I know its literally rocket science and a lot of very complex systems need to work together, but shouldnt we be able to iterate on a working formular?
In: Engineering
Space is hard, really hard. It looks simple, but it’s very complex. Unknowns are at their greatest with a new design, so ways to fail are at their greatest.
Take something as simple as fuel sloshing. We can model that, but not with 100% accuracy. So you launch it, the fuel sloshes anyway, and it blows up.
Takes SpaceX. They have the Falcon 9 that is extremely reliable. They’ve blown up several test articles with Starship because rockets at this scale with those abilities have never been done before. Also, SpaceX is pushing the envelope on what can be done, which makes it harder. For example, engineering says they may be able to save weight by not having shielding on the engines. Nope, blew up, put the shielding on.
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