Posted on 04/09/2018 8:29:17 AM PDT by Simon Green
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, posted a picture Sunday of what what he described as the “main body tool” for his company’s BFR interplanetary spaceship.
BFR—which reportedly stands for “Big F---ing Rocket,” will be designed to withstand planetary entry on Earth, "Mars and beyond,” TechCrunch reported. Space.com reported that BFR's “chief aim” is to make colonizing Mars economically feasible.
"We're actually building that ship right now," he said in an interview last month. "I think we'll probably be able to do short flights, short sort of up-and-down flights, probably sometime in the first half of next year."
Shortly after his successful Falcon Heavy Launch, Musk aid that he expected a “full-scale test” of the massive rocket within the next few years.
“Most of our engineering resources will be dedicated to BFR,” he said, according to the website. “I think this will make this go quickly.”
Musk described a slightly scaled-down 348-foot-tall rocket in September and announced that the private space company aimed to launch two cargo missions to Mars in 2022. He called the goals at the time “aspirational.”
Two more cargo missions would follow in 2024 to provide more construction materials, along with two crewed flights, according to earlier reports. The window for launching to Mars occurs every two years.
Shortly after his successful Falcon Heavy Launch, Musk aid that he expected a “full-scale test” of the massive rocket within the next few years.
“Most of our engineering resources will be dedicated to BFR,” he said, according to the website. “I think this will make this go quickly.”
Musk described a slightly scaled-down 348-foot-tall rocket in September and announced that the private space company aimed to launch two cargo missions to Mars in 2022.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
This “tool” is probably the mandrel for wrapping the carbon fiber roving to make the shell of the BFR.
Not sure how they will remove the tool - probably in sections. Don’t see any provision for reducing the OD.
BFR—which reportedly stands for “Big F-—ing Rocket
They’ve got a sense of humor at least
“Big Flying Rocket” — I don’t grasp the humor in that. ;>(
Unlike the professional fool joey biden.
“Big Flying Rocket” — I don’t grasp the humor in that. ;>(
That’s because you didn’t count correctly.
Big F-—ing Rocket has dashes for 3 letters, not 2, i.e. ‘ly’.
Think ‘BFG’
/s Do I need this.
If cured in a furnace, upon cooling the mandrel would shrink sufficient to aide removal?
Hmmm...you raise a good point about my inability to count letters. So, if I take that into account, we might have...
Big Farking Rocket
Big Finking Rocket
Big Firking Rocket
Big Fisking Rocket
Big Flaking Rocket
Big Fluking Rocket
Big Forking Rocket
Big Funking Rocket
I’m stumped!
Can’t wait to see it. If I live that long.
Good idea! Possibly.
Burt Rutan used a tapered aluminum street-light pole as the mandrel when winding the main wing spars for his 'Voyager' (Round-the-World-Non-Stop-Non-Refueled) airplane.
If you want to"wind your own", check out this:
Unless you are really sick or old you should see it. Tests of the second stage should start in the next couple of years.
The first and second stage together will be a bit larger than the Saturn V, be completely reusable, and should be able to launch for significantly less money than current smaller rockets including the Falcon 9.
The video I saw for a sailing mast used mold release between the mandrel and the fiber.
Boeing spent a fortune to get the production process for the half carbon composite 787 correct.
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