Third Vertical Landing a Success

[Tecumsehsbones]

American space firm Blue Origin successfully completed the third launch and vertical landing of its reusable New Shepard rocket on Saturday, company founder and Internet entrepreneur Jeff Bezos said.
"Flawless BE-3 restart and perfect booster landing," tweeted Bezos, referring to the BE-3 engine used to land the rocket back at the company's testing site in Texas.
The unmanned crew capsule also landed safely, using parachutes, said the executive, who founded online giant Amazon and also owns The Washington Post newspaper.
The breakthroughs by Blue Origin and parallel efforts by rival Internet mogul Elon Musk's SpaceX open up the potential for cutting costs for space travel and making rockets as reusable as airplanes.
In November, Bezos called the accomplishment a "game-changer" which opens the door to lower costs in space travel and his vision of people living and working in space.
Bezos said in a tweet on Friday that the rocket's engines would be restarting just 3,600 feet (1.1 kilometers) from the ground during the vertical landing attempt on Saturday, with the rocket hitting the ground in six seconds if they failed to work properly.
The New Shepard can reach an altitude of 333,000 feet, considered the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space.
Previous test flights for the New Shepard were in January and November.


Blue Origin rocket makes third successful vertical landing


Now this really could change everything.

 

[Curious Cdn]

That must use a hell of a lot of fuel to do that. Is it really worth it? You need more rocket to carry the extra fuel needed to stop all if that extra rocket. I suppose so, or they wouldn't be trying it. Perhaps the economies kick in with larger space craft. I suppose that at a certain point, the savings found from recycling rocket components overtakes the extra expense of the extra everything needed to make it work.

 

[Walter]

That must use a hell of a lot of fuel to do that. Is it really worth it? You need more rocket to carry the extra fuel needed to stop all if that extra rocket. I suppose so, or they wouldn't be trying it. Perhaps the economies kick in with larger space craft. I suppose that at a certain point, the savings found from recycling rocket components overtakes the extra expense of the extra everything needed to make it work.

Private business is always looking for efficiencies.

 

[Curious Cdn]

Private business is always looking for efficiencies.

The Russian space program runs pretty lean (privatized these days, after a fashion). I"m surprised that they didn't come up with it. Perhaps, it requires up-to-date computer technology to land like that.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

That must use a hell of a lot of fuel to do that. Is it really worth it? You need more rocket to carry the extra fuel needed to stop all if that extra rocket. I suppose so, or they wouldn't be trying it. Perhaps the economies kick in with larger space craft. I suppose that at a certain point, the savings found from recycling rocket components overtakes the extra expense of the extra everything needed to make it work.

I've heard estimates it could reduce launch costs by 90%.

 

[Curious Cdn]

I've heard estimates it could reduce launch costs by 90%.

They used to say things like that about the Shuttles at the beginning before they found out just how much rebuilding had to be done between launches. A couple of accidents later, the prep reached a billion dollars a launch. Time will tell how many times you can fly these spacecraft without replacing rocket motors, structural elements, re-entry shielding, etc., etc.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

They used to say things like that about the Shuttles at the beginning before they found out just how much rebuilding had to be done between launches. A couple of accidents later, the prep reached a billion dollars a launch. Time will tell how many times you can fly these spacecraft without replacing rocket motors, structural elements, re-entry shielding, etc., etc.

It surely will. And even more time and more cost for a human-rated spacecraft.

 

[MHz]

What is that PVC pipe?

Somebody one proposed we could utilize the moons of Jupiter or Saturn yet they only seem to have accounted for the gravity of the small moon and ignored that of Jupiter as far as needing fuel to act as a brake on the way there and to overcome it's gravitational effect as it leaves that orbit and gains speed to take it's haul back to earth. Really?? It might be useful in knowing if the moons are in tidal lock with the planet or not as that might set the fate of the earth and the sun.
The recent fragments that hit Jupiter could be used as the mathematical model for mass and acceleration gains as it got closer to the planet. That could be used to determine how much braking horsepower would be needed and it would not be a small amount.

Canada is in a unique position in that the 'North Pole' is 'on our land' and as such gravity can be lessened magnetically so the 'reaction' is a boot straight up. Another advantage is that it is a hole through the Van Allen belt and that may be as good for electronics as it is people. Launching during strong northern lights would be useful if the payloads could use that energy for propulsion as a direction change would be the first thing on the list of things to do.

Anybody know a Canadian supplier for the needed parts??

The shuttle design should have had a big chute built into the wings and they would have the landing characteristics of a sky-diver that can land on a target at almost zero forward speed.

The auto-gyro is another design that would be easy to put into the wings although with that design there would be no need of wings.

 

[Walter]

They used to say things like that about the Shuttles at the beginning before they found out just how much rebuilding had to be done between launches. A couple of accidents later, the prep reached a billion dollars a launch. Time will tell how many times you can fly these spacecraft without replacing rocket motors, structural elements, re-entry shielding, etc., etc.

Do you still live in a cave or teepee?

 

[Curious Cdn]

Do you still live in a cave or teepee?

I live in the real world.

Show me.

...and not just a couple of demos.

If it were so obvious, easy and economical, why did it take sixty years of space shots to get around to the "easy way"?

 

[MHz]

When you are getting paid by the mile the shortest distance route is just cutting into potential profits.

 

[Locutus]

a lotta folks gonna get killed in these Estes-like challenges but hey, you can say you made it to the welfare Karman line for some reason.

but cool story bros.

 

[Curious Cdn]

Canada is in a unique position in that the 'North Pole' is 'on our land' and as such gravity can be

Don't count on that. We may have to literally fight for it if it turns out to be true. The ruling is pending. The Russians have already declared that it is Russian, no matter what. Maybe, Mr.Trudeau will go to Moscow ...

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

Don't count on that. We may have to literally fight for it if it turns out to be true. The ruling is pending. The Russians have already declared that it is Russian, no matter what. Maybe, Mr.Trudeau will go to Moscow ...

Putin would just punch him in the throat.

 

[MHz]

They would have some wodka an laugh about that Harper guy.