SpaceX blows up Starship tank to test new metal alloy

[FairAndUnbiased]

No Apollo 11 was always in LOS with Intelsat in geosynchronous orbit but not always in LOS with the earth specifically Houston due to the earth rotation.

I thought US didn't exclusively track from Houston, they had monitoring stations everywhere.

 

[dbc]

I thought US didn't exclusively track from Houston, they had monitoring stations everywhere.

Yes, we had remote stations in Australia, Europe and Africa but in 1969 not equipped to transmit live images to mission control in Houston in near real-time.

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

Yes, we had remote stations in Australia, Europe and Africa but in 1969 not equipped to transmit live images to mission control in Houston in near real-time.

I see. I am not familiar with the Apollo mission. Regardless, Intelsat orbitted Earth while Chang'E is orbiting the moon and Yutu can't be cued to the orbiters position. The level of difficulty is vastly different which is why actual NASA scientists don't go around saying this shit is easy.

 

[dbc]

I see. I am not familiar with the Apollo mission. Regardless, Intelsat orbitted Earth while Chang'E is orbiting the moon and Yutu can't be cued to the orbiters position. The level of difficulty is vastly different which is why actual NASA scientists don't go around saying this shit is easy.

Not sure I understand your point. During Apollo missions the manned command module stayed in lunar orbit and communicated with the lander.

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

Not sure I understand your point. During Apollo missions the manned command module stayed in lunar orbit and communicated with the lander.

The point is in the past any relay can be cued by an initial signal to the lander of where to look for the relay satellite. That means there doesn't have to be any autonomous capability of the lander to look for the relay.

 

[Globenim]

Making standard alloys look new... a new low.

So VaporWareX switched from some off the shelf latest marketing buzzword "technology" to an oldschool solution after a major setback and their ignorant fanbase celebrates it like some kind of innovation by VaporWareX.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

So VaporWareX switched from some off the shelf latest marketing buzzword "technology" to an oldschool solution after a major setback and their ignorant fanbase celebrates it like some kind of innovation by VaporWareX.

Yes, we know all about Chinese Space innovation

Which one is which again?

 

[Globenim]

Yes, we know all about Chinese Space innovation

Which one is which again?

Wow retarded deflecting with some old intellectually dishonest "gotcha" script about some licenced capsule from our resident troll poster? How innovative.

Whatever keeps you celebrating VaporWareX's setback to "new" conventional metal alloys for their conventional barrels as some "true innovation", kiddo.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Whatever keeps you celebrating VaporWareX's setback to "new" conventional metal alloys for their conventional barrels as some "true innovation", kiddo.

Can you actually read the article please:

"..304L, the type of steel is still readily available off the shelf and only 10-20% more expensive than the 301 alloy SpaceX has used to build all Starship prototypes up to SN7."
.
Why do you think the article means SpaceX created 304L? The article clearly states this alloy is readily available. When the article title says "new alloy" they mean changing to a different one because they don't like 301 Sort of like Huawei looking for a "new" vendor of chips.

Plus Elon Musk himself already talked about using 304L and then LATER this year possibly experimenting with new alloys a few months ago.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1238952612562489344

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

So VaporWareX switched from some off the shelf latest marketing buzzword "technology" to an oldschool solution after a major setback and their ignorant fanbase celebrates it like some kind of innovation by VaporWareX.

pretty much. 304L is the standard cryogenic tank material. You can even buy or rent a tank like this online:

http://bofort.com/bofort-offers-rental-services-20-ft-cryogenic-iso-tank-containers/

• Inner vessel: SA240 Stainless steel 304L
• Outer vessel: SA516 GR 70 steel
• Piping panel: Stainless steel type ASTM TP 316(L)Pressure build-up vaporiser
• Pressure build-up vaporiser: Aluminium finned tubes with stainless steel liner.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

SpaceX returns to Starship program roots with new ‘test tank’ prototype

SpaceX returns to Starship program roots with new 'test tank' prototype

It’s now clear that SpaceX is preparing to return to the roots of its Starship program with the latest in a series of one-off ‘test tanks’ meant to qualify upgrades to the rocket’s design and production. Likely known as Starship SN7.2, the hardware will be the first standalone tank built and...

www.teslarati.com

It’s now clear that SpaceX is preparing to return to the roots of its Starship program with the latest in a series of one-off ‘test tanks’ meant to qualify upgrades to the rocket’s design and production.

Likely known as Starship SN7.2, the hardware will be the first standalone tank built and tested by SpaceX since SN7.1 was successfully pressurized to failure in a process known as burst testing in September 2020. Following in the footsteps of SN7.1, a simple test tank fully focused on qualifying a change in the steel alloy used to build Starships, SN7.2 was somewhat more complex, swapping one of two smooth forward domes with a thrust dome and adding a ‘skirt’ section.

Built out of the same steel alloy as SN7.1, SN7.2 went through similar testing but included the use of a hydraulic ram designed to simulate the thrust of one, two, or three Raptors on the ‘thrust puck’ those engines would otherwise attach to. Starship test tank SN7.2 appears to be quite similar to SN7.1 – but with one or two crucial differences.

SN7.2's forward dome has been mated with its aft dome. This is the first tank to be built using 3mm stainless steel instead of the current 4mm. @elonmusk what bar are you expecting SN7.2 to reach and when will it be tested?

By: @BocaChicaGal for @NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com/r63p4Mv9tp

— Brendan (@brendan2908) January 12, 2021



The first difference, as noted above, is a reduction in the thickness of the steel rings that make up the outer walls and structure of SN7.2’s barrel-like tank section. SpaceX is believed to have reduced that skin thickness by 25% (4mm to 3mm) in an apparent effort to begin a weight reduction process necessary for Starships to eventually achieve their optimal payload goal of ~150 metric tons (~330,000 lb) to low Earth orbit.

4mm Starship test tank SN7.0, June 2020. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)Starship test tank SN7.2 sections (center, right) and SN15’s forward dome assembly. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)
From some angles, SN7.2’s steel rings do appear slightly flimsier or more liable to warp from the heat of welding than other test tanks in the SN7 range, but the differences are rather subtle. Regardless, a reduction from 4mm to 3mm steel rings could likely cut 5-10% from an orbit-capable Starship’s empty weight. When every gram of Starship mass reduction translates directly into an extra gram of payload, it’s safe to say that SpaceX is just getting started.

It’s unclear if a successful SN7.2 test campaign will result in similar reductions to the steel that makes up Starship tank domes and noses. SN7.2’s forward and thrust domes appear to be more or less identical to almost all prior Starship prototype hardware.

Aside from thinner steel skin, it’s also possible that SpaceX will attempt to hit two birds with one stone and test a second unproven change on SN7.2 – namely an upgraded ‘thrust puck’ design. That new puck design first appeared on a November 2020 shipment from SpaceX’s Hawthorne, CA headquarters. Referring to the cone-like structure Starship’s three central Raptor engines attach to and are fed propellant through, the new design simplifies plumbing complexity by allowing Starship’s fuel and fuel header tanks to attach directly to and feed methane through the puck.

SpaceX’s upgraded thrust puck design is likely to debut on Starship SN15 or a fourth SN7 test tank. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)SN10’s thrust puck appears a bit more complex, although it accomplishes the same task. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)
It’s unclear which thrust puck design SN7.2 has settled on, though SpaceX’s decision to make SN7.2 an engine section test tank arguably points towards the new puck. Regardless, SpaceX will almost certainly install a skirt section – two reinforced rings – underneath SN7.2 once the tank is welded together, giving it the hold-down clamps needed to secure it to a launch mount while simulating Raptor thrust.