Re: Falcon 9 data updated

"Alan Erskine" <alan.erskine@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
news:HtqLj.303$ko5.27@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:

http://www.spacex.com/falcon9.php Includes a "Data ***", but still
no Payload Users Guide.

Payload has gone up to 11, 290kg from 9,900kg.

Note the Merlin 1e engine thrust is up to 125 Klbs/sea level.
This has resulted in the stretched Falcon 1e, which has about
double the payload and certainly hasn't hurt the Falcon 9
performance. :) The Falcon 9 Neavy will be over 3.3 million
lbs/thrust on 27(!) of those engines. That'll be a serious
show at liftoff.

Wonder how much the Merlin can be uprated before SpaceX has
to go to a clean ***? SpaceX is planning a very much larger
engine in the F-1 class at some time in the future. A 200
Klbs engine could greatly simplify the Falcon 9 to a Falcon 5
with no loss of performance.

USAF and Aerojet are discussing accelerated development of an
all-new reusable staged-combustion hydrocarbon engine to replace
the RD-180 (but they've always been talking about such an engine--
little significant hardware development has resulted).

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=busav&id
=news/REUSE04108.xml&show=us

--Damon
.