Elon Musk
@elonmusk · 27. Mai 2025
Giant steel dragon wings would be sick
Elon Musk
@elonmusk
But we need a heat shield that can handle Mars atmospheric entry conditions with a heavy payload, so the ballistic coefficient will necessarily be high. Steel is unfortunately hopeless.
No one has ever made a truly reusable orbital heat shield, so this is an extremely tough problem. [As you know] The Shuttle’s shields required extensive rework between flights.
It will take many more design iterations for SpaceX to make the shield work well. We had to build the entire supply chain from glass and alumina to finished tiles, which is why the SpaceX heat shield factory at the Cape is shockingly enormous.
03:31 · 27. Mai 2025 · 156.146 Aufrufe
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