Elon's Roman Candles

[1503-44]

Hardly make the news anymore.

Whats the problem at SpaceX? It's quite rediculous now. The only way they're going to Mars is if a real accident happens.

 

[IRstuff]

There's an old adage that says something like. "Going to Mars is hard"

 

[Brian Malone]

I don't understand the hype of the Starship. How will this single piece of hardware make a trip to Mars possible for a human? Starship, though a large and powerful rocket cannot lift and transport the necessary life support materials and fuel for a trip to Mars and a return trip. The distance equals transit time and humans have to breathe, eat, and drink during transit. 7 to 10 months dwell time then multiply by 2. Going to the Moon is 3 days and it is a precarious dance of weight, space, and minimization of fuel utilization. I think Starship is an amazing rocket but not the only thing required to go to Mars.

 

[JohnLloydJones]

I don't understand the hype of the Starship. How will this single piece of hardware make a trip to Mars possible for a human? Starship, though a large and powerful rocket cannot lift and transport the necessary life support materials and fuel for a trip to Mars and a return trip. The distance equals transit time and humans have to breathe, eat, and drink during transit. 7 to 10 months dwell time then multiply by 2. Going to the Moon is 3 days and it is a precarious dance of weight, space, and minimization of fuel utilization. I think Starship is an amazing rocket but not the only thing required to go to Mars.

The key to being able to make a trip to Mars is the claimed ability to refuel in orbit. A capability which has yet to be achieved.

 

[1503-44]

I thought it needs to go to the Moon Base, then on to Mars.

 

[Brian Malone]

Regardless, in-orbit refueling or Moon-base refueling, there is a huge technology void to be filled for fuel production, oxygen production, food production, and water production. Certainly the fuel, O2, food and H2O can all be boosted to orbit from Earth - it should just be a logistical exercise if Starship is reliable. Still when I see all the 'Next step, Mars!' proclamations, I am amazed at the major tech missing and the rocket is actually the easier part.

 

[Brian Malone]

Cryogenic fuels either need to be prepositioned for use or produced in-situ - neither technique or tech exists. Either task is daunting, yet they are spoken of off-handedly - 'we will refuel in orbit, no problem'. That is part of where I see the hype of Starship. A manned mission is so much more complex than the relative simplicity of sending a instrumented probe/robot

 

[Brian Malone]

According to this story, SpaceX has completed in-orbit fuel transfer. The accomplishment got little attention. If the tools and techniques are solid, the in-orbit refueling is figured out. The logistics of getting tanker Statships positioned as required along the Earth-to-Mars path remains to make the Mars mission more of a reality than a dream weave.

SpaceX making progress on Starship in-space refueling technologies

NASA says SpaceX is on track to demonstrate in-space refueling of Starship next year, a critical technology for returning humans to the lunar surface.

spacenews.com