 9 landing stages
I know the first stage of Falcon 9 separates at about 2:30 min and it lands at about 8:30 min
But what are the distinct stages of the descent? Like deorbit burns, grid fin deployment, leg deployment ...
- 2,590
6
votes
0
answers
164
views
How much cheaper are pressure fed engines compared to other cycles (e.g. staged combustion, gas generator, electric pump-fed)?
It's well known that pressure fed engines are mechanically simpler, and therefore cheaper than pump-fed cycles (although pressure fed has worse performance). However, I haven't found any sources that ...
- 151
9
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What happens to payload fairings of GEO launches?
Say you launch a satellite into GEO using Falcon9
The 1st stage returns
The 2nd stage is moved into graveyard orbit.
But what happens to the payload fairings?
- 2,590
3
votes
1
answer
181
views
Does RUAG Space recover and reuse Ariane 5 and Atlas V payload fairings after splashdown?
RUAG Space is the company that manufactures payload fairings for the Ariane, Vega, Atlas V (500 series) and the upcoming Vulcan.
Back when Spacex started trying to catch the fairing without it hitting ...
- 5,324