Questions tagged [reuse]
Questions regarding the reuse of parts or equipment.
213
questions
5
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1answer
301 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?
22
votes
2answers
4k views
Do Falcon 9s get a thorough wash or a fresh coat of paint (they look clean pre-reflight)? [duplicate]
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 ...
4
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2answers
629 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 ...
29
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6answers
10k 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 ...
7
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1answer
391 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 ...
3
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0answers
75 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.
10
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1answer
453 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?
31
votes
8answers
8k 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
178 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 ...
3
votes
1answer
152 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
223 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
102 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?
...
6
votes
1answer
239 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
71 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
85 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 ...
24
votes
4answers
3k 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 ...
0
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1answer
235 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 ...
3
votes
0answers
93 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 ...
4
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0answers
97 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 ...
4
votes
0answers
94 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, ...
19
votes
1answer
2k views
Is Falcon 9 repainted before reuse?
Before reusing the first stage of Falcon 9, is it repainted?
If yes then why?
3
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1answer
155 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
88 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?
1
vote
1answer
100 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 ...
6
votes
0answers
95 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 ...
9
votes
2answers
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?
3
votes
1answer
136 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 ...
3
votes
1answer
112 views
How many times can Falcon 9's payload fairings be reused?
Falcon 9's first stage can be reused 10 times or even 100 times.
But how about its payload fairings?
3
votes
2answers
607 views
Did SpaceX ever reuse payload fairings?
Did they ever reuse the payload fairings of the Falcon 9?
There are a few related questions about maximum reuses and fastest refurbishment that might be asked later I guess
1
vote
1answer
74 views
Plasma magnet drive for reusing stages
From what I understand, one of the reasons why it's impractical to recover upper stages of rockets is that they're traveling at high speeds, and methods of making them bleed off that speed (such as ...
5
votes
1answer
79 views
Does a published account of the economics of Russian debris shipbreaking exist?
Most Soviet and Russian rockets are/were launched from an inland site, and spent booster stages crash on the ground in sparsely populated (and frequently impoverished) rural areas.
Since the fall of ...
3
votes
1answer
174 views
What about recycling used lithium hydroxide on the Moon?
Lithium hydroxide was used to remove exhaled carbon dioxide from breathing gas during the Apollo mission.
Is there any research done how to recycle used lithium hydroxide on the Moon? Separating the ...
11
votes
1answer
130 views
What factors do (or are expected to) limit reuse of a Falcon 9 block 5 first stage?
SpaceX have claimed (reported here) that the Falcon 9 Block 5 first stage should be reusable up to 10 times without significant refurbishment, and up to 100 times in total. What factors are expected ...
8
votes
0answers
226 views
Will SpaceX paint over the NASA Worm on booster 1058 for its next flight?
For the Dragon Crew mission SpaceX flew a brand new booster (how declasse) B1058 and painted it with the old style NASA Worm logo.
SpaceX owns the booster and is most likely to fly it many more times ...
0
votes
1answer
213 views
How does re-usable boosters by SpaceX return back and land on the deck 'Of Course I still Love You'? [duplicate]
The idea was to bring back the rockets/boosters safely and re-use them for next time. How SpaceX was able to achieve this?
Intuitively there have to be multiple sensors recording and computer ...
4
votes
0answers
58 views
Atmospheric retro-propulsion performance of aerospike nozzles?
I’m thinking about the use of single toroidal aerospike engine for a reusable upper stage with propulsive landing capability and this question came to mind. Do aerospike nozzles even capable of retro ...
3
votes
0answers
77 views
What plans were made for Buran post-flight processing?
U.S. Space Shuttles underwent considerable post-processing after each flight. Gases, liquids, and payloads were removed; engines were refurbished; thermal tiles were repaired; and everything was ...
1
vote
1answer
104 views
Is present-day plumbing technology enough to make refueling of hypergol rockets safe? What about only in space?
Sadly, all of the currently commonly used chemical rocket fuels that are either hypergolic or storable are horribly toxic/corrosive/explosive. RP-1 is so safe you can pour it out of a gas can, but ...
1
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0answers
71 views
Have studies / worked examples, including mass figures, been published for these reentry methods for reusable upper stages?
(Related: is there a general rule of thumb for thermal protection systems?)
For a fully-reusable launch vehicle to be developed, we need a lightweight thermal protection system and method for (...
6
votes
1answer
282 views
How do ships catch fairings? Can fairings steer or do the ships do all the work?
A comment in The Pod Bay says it all:
...fourth Starlink payload launched. Booster landed on OCISLY. (Has now launched three times, LC-39A, SLC-40, SLC-4W once at each launch pad they own!)
And they ...
1
vote
2answers
381 views
Why was the reusability of the SSMEs so poor, and why was this considered acceptable given their purpose to launch a reusable vehicle?
The Space Shuttle Main Engines operated for around 8.5 minutes in every Shuttle launch, yet were removed from the orbiter after each flight and went through an overhaul, parts often being traded from ...
2
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0answers
62 views
Shuttle main engines RS-25, material damage on parts that needed replacement/refurbishment
Since other members wrote, that my my original question here Shuttle main engines RS-25 refurbishment/material damage was too broad I modified it to asked just one thing, while the other questions I ...
1
vote
0answers
181 views
Shuttle main engines RS-25 refurbishment/material damage
There was some thread here on Space Stack-Exchange about RS-25 refurbishment, but I am interested now, how this refurbishment look from the point of material damage of SSME hardware.
In the early ...
4
votes
3answers
166 views
Redeployable solar arrays. Do they exist? or are they being worked on?
Has it ever been done, or is anyone working on, redeployable solar arrays? In other words, a solar cell array that can be deployed in space, used for a period, and then folded up again into the ship, ...
0
votes
1answer
121 views
Would Sabre make a good first stage engine for a hypothetical 2-stage design?
Sabre is usually described in the context of the Skylon SSTO design but, would it make more sense to use such engines for the first stage of a two stage design?
Basically, would the air breathing ...
10
votes
4answers
841 views
Why do all recent proposed lunar landers have payloads on top?
Every recently-proposed vacuum lander I've seen has its payload as far off the ground as possible. This necessitates cranes, ladders, and elevators to get things down. (Starship may be a partial ...
4
votes
1answer
133 views
Could the SSMEs of the SLS do retro burns?
The SLS will use the main engines of the space shuttle. Are these capable of retro-burns in the upper atmosphere like SpaceX’s Merlin engines?
More broadly, could the SLS’ main engines and ...
17
votes
5answers
5k views
Reusable spacecraft: why still have fairings detach, instead of open/close?
Why do reusable rockets (e.g. SpaceX Falcon 9) still utilize detachable fairings? SpaceX keeps trying to find a way to recover the $6M fairings for obvious cost saving reasons, why not have them ...
8
votes
1answer
295 views
How much of the recovery system does Spacex remove from a Falcon 9 when using it in an expended manner?
Falcon 9s have a limit to how many times they can be reused, and, for the last flight of a booster they don't make it land (in one piece), and instead use all the fuel to help the payload. That way ...
5
votes
1answer
321 views
What is the Process for Re-certifying Flight Hardware?
I was reading about how we reused the water tanks because they were still within their certified life-time and had two questions:
When would a certification become VOID?
I'd assume if the water ...
