P****R
发帖数: 22479 | 1 美国将于2月6日发射目前世界上最强大的火箭Space X, Falcon Heavy，可送人类至火
星！
If you have space-obsessed friends, you might have heard the name "Falcon
Heavy" used a lot lately.
Falcon Heavy is a brand new rocket that's set to launch for the first time
ever on February 6, SpaceX announced on Saturday.
The buzz can be attributed to the Falcon Heavy's size: It will be the most
powerful rocket in the world. It's built by SpaceX -- the industry-
disrupting rocket maker started by billionaire Elon Musk.
If you're just catching up to the action, we've answered all the questions
you need to know before next month's launch.
Why does it matter?
The Falcon Heavy will become part of spaceflight history.
SpaceX has said the rocket will be capable of sending humans to Mars (though
SpaceX has plans to build a different rocket/spaceship system for Mars
travel, called the BFR).
It'll also be the most powerful rocket currently in operation -- and the
second-most powerful rocket ever built. The most powerful rocket in history
was NASA's Saturn V rocket, which was used for the Apollo moon landings and
was retired in the 1970s.
The more thrust a rocket has, the farther it can travel and the bigger the
payload -- be it a satellite or spacecraft -- it can send into orbit.
That opens up a whole new range of business opportunities for SpaceX, which
has been leading a new era of spaceflight in which commercial companies --
not just governments -- are driving the industry forward.
What is it sending to space?
For its first test mission, the Falcon Heavy will launch a dummy payload.
Specifically, it'll send a cherry red Tesla (TSLA) roadster from Musk's
personal collection into deep space. There's no scientific reason to send
the car to space. But it does serve as self-promotion for Musk, who is also
the CEO of Tesla.
When asked on Twitter why he wanted to throw away a $100,000 car, he replied
, "I love the thought of a car drifting apparently endlessly through space
and perhaps being discovered by an alien race millions of years in the
future."
Falcon Heavy Tesla roadster
Once the Falcon Heavy has proven it can fly, the rocket can start doing its
real job: sending satellites and other payloads into orbit.
The rocket is already signed up to carry three hefty telecommunications
satellites into orbit -- one each for Arabsat, a Saudi Arabia-based firm;
Inmarsat, a British company; and Viasat, which is based in California.
The U.S. Air Force also plans to use a Falcon Heavy to launch a payload
dubbed STP-2, which will include some weather forecasting satellites, later
this year.
SpaceX also said in early 2017 that two space tourists put down a deposit to
ride on a Falcon Heavy for a trip around the moon. At the time, SpaceX said
that trip could occur in 2018, though the company hasn't offered any
updates recently.
How much does it cost?
The Falcon Heavy's sticker price is $90 million, which is 45% more expensive
than the Falcon 9, the rocket SpaceX has used for every mission going back
to 2012.
But the Falcon Heavy is essentially three Falcon 9s strapped together, and
it'll boast about three times the thrust of the Falcon 9.
And, compared to rockets that better rival the Falcon Heavy's power, it's a
bargain.
The Delta IV Heavy, which is built by United Launch Alliance and is
currently the world's most powerful rocket, reportedly costs more than $400
million per launch.
It should also be noted that the Falcon Heavy will out-power the Delta IV
Heavy by a factor of two.
Why is it so cheap?
SpaceX says it's been able to undercut the competition on price because of
its reusable rocket parts.
The company is the only rocket builder in the world that's safely returned
first-stage rocket boosters -- which provide the initial thrust at liftoff -
- back to Earth after launches to orbit.
The first Falcon Heavy mission will even use two refurbished boosters from
previous Falcon 9 missions.
And, in what promises to be a stunning spectacle, SpaceX says it will
attempt to guide all three of the Falcon Heavy's first-stage boosters back
to Earth after launch. Two of them will make a synchronized landing back at
Kennedy Space Center. The third booster will land on a droneship, which is a
remote controlled platform that catches rockets out at sea.
Will it work?
SpaceX is taking its sweet time preparing for launch. The company said back
in 2011 that the rocket would be ready in 2013. That target eventually moved
to November 2017, then December. Now, SpaceX is finally ready to set a firm
launch date.
But even with all that careful preparation, things could still go haywire.
"Falcon Heavy requires the simultaneous ignition of 27 orbital-class engines
. There's a lot that could go wrong there," Musk said at a conference last
year. "This is one of those things that's very difficult to test on the
ground...Real good chance that vehicle does not make it to orbit."
What happens if it explodes?
Apart from an eruption of flames and smoke, it'll destroy Musk's Tesla --
and, potentially, decimate the launch pad.
A SpaceX rocket explosion has destroyed a launch pad before. In September
2016, a Falcon 9 rocket spontaneously erupted in flames and caused
significant damage to a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It
took more than a year to refurbish the pad.
The Falcon Heavy is ready to fly from Kennedy Space Center's historic Launch
Complex 39A. That pad hosted Apollo and Space Shuttle missions going back
to the heyday of human spaceflight.
How do I watch the launch?
SpaceX delivers a webcast of their launches here.
If you're in the Cape Canaveral area, locals say Parrish Park or Space View
Park in Titusville, Florida offer a great view of the Falcon Heavy launch
site.
Or, for VIP treatment, buy a launch viewing ticket at the Kennedy Space
Center Visitor's Complex.
http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/27/technology/future/spacex-falcon-heavy-everything-you-need-to-know/index.html |
