The stupefying and stupendous capture of a Starship rocket earlier this month by two mechanical arms marked a significant step forward in SpaceX’s efforts to forever alter humanity’s relationship with the heavens.
I’m reminded of Calvin and Hobbes: Stupendous Man!
Later on these paragraphs caught my eye:
Another major but unappreciated issue is commodities. At liftoff, the Super Heavy booster alone carries a mass of 7.5 million pounds (3,400 metric tons) of cryogenic propellant. Starship requires about a third as much. That sounds like a lot because it is. Liquid oxygen comprises a significant majority of this, and each launch puts a serious dent into the US production of liquid oxygen, which is used by various customers, including hospitals.
Put another way, launching four Starship rockets in a single day would consume all of the nation’s liquid oxygen capacity for that day. Accordingly, SpaceX must find a way to scale production of liquid oxygen, and ensure a tremendous supply to both South Texas and its future Starship launch facilities in Florida.
So a LOX extraction plant also needed at Boca Chica?
Interesting. Wonder if the current fractional distillation method is preferable to zeolite molecular sieves? Should I invest in a zeolite manufacturer?
You gotta admit, the guy has a way with words:
The stupefying and stupendous capture of a Starship rocket earlier this month by two mechanical arms marked a significant step forward in SpaceX’s efforts to forever alter humanity’s relationship with the heavens.
I’m reminded of Calvin and Hobbes: Stupendous Man!
Later on these paragraphs caught my eye:
Another major but unappreciated issue is commodities. At liftoff, the Super Heavy booster alone carries a mass of 7.5 million pounds (3,400 metric tons) of cryogenic propellant. Starship requires about a third as much. That sounds like a lot because it is. Liquid oxygen comprises a significant majority of this, and each launch puts a serious dent into the US production of liquid oxygen, which is used by various customers, including hospitals.
Put another way, launching four Starship rockets in a single day would consume all of the nation’s liquid oxygen capacity for that day. Accordingly, SpaceX must find a way to scale production of liquid oxygen, and ensure a tremendous supply to both South Texas and its future Starship launch facilities in Florida.
So a LOX extraction plant also needed at Boca Chica?
Interesting. Wonder if the current fractional distillation method is preferable to zeolite molecular sieves? Should I invest in a zeolite manufacturer?
Stupendous & tremendous all in the same article! The only word missing is prodigious!