It takes a powerful rocket to settle on Mars. Space exploration technology company, what do you think of this matter?
Space Exploration Technology Corporation and elon musk's Mars program can be roughly divided into four stages. The first time was in 2022, which may be the first time that a space exploration technology company's Mars spacecraft or unmanned probe arrived on Mars. In fact, elon musk said at the International Astronautical Congress held in Australia in September 20 17 that at least two unmanned spacecraft would land on Mars in 2022.
So what are these two unmanned spacecraft launched for? There are many things in the unmanned spacecraft, which may include the Mars construction robot jointly developed by Japan Space Agency and NASA. In a few years, by that time, the research on Mars construction robots will be over.
In addition, the unmanned spacecraft will also include some large 3D printers, compressors, oxygen generators (only bricks are needed to compress Martian dust) and other facilities, which must be prepared before colonizing Mars. It is planned to send some infrastructure or robots to Mars first, and then send astronauts to Mars. One is to test the stability and practicability of the spacecraft, and the other is that it is basically impossible to actually send the astronauts directly. ...
Elon Musk was full of confidence in the initial stage: "I am confident that we can complete the Mars unmanned spacecraft and powerful rockets within five years, and make full preparations for the launch. Five years is a long time for me. "
The second stage is 2023. Before talking about this stage, what we need to know is the "Dear Moon" project of Space Exploration Technology Company, which is a trip to the moon by Space Exploration Technology Company, elon musk and a former friend of a Japanese billionaire. The rocket used in this trip to the moon is a starship. Although this mission is not specifically aimed at Mars, its success indicates the manned flight of Mars in the future. According to Elon Musk's comments in February this year, this may be the first major mission of the starship.
Seeing this, we can roughly sum up that Space Exploration Technology Company plans to send two or more unmanned spacecraft, and the next step is manned mission. The infrastructure task needs to establish a propellant production plant to combine Martian water, ice and carbon dioxide to produce methane and liquid oxygen, provide fuel for ships and achieve the purpose of returning home. In addition, an oxygen-making room or factory is needed to ensure the life of astronauts.
As for food, the earliest humans had to use solar hydroponics to grow food. In an interview in March, Elon Musk said that this technology can make plants grow without soil, and this technology is mature, so it can be applied to the Mars colony immediately.
The third phase of space exploration technology company's Mars program will run from 2025 to 2027, during which space exploration technology company plans to launch more supply spacecraft. Elon Musk explained on Twitter that the company can use 65,438+00 high-density launches in orbit synchronization to complete a city by 2050.
By the end of the next decade, it will reach the "beyond" part of space exploration technology company's Mars plan, and space exploration technology company and Mars colonists are expected to settle on Mars. Elon Musk said that he has an 85% chance to visit Mars in his lifetime, but he may also die on the way to Mars. He is ready and may visit this developing colony after his smooth arrival.
In fact, we know that it depends on the progress of the first settlements. Elon Musk said many times in his speech on 20 16, "It is very likely that someone will die in the exploration, including me. But if it goes well, it will be very safe and comfortable to go to Mars after many launches. This is the prototype of the future space transportation industry, whether it is manned or transported. "
In fact, living in the Martian colony is a fusion of scientists in many fields. The colonial construction robot mentioned above is only a part of it, and it also needs help in building structure, biology, chemical fuel, astronomy, planetary geology and other fields. As a creative company, space exploration technology company needs to build a very powerful rocket if it wants to land on Mars and establish a colony on the surface of Mars. Speaking of which, here comes our next content.
The average distance from Mars to the Earth is 65.438+0.2 billion kilometers, so it is indeed much farther than the moon. Moreover, even with powerful rockets, it will take at least four to six months to go to Mars. During this period, the rocket also involves many details and security issues, so a big obstacle to establishing a colony on Mars is to have a reliable and powerful rocket.
A rocket powerful enough? You may think of Saturn V and Soviet N 1 rocket. The Soviet Union's N 1 rocket failed four times, and NASA's Saturn V rocket has now been retired ... This burden falls on Space Exploration Technology Company and NASA, but NASA is planning to return to the moon, and landing on Mars is behind. NASA's budget and plan, including the route, are fixed, so it depends on the situation of Space Exploration Technology Company in the end.
The falcon rocket can also be abbreviated as BFR rocket. Before 20 16, the name of BFR rocket did not change, but last year BFR rocket was renamed starship, which can also be translated as starship or Starship. The appearance, including configuration, has also changed a lot, which indicates that space exploration technology company will eventually vigorously develop starship rockets.
