The article is primarily about BFS, the spacecraft that’s also the second stage. SpaceX has said that they’re developing that first, before finalizing design of BFR (the first stage). I think this is very smart, because the mass budget for BFS is aggressive to say the least.
This way, if they run into mass issues (BFS ends up being a bit overweight) they don’t have to do a total redesign to shave off every ounce (like what happened with the Apollo LEM), they can instead make BFR a bit bigger.
At this juncture, I’m wondering if we’ll see the whole BFR/BFS stack fly before SLS.
“I’m wondering if we’ll see the whole BFR/BFS stack fly before SLS.”
I don’t. It will fly before SLS.
Mostly because I don’t think SLS will ever fly, period.
Amen, brother!
In the drag race between The Big Paper Rockets, SLS got the hole shot about eight years ago, but has been wheel-spinning and squirreling all over the strip ever since. It’s still ahead by a handful of tank domes and barrel sections, but BFR’s slicks are biting like shark teeth and the Big Friendly Rocket seems set to reel in and pass its older, slower competitor within six months – at most.
First off the ground? First to orbit? Those aren’t even hard calls. First around the Moon with people? Looking more and more BFR-ish from where I sit. Maybe even first around the Moon, period. First on Moon? Easy call. SLS is a DNF on that one.
Will SLS ever fly? Never say never about anything so freighted with politics, but it’s career, assuming it has one at all, seems likely to be quite brief at best.
I think SLS may fly first, but only 1 flight. NASA will do it, because not doing it will make, at least the human spaceflight part, NASA irrelevant. To launch SLS first, NASA will jettison all the requirements “for safety” that they will demand of commercial crew.
Why LA? Are they planning to launch from Vandenberg?
Boca Chica in TX. From SanPedro BFS goes onto some sort of ocean-going barge/ship and gets to SpaceX’s TX Gulf Coast via the Panama Canal.
Seven engines, that’s a magic number.
Factory? We don’t need no stinkin’ factory! We build our space ships in a circus tent. We got a real good deal on Ringling Brothers’ elephants.
I think this project is going to be a huge economic failure.
There is simply no market demand for such a huge vehicle as the BFR. This is pure “Second System Syndrome” like we call it in CompSci. You might also call it “Shuttle” or “Ariane 5” Syndrome.
Falcon 9 is perfectly adequate in terms of size. It is road transportable to multiple launch sites. It can scale up with the Falcon Heavy to launch payloads large enough to do basic lunar or mars exploration missions.
The expected demand is for earth point to point transport.
The article is primarily about BFS, the spacecraft that’s also the second stage. SpaceX has said that they’re developing that first, before finalizing design of BFR (the first stage). I think this is very smart, because the mass budget for BFS is aggressive to say the least.
This way, if they run into mass issues (BFS ends up being a bit overweight) they don’t have to do a total redesign to shave off every ounce (like what happened with the Apollo LEM), they can instead make BFR a bit bigger.
At this juncture, I’m wondering if we’ll see the whole BFR/BFS stack fly before SLS.
“I’m wondering if we’ll see the whole BFR/BFS stack fly before SLS.”
I don’t. It will fly before SLS.
Mostly because I don’t think SLS will ever fly, period.
Amen, brother!
In the drag race between The Big Paper Rockets, SLS got the hole shot about eight years ago, but has been wheel-spinning and squirreling all over the strip ever since. It’s still ahead by a handful of tank domes and barrel sections, but BFR’s slicks are biting like shark teeth and the Big Friendly Rocket seems set to reel in and pass its older, slower competitor within six months – at most.
First off the ground? First to orbit? Those aren’t even hard calls. First around the Moon with people? Looking more and more BFR-ish from where I sit. Maybe even first around the Moon, period. First on Moon? Easy call. SLS is a DNF on that one.
Will SLS ever fly? Never say never about anything so freighted with politics, but it’s career, assuming it has one at all, seems likely to be quite brief at best.
I think SLS may fly first, but only 1 flight. NASA will do it, because not doing it will make, at least the human spaceflight part, NASA irrelevant. To launch SLS first, NASA will jettison all the requirements “for safety” that they will demand of commercial crew.
Why LA? Are they planning to launch from Vandenberg?
Boca Chica in TX. From SanPedro BFS goes onto some sort of ocean-going barge/ship and gets to SpaceX’s TX Gulf Coast via the Panama Canal.
Seven engines, that’s a magic number.
Factory? We don’t need no stinkin’ factory! We build our space ships in a circus tent. We got a real good deal on Ringling Brothers’ elephants.
I think this project is going to be a huge economic failure.
There is simply no market demand for such a huge vehicle as the BFR. This is pure “Second System Syndrome” like we call it in CompSci. You might also call it “Shuttle” or “Ariane 5” Syndrome.
Falcon 9 is perfectly adequate in terms of size. It is road transportable to multiple launch sites. It can scale up with the Falcon Heavy to launch payloads large enough to do basic lunar or mars exploration missions.
The expected demand is for earth point to point transport.