logoalt Hacker News

buildsjetstoday at 7:01 PM0 repliesview on HN

Buildsjets laws of spacecraft design:

The propellant storage shall be designed and located such that a catastrophic failure of propellant storage will not damage the passenger compartment.

The propulsion system shall be designed and located such that a catastrophic failure of the propulsion system will not damage the propellant storage or the passenger compartment.

The launch system shall be designed to ensure a minimum of two survivable abort alternatives at each phase of the flight. Each abort scenario shall be validated by a flight test before certifying the system for general use.

The re-entry system shall be designed so there are no single points of failure. If single points of failure are unavoidable, a method pf inspection or surveillance shall be developed to detect the failure prior to de-orbit.

In-orbit repair procedures for foreseeable types of damage shall be developed and validated prior to certifying the system for general use.

Yeah, this is all 20/20 hindsight. But we really need to avoid developing ANYTHING similar to the STS in the future. I truly believe it set us back by 50 years.