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- SpaceX's Starship rocket uses silver rather than the traditional white.
- SpaceX used noncorrosive stainless to make the rocket's silver color.
- Starship is also covered with black hexagonal tiles that protect it from atmospheric re-entry.
A small space rocket, the SpaceX Starship mega-rocket, is located at the southern tip of Texas near Boca Chica.
Starship is not only the largest and most powerful rocket in the world, but it also stands out from all other SpaceX rockets. It is unlike any other rocket anywhere in the world.
The mega-rocket is made up of two stages, as shown below. The Super Heavy rocket booster (on the left) is entirely silver. Starship, the second stage spacecraft is half-silver and half-black.
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This color scheme of silver-black is quite a departure from the white Falcon 9 rockets by SpaceX or NASA's orange-and-white Space Launch System.
SpaceX's flashy specs are why SpaceX is so popular.
SpaceX's silver rocket is made from steel
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Starship's mostly silver appearance is due to a non-corrosive alloy called 300 series stainless steel. This is the first rocket made from this material since 1950s.
Steel is a heavy metal that rocket companies don't want to use. The payloads you can transport into space with the same fuel tanks will be smaller.
The outer frame of most rockets is made of lightweight, durable metals such as aluminum and titanium. Although titanium is great for rocket weight, it can be more expensive than steel.
SpaceX has replaced the titanium grid fins on its Falcon 9 rockets with welded steel fins in 2019. SpaceX does not only prefer steel to titanium in its rockets, but also because of the cost.
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Material science experts say steel performs better at extreme temperatures than titanium. This includes both extreme heat (like during launch or atmospheric re-entry) and extreme cold (like deep space).
Starship's mission to eventually send humans to Mars and the moon is important. Starship will be exposed to temperatures as low as -455°F (-270°C). This could cause most rocket materials to become weak and brittle and more prone to cracks and breaks.
However, stainless steel actually strengthens at cryogenic temperatures making it suitable for deep space travel.
Mike Gruntman from the University of Southern California is a professor of Astronautics. He told Insider that stainless steel is crucial to prevent corrosion. Structural strength is important for the vehicle skin, which is subject to dynamic loads as it ascends through the atmosphere. Price is also important.
SpaceX's Starship spacecraft is black-stampled
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Starship's black underbelly is similar to NASA Space Shuttles and has similar reasons.
The black series of heat-resistant hexagonal tiles made from silica are designed to protect the spacecraft against scorching temperatures when it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere.
This video, which SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared on Twitter in March 2019, shows you a close-up view of the tiles as they are used by multiple flamethrowers.
–Elon Musk (@elonmusk), March 17, 2019,
The hexagonal shape of the tiles for Starship and Space Shuttles is one difference. The tiles of the Shuttles were square.
Musk replied to a Twitter user who asked Musk about the unusual shape of the tile. He said that hexagonal-shaped tiles have "no straight path" for hot gas to travel through the gaps.
It's a precautionary measure that prevents the spacecraft overheating and exploding upon re-entry.
Why are most rockets made of white?
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It is cost.
White is the most heat-sensitized color of all the visible colors, helping to keep rockets as cool as possible. Rocket fuel is typically kept at temperatures between 297 and 432 degrees Fahrenheit.
It's cheaper to keep your rocket cool if it's white, even if it's baking in the sun at the launchpad for several hours or days. Research has shown that silver cars have cooler cabins than their black counterparts.
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SpaceX would not comment on whether or not that was the reason for their silver Starship Rocket. It makes sense to save paint and have the rocket remain its original steel color. This will allow them to make a lighter rocket since paint is heavy.
Gruntman stated that passive thermal control will continue to be based on both emissive and absorbtive properties. White is better than silver when it comes heat management.
SpaceX has not provided any explanation for Starship's black and silver face. It is likely that it is to keep the rocket safe and light.
SpaceX President and COO Gwynne shotwell stated that the real goal was to not destroy the launch pad during a conference held in Washington, DC. This is success.
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By: insider@insider.com (Rupendra Brahambhatt)
Title: Why SpaceX’s Starship mega-rocket looks unlike anything the company has ever built before
Sourced From: www.businessinsider.com/why-spacex-starship-is-black-and-silver-2023-3
Published Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2023 21:28:26 +0000
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