Space Exploration Technology's starship rocket is bigger than NASA's Saturn V rocket, and its carrying capacity is much larger than Saturn V. If completed, it will be the largest rocket of mankind to date. The hull of starship is polished by stainless steel mirror, aiming at improving the reflectivity and aesthetics of the fuselage. In addition, space exploration technology company chose stainless steel as the outer shell of the starship this time, because this material will perform better when used with lighter carbon fiber when passing through the atmosphere.
Falcon heavy rocket is about 70 meters high, and the total length of future starships will exceed 1 15 meters. When the starship was launched, it was powered by 365,438+0 Raptor engines, which could generate 5,400 tons of thrust. Elon Musk said in a report on 20 17 that the spacecraft with smooth top of booster will be more than 45 meters long and 9 meters wide, and the load cabin will be 8 stories high.
But now space exploration technology company has been testing StarHopper recently, which is the main engine at the stern of the starship. Space Exploration Technologies, Inc. is manufacturing super-heavy boosters for starships at its factories in Boca Chica, Texas and Cape Canaveral, Florida. So the BFR in the rendering has not started yet, and now the prototype model StarHopper is being tested.
StarHopper is the prototype of starship tail. Space exploration technology company built and tested the star Hopper alone, because the star Hopper is the prototype of the starship tail, but the star Hopper is a little smaller than the real starship star Hopper. In addition, StarHopper will also test the next-generation engine of Space Exploration Technologies, namely Raptor, which is StarHopper's most important task. Space exploration technology company has carried out static ignition experiment and "jumping experiment" at the bottom of the star funnel. Jump experiment refers to controlling Starhopper to carry out low altitude experiment, and static ignition experiment refers to the injection ignition experiment of prototype engine when the prototype is stationary.
The plan here shows that Space Exploration Technology Corporation and elon musk attach importance to the development plan of the next generation reusable launch system. Now StarHopper and other components are being built in multiple locations at the same time, which shows that it is much easier to build a starship than previous rockets, and the construction cost and launch cost are also cheaper.
Although the StarHopper test went well, many netizens expressed their concerns. Space exploration technology company is a very creative company, and their plans are very strict. However, when the Starhopper prototype was built, the surrounding area (factory) was completely unprotected. In other words, building rockets outdoors is considered a terrible and risky job, which fundamentally increases the possibility of dangerous manufacturing defects, and there may be FOD object fragments and other unpredictable dangers.
From such an external perspective, space exploration technology companies seem to lack some insight. However, in this case, Elon Musk said that in the next half month, more workers will be added, weather detection will be strengthened, and the safety of the prototype car will be paid attention to at any time. But when it comes to confidentiality and indoor construction, elon musk means it doesn't matter. After all, it is a prototype, mainly to test the engine.
Falcon heavy rocket itself is a very powerful rocket. It is the most powerful rocket in active service, but the Falcon heavy rocket is not designed for Mars. However, the two rockets seem to have a lot in common. For example, both Starship and Falcon heavy rocket are used in parallel with multiple rocket launch engines, with the same force, but in comparison, Falcon heavy rocket has more complicated structure and higher accident probability. Therefore, space exploration technology company has been studying several rocket models recently, including Falcon -9 manned spacecraft. With the comprehensive development of reusable booster rocket technology, the work of other rockets will be less and less.
With the steady progress of several starship prototypes of Space Exploration Technology Company at Boca Chica launch facility, elon musk explained that they are also building a starship in Florida. The Florida-based starship is expected to be launched from the Space Exploration Technologies facility in Cape Canaveral, instead of the company's launch site in Boca, Texas. Now space exploration technology company is also considering launch pad 39A of Kennedy Space Center.
In fact, many friends can see that the StarLink Planet Internet Project recently launched by Space Exploration Technology Company includes all commercial orders received by Falcon 9 and Falcon heavy rocket, from the United States to Israel, the Canadian Space Agency, and Europe, including India and Argentina in the future. A series of satellite plans are aimed at "investing" in the starships and starships of Space Exploration Technology Company.
All these funds will be used to invest in the starship's colonial Mars program. This is a desperate attempt by space exploration technology company, which belongs to elon musk's stubbornness and the colonial dream of all mankind. Falcon 9 and Falcon heavy rocket will not be used in the future, because as mentioned above, the two parts of the starship can be used separately, and the near-earth orbit and lunar orbit, including Mars orbit, are enough. After the starship is built, it is enough to clone a few, and then develop more powerful rockets. By then, the starship will be eliminated, just like Falcon 9 and Falcon heavy rocket. How long before this day? In fact, I think the conservative estimate is about 15 to 20 years.
Next, a set of pictures will show you what the space exploration technology company has planned for the starship, and only list some plans for you:
Falcon heavy long picture appreciation
Appreciating the long picture of BFR (Starship) finished product.
In the future, the solar system belongs to all mankind, and space exploration will never end. Our goal is not only the stars and the sea, but also the distant Milky Way!