#356 – Tim Dodd: SpaceX, Starship, Rocket Engines, and Future of Space Travel

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Feb 2, 2023

Tim Dodd, the charismatic host of the Everyday Astronaut YouTube channel, dives deep into the world of rockets and space travel. He discusses the innovative engineering behind SpaceX's rockets, including Falcon 1 and Falcon 9, and shares insights about the ambitious goals for Mars colonization. Tim emphasizes the dynamic nature of rocket testing and the importance of failures in driving innovation. He also explores the revolutionary Starship's design and capabilities, promising to reshape future space exploration.

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ANECDOTE

SpaceX's Mars Origins

Elon Musk's initial goal with SpaceX was Mars exploration, after failing to buy a Russian rocket.
This led to the development of Falcon 1, SpaceX's first rocket, and the Merlin engine.

INSIGHT

Vertical Integration

SpaceX achieves high launch mass by designing Starlink satellites around Falcon 9's constraints.
This vertical integration optimizes for size and mass, enabling frequent launches.

INSIGHT

Starlink's Impact

SpaceX's largest customer is itself, due to Starlink.
Starlink's design maximizes Falcon 9's payload capabilities, increasing mass to orbit.

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Tim Dodd is host of the Everyday Astronaut YouTube channel, where he teaches about rocket engines and all things space travel. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
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EPISODE LINKS:
Tim’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/@EverydayAstronaut
Tim’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Erdayastronaut
Tim’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/everydayastronaut
Tim’s Website: https://everydayastronaut.com

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OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(06:18) – SpaceX rockets
(26:56) – Falcon 9
(31:08) – Starship
(35:27) – SpaceX rocket engines
(43:05) – Elon Musk
(58:41) – Twitter
(1:04:46) – How rocket engines work
(1:09:37) – Rocket fuel
(1:13:03) – Rocket engine cycles
(1:25:27) – Rocket cooling
(1:40:24) – Multistage rockets
(1:43:57) – Single-stage-to-orbit
(1:49:33) – Aerospike engine
(1:57:18) – Greatest car engine of all time
(2:02:27) – Starship
(2:05:19) – Wet dress rehearsal
(2:11:29) – Landing
(2:25:47) – Seeing starship in person
(2:34:54) – Starship orbital test
(2:41:32) – Gwynne Shotwell
(2:46:43) – dearMoon project
(3:05:46) – Fear of death
(3:14:12) – Everyday Astronaut origin story
(3:40:04) – Soviet Rocket Engine History
(3:58:51) – Russia, China, USA
(4:13:20) – Starlink
(4:21:06) – First human on Mars
(4:24:04) – Moon landing
(4:30:11) – Nuclear propulsion
(4:37:51) – Bob Lazar
(4:44:54) – Aliens
(4:48:42) – Sci-fi books
(4:52:00) – Long-term space travel
(4:58:47) – SpaceX competitors
(5:10:07) – Kerbal Space Program
(5:16:33) – Advice for young people