Comment Re:Reusable rockets-- (Score 1) 72
Your assignment: Find out why reusable rockets are only useable for very specific launch envelopes. If you use them out of that launch envelope, there are just as disposable as the rockets you think are some sort of complete waste.
Interesting. I've never seen this claim made before; do you have a reference?
https://www.teslarati.com/spac... Forgive the link, it is a real rah-rah piece.
CEO Elon Musk says SpaceX has successfully expanded the envelope of orbital-class rocket recovery with its 50th booster landing, meaning that all Falcon boosters will have a better chance of safely returning to Earth from now on.
https://space-offshore.com/boo...
"Falcon 9 missions may need to land on a droneship instead of RTLS due to the weight of the payload or the overall mission profile."
I think you have academic access. Here is a good technical report on a lot of rockets that land after use. https://www.sciencedirect.com/.... You'll need academic credentials to download it. But it has a lot more info - and as part of the launch envelopes, there is constraint based on payload as well as direction. If you are going to land, there is a significant reduction in payload.
Looks interesting, I'll take a look when I get back in to work.