Posts by PleebSmasher

Re: Modular versus non-modular

What "they" failed to tell you is that all of the planned LOP-G (formerly Deep Space Gateway) components (there are 4 so far) have a mass of 10 tons or less (the first is 8-9 tons). The Falcon Heavy should be completely capable of flying these components to trans-Lunar injection orbit. What it won't be able to do is fly a manned crew capsule at the same time as the components, since SpaceX doesn't plan to human-rate Falcon Heavy, just Falcon 9 and BFR. Flying a Falcon 9 + Falcon Heavy is still about 5-15% of the cost of an SLS flight.

NASA's man managed to deceive some people with cheap justifications for the SLS. The components can fly on Falcon Heavy, and if the SLS program faces any more delays (maiden flight likely delayed to 2020, manned flight to 2022 if not later), it's possible that crew could fly on BFR.

I wouldn't count on a BFR Heavy. But if Congress really wanted to get bang for their buck, instead of SLS pork for their states, they could pay SpaceX to make the Interplanetary Transport System. That design could get 300 tons to LEO (reusable) and more to other destinations with orbital refueling. Compared to a modest 150 tons for BFR (reusable). And if NASA wanted to waste them like they will with SLS, they would get an incredible 550 tons to LEO, more than four times the best version of SLS.

High mass launches further reduce costs

The BFR not only has the potential to be cheaper than Falcon 9 to launch, but it can put 150 tons to LEO in reusable mode, and 150 tons to apparently anywhere when refueled in orbit. This allows you to send telescopes and such with much more mass, meaning they can use cheaper components. It also allows you to propulsively land on Mars and other locations, which could help you do the same with rovers since they would no longer need to land using a "rocket crane" or giant bouncing airbag.

We have no data to suggest that SLS won't blow up on first launch.

SpaceX paid its own cash to get Falcon Heavy off the ground, and successfully tested it in full view of the world. The same will happen with BFR, possibly before SLS tries to get off the ground.

This does NOT matter

Every single one of the planned SLS launches is to the Moon, with the upcoming ones building the LOP-G space station. Not Mars or anything. There was a planned launch to send Europa Clipper to orbit Jupiter, but the Trump administration's NASA budget proposal has indicated that mission will likely be flown on a commercial launcher instead.

By the time SLS is ready to go anywhere beyond the Moon, SpaceX's BFR will be able to send more mass faster, and even more so with in-orbit refueling.

Falcon Heavy's lateness never mattered

Payloads that were to originally fly on Falcon Heavy ended up flying on Falcon 9, because Falcon 9's design evolved so much.

It was also better to wait until Falcon 9 boosters could be vertically landed routinely, because Falcon Heavy has 3 of them and that is where most of its potential cost savings come from. Rapid reusability is also an issue: the Falcon Heavy maiden launch used Falcon 9 Block 4 boosters, but all subsequent ones will use Block 5, the "final" Falcon 9.

Falcon Heavy is a fun launcher but it will be made completely obsolete by BFR.

Re: Get real

@The Dogs Meevonks

Insert your phone into a VR headset, and you can conveniently fáp to 512 GB of glorious 360-degree pr0n anytime, anywhere.

Re: Easily.

@Prst: "Is this going too far?"

It's not going far enough. Current SD standards max out at 2 TB, just four times the size of this card. And that includes the full-sized SD cards as well. In fact, it's past time for the Secure Digital Association to boost that ceiling to 32 TB or 1 petabyte, because there's probably no technical reason that a 2 TB SD card sporting some 3D QLC NAND can't be released in 2018-19.

There are plenty of applications where you want as high as possible of a data density. Spacecraft and drones come to mind. And while you may be able to fill your card up by being creative with audio books and Project Gutenberg, you can do it a lot faster by shooting some 8K resolution video, or 360 degree video for VR.

Re: Fat Bastards inSpace

There is a similar argument that only women should be allowed to go to Mars, since they consume less calories.

Re: Good idea

ReTalers will not adopt this new currency.

And it aims at the mainstream economy, not the black market? I hope it has good aim, because it's either not anonymous or could work just fine for the black market. Embrace the darkness.

Re: The blog ppst

@Ben Tasker: No, I linked to a page on the Tor Project blog only, not the website Appelbaum mentions.

Gawker, the media outlet

"But beyond the unnerving idea that a billionaire is prepared to use his endless trunks of money in an effort to destroy a media outlet because it personally upset him is the fact that Thiel is, in theory at least, a defender of the free press."

Gawker is, in theory at least, a media outlet.

Re: On behalf of the human race

Trump 2016: Make America Great Again