Posts
Pranay Pathole
@PPathole · Nov 17, 2020
Is Starship still aiming for launch cost below $1.5M, out of which ~$500,000 would be fuel/propellant cost?
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
Yeah, looks like marginal cost of launch will be less than $1M for more than 100 tons to orbit, so it’s mostly about fixed costs divided by launches per year
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Speculawyer 🇳🇴-American
@speculawyer · Nov 17, 2020
CH4 is also much easier to synthesize on the moon and mars.
Long term planning. 👍
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
Exactly
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Everyday Astronaut
@Erdayastronaut · Nov 17, 2020
Now that SpaceX has developed full flow reliably(ish), how relatively hard would it be to do an ox rich closed cycle engine in your opinion? I know you won’t further evolve Merlin, but a closed cycle Merlin vac would be spicy! (Especially cuz you can’t film cool the extension) 😂
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
Merlin is a strong local maximum design, but kerosene is suboptimal fuel, no matter what you do.
What matters is cost per ton to Mars. CH4 is the only choice imo. Important: O2/CH4 allows OF ratio of ~3.5 vs ~2.5 for kerosene, so ~78% of propellant is oxygen.
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Pär Stålberg
@parstalberg · Nov 17, 2020
So did you get inte here in lovely Sweden?
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
Yes, but from a visiting American. Ah, the irony is just too much!!
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Josh
@josh_bickett · Nov 17, 2020
Did it ever get confirmed as COVID?
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
Yeah, PCR Ct was unequivocal at <20. Doesn’t matter what method you use at that low a cycle threshold.
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Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
Replying to @flcnhvy
Maybe making some notable changes. Will wait until figurative & literal dust settles.
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James Stephenson
@ICannot_Enough · Nov 17, 2020
How are you feeling today, Elon? Back to 💯%?
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
Pretty close. Definitely feel 💯 if I take DayQuil. Frankly, this was one of the mildest cold/flu experiences I’ve ever had.
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Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
About 2 secs after starting engines, martyte covering concrete below shattered, sending blades of hardened rock into engine bay. One rock blade severed avionics cable, causing bad shutdown of Raptor.
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
Avionics cables moving to steel pipe shields & adding water-cooled steel pipes to test pad
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Lucas
@LUGG4S1 · Nov 17, 2020
What caused a raptor melting on sn8? Are you planning to recommence testing this week?
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
About 2 secs after starting engines, martyte covering concrete below shattered, sending blades of hardened rock into engine bay. One rock blade severed avionics cable, causing bad shutdown of Raptor.
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Everyday Astronaut
@Erdayastronaut · Nov 17, 2020
Literally months & months of work have gone into this. I *THINK* I finally finished the most complete family tree of Soviet rocket engines I've ever seen!!! This video is going to be RIDICULOUS. I can't wait to teach you what I've learned! (Thanks for the help @rweb11742)
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
The most amazing thing about rocket engines is that they *sometimes* don’t blow up! The amount of power going through them boggles the mind.
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PC Gamer
@pcgamer · Nov 17, 2020
That's some super tiny silicon trib.al/dIXBnhT
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
We should just count the atoms at this point
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Scott Manley
@DJSnM · Nov 17, 2020
I'm sure some of the important improvements are just in the manufacturing process.
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
Absolutely. Production/testing of rocket engines is over 90% of the problem. This is true in general. For cars, production is over 99% of the problem. That 1% inspiration is very important, but it’s less than 1% of the pain.
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Everyday Astronaut
@Erdayastronaut · Nov 17, 2020
It took about a half a century for anyone to beat some of these engines. Raptor is the first one to surpass the RD-270 (by being the first full flow to fly) AND beat the RD-180's chamber pressure. Merlin broke a few Soviet held records too in TWR.
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
Our first Merlin engine design was really bad tbh. Nothing worked well & some parts didn’t work at all. 18 years later & thousands of upgrades make it a great GG cycle engine.
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BogusThought
@BogusThought · Nov 17, 2020
Absolutely! 🎂🎂🎂
BTW, Elon loves to say "Fate loves irony" and here's another epic meme. 🥳🥳🥳🎗🎗🎗
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
Maybe *I* just love irony haha
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JustDoGood w/ FSD (Supervised)🦅
@GreenIsClutch · Nov 17, 2020
Can you assure we’ll get our short shorts before the shortest day? While you’re at it. When will Tesla Tequila be available again? Non-drinker willing to celebrate with you.
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
They’re on their way! Hopefully, more Teslaquila next month.
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Chris G
@ChrisG_SpX · Nov 16, 2020
Can I just say... THANK YOU, NASA/SpaceX for using the metric system for velocity and distance! #Crew1
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
Special permission received from Stonecutters Guild!
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Johnna
@JohnnaCrider1 · Nov 17, 2020
Is it coincidence that the S&P 500 is adding $tsla to the index on the *shortest* day of the year?
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
Fate 🖤 Irony
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jack
@jack · Nov 17, 2020
Thank you for the time, and I look forward to a productive discussion focused on solutions.
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
Well said.
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Lolli
@trylolli · Nov 16, 2020
*Wizard
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
👻 💵
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Everyday Astronaut
@Erdayastronaut · Nov 17, 2020
Literally months & months of work have gone into this. I *THINK* I finally finished the most complete family tree of Soviet rocket engines I've ever seen!!! This video is going to be RIDICULOUS. I can't wait to teach you what I've learned! (Thanks for the help @rweb11742)
Elon Musk
@elonmusk · Nov 17, 2020
Damn, that’s not easy! I spent quite a bit of time looking at Russian/Ukrainian engines. They’re good.
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