KaliYuga on Nostr: To understand how close we are to have too much gravity, just look at the ...
To understand how close we are to have too much gravity, just look at the payload-to-total-mass ratio.
Except for SpaceX, the ratio is between 1% and 2%, meaning the useful stuff you can bring to orbit is only 1 to 2% of the total mass. 98-99% of the mass of a rocket is its structure and its fuel. This is due to what's known as the curse of Tsiolkovsky's rocket equation. A tiny bit more gravity and the 1-2% becomes 0%.
SpaceX Falcons are around 4% payload mass. Saturn V was 4% too.
Catching Super Heavy booster with the chopsticks means the booster doesn't need legs, which would be pretty heavy given that it's tall. By removing legs the payload-to-total mass ration improves quite a bit.
Except for SpaceX, the ratio is between 1% and 2%, meaning the useful stuff you can bring to orbit is only 1 to 2% of the total mass. 98-99% of the mass of a rocket is its structure and its fuel. This is due to what's known as the curse of Tsiolkovsky's rocket equation. A tiny bit more gravity and the 1-2% becomes 0%.
SpaceX Falcons are around 4% payload mass. Saturn V was 4% too.
Catching Super Heavy booster with the chopsticks means the booster doesn't need legs, which would be pretty heavy given that it's tall. By removing legs the payload-to-total mass ration improves quite a bit.