Starship is a go

[Manonthestreet]

Targeting as soon as Monday, April 17 for the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Starbase in Texas → http://spacex.com/launches

MSN

Hope it works.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I'd like to see some dimensions of the crew capsule and living quarters.

 

[ThunderKiss1965]

Private industry killing it. NASA and any other countries tax payer funded space programs are relics.

 

[Manonthestreet]

Private industry killing it. NASA and any other countries tax payer funded space programs are relics.

NASA pretty much is a joke

 

[Bob Blaylock]

Targeting as soon as Monday, April 17 for the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Starbase in Texas → http://spacex.com/launches

MSN

Hope it works.

Seems to me that the name “starship” ought to be held back, for now, on the assumption that eventually, Mankind might achieve the capability of creating a craft that can actually travel to other star systems.

This “starship” isn't even intended to go beyond low-Earth orbit, is it?

Of course, Beechcraft already appropriated the “starship” name back in the 1980s, for a craft that isn't even capable of leaving the Earth's atmosphere. The Beechcraft Starship sold rather poorly, and at some later point, Beechcraft determined that it was cost prohibitive for it to support the small fleet of them that was in service. They made efforts to buy back and destroy whatever units they could get their hands on, making special deals with owners of them to trade them in for more conventional aircraft.

 

[Manonthestreet]

Seems to me that the name “starship” ought to be held back, for now, on the assumption that eventually, Mankind might achieve the capability of creating a craft that can actually travel to other star systems.

This “starship” isn't even intended to go beyond low-Earth orbit, is it?

Of course, Beechcraft already appropriated the “starship” name back in the 1980s, for a craft that isn't even capable of leaving the Earth's atmosphere. The Beechcraft Starship sold rather poorly, and at some later point, Beechcraft determined that it was cost prohibitive for it to support the small fleet of them that was in service. They made efforts to buy back and destroy whatever units they could get their hands on, making special deals with owners of them to trade them in for more conventional aircraft.

Designed to go to Mars

 

[Bob Blaylock]

Designed to go to Mars

OK, farther than I thought. But still rather short of being an actual starship.

At least it beats Beechcraft's version.

 

[Mushroom]

And now we know what the first launch was like. And the world was informed by a press release that looks like it was written by Johnny 5 from "Short Circuit".

Oh, and the damage from the launch was so severe that the launch complex will likely have to be completely rebuilt.

And to top it all off, it appears that the blueprint that Elron Musk used was the crappiest heavy launch vehicle ever designed. Except he thought that was not crappy enough, so he made it even crappier.

If I have to bet, this think will never be certified for humans, and will be a huge failure.

 

[Bob Blaylock]

Of course, Beechcraft already appropriated the “starship” name back in the 1980s, for a craft that isn't even capable of leaving the Earth's atmosphere.

OK, farther than I thought. But still rather short of being an actual starship.
At least it beats Beechcraft's version.

 

[Anomalism]

Private industry killing it. NASA and any other countries tax payer funded space programs are relics.

Not for exploration though. The private sector will kill it as long as there's a profit to make somehow. Certain aspects of space venture are not currently profitable, but that doesn't make them not worth doing. That's where the government can be useful.

 

[Mushroom]

At least it beats Beechcraft's version.

That depends, did the Beechcraft version explode?

 

[Mushroom]

Certain aspects of space venture are not currently profitable

None of them are really profitable for anything other than small launches.

That is why Elron has been taking billions of dollars from the US government.

 

[fncceo]

Starship is a BLOW.

 

[TNHarley]

Its black? Thats an assault starship!

 

[fncceo]

OK, farther than I thought. But still rather short of being an actual starship.

At least it beats Beechcraft's version.

Never EVER besmirch a Dick Rutan design!

 

[Bob Blaylock]

At least it beats Beechcraft's version.

That depends, did the Beechcraft version explode?

Nope. Even it's failure was much less epic.

I'm not aware of any Beechcraft Starship having any major mechanical issue. No crashes, or explosions.

Just an economic failure. As cool as they were, from a certain viewpoint, their performance was less impressive than that of some other, less expensive craft. and they sold very poorly.

Beechcraft built fifty-three of them, of which only half a dozen remain in airworthy condition as of a few years ago; most of them having been bought back by Beechcraft, or never sold in the first place, and scrapped.

 

[Mushroom]

Just an economic failure.

Actually, it was way ahead of its time. One of the very first aircraft that used composite construction, a glass cockpit, and canard wings that made it damned near impossible to stall. It was an exceptionally efficient and quiet aircraft, and the influence of Burt Rutan was obvious. It was exceptionally light for the era, but the problem was that in the 1980s those who wanted personal twin engine aircraft did not want fuel efficient aircraft, they wanted high speed turboprops and jets.

The Leerjet 35 and others that could fly in excess of 500 miles an hour, not efficient ones that got by at under 400 mph.

However, it is interesting that over half a dozen similar aircraft were designed in that timeframe. But only the government funded Piaggio P.180 entered large-scale production. And those would be produced for 30 years.