Comment Re: Doesn't cost billions... (Score 1) 95
Also, hydrogen's specific impulse advantage comes with major disadvantages. If you just took Starship and gave it hydrolox engines, it wouldn't have the performance needed to reach orbit, because you simply wouldn't be able to fit enough LH2 in the available tank volume. Despite the higher specific impulse, you need a far larger tank volume just to match the performance of denser propellants. And now you've got a lot more surface area to shield against reentry, and it also has to be insulated to keep the LH2 from boiling off too quickly. Notice how the Shuttle didn't even try to bring its propellant tanks back...