Recent Claim by Musk concerning hot 2nd stage start

[smartcooky]

Here is an interesting video - an interview of Elon Musk by Tim Dodd (Everyday Astronaut YT channel) at Starbase on a tour of the facility.

This was all filmed before Test Flight 4 and Musk talks about the issues with heat shielding and some of the measures they have been planning, specifically around the flaps and their hinge points, so its clear they did have some concerns about that before the flight.   

[bknight]

Well they should, any moving parts by necessity leaves gaps however small they may be.  Gaps lead to plasma moving through those gaps as we viewed on the video of the reentry of Starship.  As stated earlier it was amazing to me that they still functioned after all that and oriented the vehicle vertical so the engines could light.  Not a perfect "landing", but progress.
Now they need to design the booster engines so that atmospheric drag doesn't tear them apart and they should have a catch by the tower. 
I found that the second tower at Boca will be taller than the first allowing stacking/catching the newer version which is taller.

[raven]

I wonder if looking at how they armoured knee joints in plate armour might help. Both have the goals of coverage while maintaining flexibility.  Middle Ages and Renaissance armours didn't have to contend with thousands of degree plasma, mind you.

[Peter B]

And now in flight 5 they caught the damn first stage, and videoed the splashdown of the second stage...

That suggests some pretty spectacular aiming.

[bknight]

And now in flight 5 they caught the damn first stage, and videoed the splashdown of the second stage...

That suggests some pretty spectacular aiming.

Yes they had a very good flight and the FAA says no investigation warranted after the flight, onward and upward.

[raven]

Long road still, there's a lot of damage to the vehicle that's going to impede rapid turn around as is stands, but getting that catch on the first try is damn impressive.
Come a long way from the Grasshopper, that's for sure, hanging "in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't."

[Zakalwe]

It was one hell of a test flight! Looks like there's a lot to do with the heatshield and preventing flap damage.

Also, time to stop funding the boondogle that is SLS? (not going to happen though...pork barrel politics and all that).

[jfb]

Also, time to stop funding the boondogle that is SLS? (not going to happen though...pork barrel politics and all that).

We get the government we deserve.  If the American people could stop treating politics as reality TV and electing clowns, grifters, criminals, and fossils to Congress, mistakes like SLS wouldn't happen (as often). 

[Peter B]

Long road still, there's a lot of damage to the vehicle that's going to impede rapid turn around as is stands, but getting that catch on the first try is damn impressive.
Come a long way from the Grasshopper, that's for sure, hanging "in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't."

One of the other things which was pointed out in one video was how the chopsticks moved the booster laterally so that it was positioned above the launch pad. I mean, I knew there was no way the booster would be able to land directly above the pad, but I hadn't bothered to think through what would be involved in the repositioning process.

[smartcooky]

Long road still, there's a lot of damage to the vehicle that's going to impede rapid turn around as is stands, but getting that catch on the first try is damn impressive.
Come a long way from the Grasshopper, that's for sure, hanging "in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't."

One of the other things which was pointed out in one video was how the chopsticks moved the booster laterally so that it was positioned above the launch pad. I mean, I knew there was no way the booster would be able to land directly above the pad, but I hadn't bothered to think through what would be involved in the repositioning process.

As far I can see, this may always be necessary as the booster will not always approach the launch tower from the exact same direction. There will be variations depending on the orbital inclination of the launch.

[Allan F]

Can be that they guide the booster in using waypoints, so the final few kilometers is the same each time. By doing that, they ensure the booster can fail safely in a predetermined path, if the engines go away.