ALEX
@ajtourville · 22. Sept. 2024
I'm still amazed SpaceX went with relatively dirt-cheap stainless steel sheet metal while everybody else is going with expensive CNC-machined aluminum alloy plates and/or super-expensive carbon fiber composites.
SpaceX@SpaceX· 21. Sept. 2024Starship stacked for Flight 5 and ready for launch, pending regulatory approval
Elon Musk
@elonmusk
A stainless steel Starship is essentially the same mass as an advanced carbon fiber or aluminum-lithium version, given that it is a reusable rocket, as steel can handle much higher heat loads, requiring less shielding, and its strength increases dramatically at cryogenic temperatures.
No paint or other surface coating is needed for stainless. Those add mass and cost and tend to get scratched or burn off.
We are also tweaking the steel alloying elements and forming methods to achieve higher material specs than usual.
23:31 · 22. September 2024 · 141.729 Aufrufe
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