IDK, but I wouldn't put my money in it with the current management.
On 11/11/21 08:35, Henry Vanderbilt wrote:
Thanks for the info! So, mass and dimensions simulated for ground handling practice, but literal boilerplate, so not much flight-article manufacturing practice in this piece. And the extremely detailed exterior that fooled me on that point? Looks to me that probably significant paintwork expense comes under "marketing". Doesn't invalidate my point, but does reduce its scope.
Interesting question. Is the marketing expense aimed at customers, or investors? (Or both.) Have there been any signs Bezos might be looking to pull some private-investment OPM into Blue Origin?
Henry
On 11/10/2021 10:00 AM, J. Cameron Cooper wrote:
While I believe they have some stuff made with real tooling, this in particular is a steel boilerplate version made by a local steel fab shop. It's destined for ground handling tests and practice: https://twitter.com/blueorigin/status/1457793865100902402?s=20
On Wed, Nov 10, 2021 at 10:15 AM Henry Vanderbilt <hvanderbilt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I haven't been following New Glenn closely - I've had
distractions - but it seems obvious to me that IF this "dummy
version" was built using some of the same manufacturing processes
and tooling as the flight vehicle - I'd guess so from the photo
but don't know - it's a very useful workup for the production
team, a chance to practice and get up to speed on building the
main structures where minor mistakes are not critical and easily
corrected.
And if as seems very likely it has been built to the same
dimensions and specs as the flight first stage (and presumably
had mass added to accurately simulate the missing bits, engines,
tanks etc) then it's also a very useful workout/debugger tool for
the (necessarily substantial) ground handling arrangements for
the flight boosters, again with much less worry about making and
correcting minor mistakes.
IOW, they only have to learn to avoid ONE flight-booster
destroying error with this test piece for it to more than pay for
itself. Not so?
Henry
On 11/10/2021 4:45 AM, roxanna Mason wrote:
It's a moral booster not rocket,
Otherwise a waste of money,
Ken
On Mon, Nov 8, 2021 at 6:53 PM Anthony Cesaroni
<anthony@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
https://www.geekwire.com/2021/blue-origin-practices-dummy-version-new-glenn-orbital-rocket-florida/
Anthony J. Cesaroni
President/CEO
Cesaroni Technology/Cesaroni Aerospace
http://www.cesaronitech.com/ ;<http://www.cesaronitech.com/>
(941) 360-3100 x1004 Sarasota
(905) 887-2370 x222 Toronto
--
J Cameron Cooper
jccooper@xxxxxxxxx
jccooper@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:anything@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>