SpaceX developed a revolutionary technical approach that outperformed every existing
space exploration technique ever explored in history.
However, based on animated videos of how the mechazilla catcher would work, it seems that
the arm is being influenced, much as witches or sorcerers will manipulate anything.
First, let's have a look at three components of the spacex mechazilla catcher. The Mechazilla
catcher is made up of the carriage, chopsticks (also known as catching arms), QD arms with
claws. The carriage task is summarized as the structure that contains the two giant
arms the arms are meant to catch the rocket in midair several meters below the qd arms
and the claws that are meant to stabilize the super heavy.
lift-off. The arm will be programmed to first catch the starship second stage or booster
in midair as it arrives from space and place it on the launch base, and as soon as the
starship first stage arrives from space and lands on the ground, the chopstick catcher
will also pick it up using an iron cable and properly place it on the booster – so that
the next lift-off will be ready. This is what Elon Musk refers to as reusability.
This is Tech Space, and in this video, we'll explain what's been on our minds about SpaceX
Mechazilla behaving like a witch, a mechanism that appears to be controlled by some sort
of superpowers, and we'll also take a look at the step-by-step installation process that
SpaceX used to get it hung on the launch tower. So this is one of our amazing videos that
you should watch all the way to the end. If you're new here, we specially invite you to
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us to produce more fantastic content like this, and you'll have a lifetime access to
all of our high-end tech videos. First and foremost, I'd want you to understand
why the mechazilla catcher is a witch in my opinion. Imagine a scenario whereby the starship
does not have a pilot to drive it but, at a distance in midair, the chopstick will open
its two arms and catch it automatically without an external control – perhaps, a sensor
will be embedded with the chopstick, where it will sense, when the starship is closer
around somewhere in midair and, open it's arm and grabs it before properly placing it
on the launch stand before turning to pick up the first stage starship –
SpaceX has been busy the last few weeks attaching mechazilla catching arms to a carriage, and
then they began to install this integration of the arm and the carriage to the launch
tower. After three months of assembling this massive device, the SpaceX team installed
it for the first time on the launch tower, and it was a historic event that brought the
entire space community together.
The mechazilla transformation began precisely when SpaceX successfully installed the final
section of the starship launch tower in July 2021. Two months later, the SpaceX team completed
assembling the qd arms to be lifted to approximately half of the tower and then fixed it to two
sturdy hinges. Several weeks later, the company added the actuating tip and claw to the mecazilla
huge framework, along with the piping and wiring required for flexibility and movement.
At the beginning of October, Spacex began assembling the three major components. They
flipped it vertically and staged it to a temporary support structure, then flipped the arms into
the correct orientation to impel them into the correct position on the carriage the actual
structure, and finally they installed two massive cylindrical pins with built-in bearings
to leave the mechazilla assembled and precisely balanced against the support structure and
more or less freestanding.
A few days later, on the 20th of October, spacex attempted to complete the first step
of installing mechazilla on the launch tower without apparent issue. Prior to the lift,
spacex technicians staged 12 skates on three of the tower's four legs, two upper and two
lower skates per leg, and after positioning the carriage in the correct position, the
team was able to wrap its upper arms around the tower and began connecting the carriage
to those skates with large pins.
However, even after the carriage and arms have been installed, they will still be lifted
by a crane. In order for this to work as expected, spacex must finish installing and rigging
thousands of feet of steel cable that will connect to powered draw works to support the
carriage and catch arms and also to lift the assembly up and down through the tower like
an elevator. The arms and carriage will also need to be mated with a giant cable.
Discussions about catching Super Heavy began on Twitter when a fan posted a video of the
booster coming to rest on a movable pair of arms extending from the orbital launch mount,
which Musk describes as a chopstick. Musk tweeted that the catching mechanism was inspired
by the classic film Karate Kid.
"You learn more from failure," Elon has always stated. Hopefully, mechazillia and the launch
tower are constructed to endure a failure, since even a few feet of booster mistake may
be disastrous to the launch site. I'm sure this one keeps Elon up at night, but certainly
he and his team will be successful and leave us baffled once again.
Actually, the strengthened "hooks"on the booster right below the grid fins are so tiny that
even a few inches of misalignment will result in failure to catch. They must have a high
level of trust in their tracking and arm movement controls. My major fear is the GSE tank farm
and how the rocket will obliterate it all on liftoff. They seem to be constructing an
earth berm between the launch mount and the tank farm, but those thirty Raptor engines,
plus or minus, are likely to spew a powerful hot jet of exhaust in all directions, based
on how they've built it up so far. Most animations do a great job of downplaying that.
Our interests is to see how they'll get the cable to the top of the tower, around the
pulleys, down to the catch arms, back up to the top of the tower, through the pulleys,
and down to the drawworks winch. I'm curious whether they'll first run a light-weight wire
in the intended path, link it to the heavier cable, and then just pull it through with
the winch? It should be intriguing anyway how they do it.
Prior to the lift, spacex technicians mounted 12 skates on three of the tower's four legs,
two upper and two lower skates per leg, and pushed the gigantic structure up and over
a neighboring launch mount and then cautiously inched it closer to the tower.
Workers were able to wrap the carriage's upper arms around the tower and begin attaching
it to the skates with many additional huge pins. It's unclear how much progress was made
in the hours after the lift, but the carriage seems to have been fastened to four or five
of the six top skates.
Work proceeded long after dark, implying that it will only take a few days to finish all
12 connections; nevertheless, even after all skates are placed, the carriage arms and skates
will still be suspended by crane or winch to actually put the structure on the tower.
Spacex will have to complete installing and stringing hundreds of feet of steel cable
that will link to powered draw works that will support the carriage and catch arms and
move the assembly up and down the tower like an elevator vehicle using a complicated system
of pulleys.
The catch arms and carriage will also need to be mated with a giant cable carrier that
is already staged on the tower to connect the structure to ground and control systems
once completed, spacex will have created a first-of-its-kind launch tower designed to
stack and manipulate starships and super heavy boosters in far worse conditions than cranes
can tolerate and catch both rocket stages out of midair referred to internally as chopsticks
the giant pair of steel
During starship installation and feeding the reusable upper stage power coms links and
some 1200 tons of propellant that's an impressive number on to our next bit of news elon musk's
revelation about starship's payload now people are looking forward to the outcome of the
faa's hearing to solicit public opinion dollar for this it's a no-brainer that the reusable
rocket would be more affordable for a spaceflight particularly.
Although the mechazilla is not just a Catching Mechanism, the Big Arms are designed for Slow
Motion Lifting and Placing. Just like the Teetering Cranes, which must be eradicated.
As a result, the Arms are built as quickly as feasible for unloading, lifting, stacking,
and a solid work platform, rather than just capturing the spaceship in midair as it arrives
from space.
Do you believe that capturing the starship from orbit is the best way for SpaceX to achieve
reusability with the starship?
Please do well to share your thoughts in the comment section below. Until next time, please
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