SpaceX moon trip 2018

[Alex K]

So you guys probably heard that SpaceX wants to send two tourists round the moon next year, right? Exciting!









I'm trying to find out whether there will be a test flight around the moon with an un(wo)manned Falcon Heavy rocket maybe this year. Has anyone any info about that? I read that a Falcon Heavy test flight is planned for this Summer, but not whether it'll be around the moon.


And of course, for the sake of fair and balanced journalism, we need to hear from the other side:

[Fake Messiah]

Yeah two anonymous billionaires and one of them is probably Yuri Milner. I just wonder if it would be possible to make a vehicle that could directly land on the Moon and then take off from it. If there was a runaway could something like an airplane land on it/ take off?

[Alex K]

Yeah two anonymous billionaires and one of them is probably Yuri Milner. I just wonder if it would be possible to make a vehicle that could directly land on the Moon and then take off from it. If there was a runaway could something like an airplane land on it/ take off?

In that case I hope Milner leaves a thorough will ensuring that his estate keeps supporting science if he crashes into the moon

An Airplane won't do much good, no atmosphere worth mentioning. Also, having to stop at all and then having to carry the fuel to accelerate back to earth makes a huge difference vs. just slingshotting around the moon at full speed. Even Apollo kept the main craft in orbit.

[vorlon13]

No atmosphere at the moon means the craft has to burn fuel to a complete stop at the surface instead of bleeding off speed thru aerodynamic drag effects like we see at earth during re-entry.

And at the moon, you also have to burn fuel during landing to decelerate all the fuel you need to take off again. This means you need a much bigger rocket to start with back home to lift all that fuel in the first place.

Just looping around the moon and returning to earth is an EXTREMELY challenging mission. I would strenuously object to such a flight with people without a successful unmanned test flight first.

Also, the heatshield used when returning to earth will need to be uprated from an orbital design as the speed is much higher, like 50% or so IIRC.

[Alex K]

No atmosphere at the moon means the craft has to burn fuel to a complete stop at the surface instead of bleeding off speed thru aerodynamic drag effects like we see at earth during re-entry.

And at the moon, you also have to burn fuel during landing to decelerate all the fuel you need to take off again.  This means you need a much bigger rocket to start with back home to lift all that fuel in the first place.

Just looping around the moon and returning to earth is an EXTREMELY challenging mission.  I would strenuously object to such a flight with people without a successful unmanned test flight first.

Also, the heatshield used when returning to earth will need to be uprated from an orbital design as the speed is much higher, like 50% or so IIRC.

I'd also think they have to successfully execute a complete unmanned test mission with all bells and whistles this summer in order to have a realistic chance to fly next year, but I haven't seen a schedule for that.

[Fake Messiah]

Yeah I know about the LEM but still maybe some way could be found. Maybe extra long highway around the moon for the plane to land and then to worn out and stop - but that is really far fetched. Or maybe incoming spacecraft spreads sails and then laser from the Moon pushes it and slows it down. But then again what would charge laser on the Moon? Maybe solar panels?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Deceleration could be done well above the lunarscape, no wind or air resistance to impede the landing.

[vorlon13]

extra long highway ?

plane ?


I'm not following at all.

[AFTT47]

I'm a big fan of Elon Musk but there are times when I question his judgement. This is one of them. This will certainly be a milestone if it happens but I question how high the confidence can be after a single test run. There is also the matter of how much radiation those passengers are going to take - even IF the sun stays quiet while they're out there. We now know the Apollo astronauts suffered some radiation damage. I doubt the Dragon capsule has any better shielding.

[Sterben]

This is once in a life time chance to see something few have had the opportunity to see with their own two eyes. Is it risky, hell yes it is! Is considered stupid to most humans, hell yes it is! But, a chance to leave the planet for week could really clear ones head from everyday stress.