From: snidely.too@gmail.com   
      
   Snidely asserted that:   
   > Just this Saturday, JF Mezei explained that ...   
   >> This week, Musk tweeted that:   
   >>   
   >> Booster will have 33 Raptor V2.0 engines   
   >> and   
   >>   
   >> Starship will have 3 sea level gimballing engines, and 6 fixed vaccum   
   >> engines. (so moving from 6 to 9 engines) with increased propellant load.   
   >>   
   >>   
   >> For starship, would "increased propellant load" mean that that structure   
   >> itself will grow taller? or are they growing tanks by reducing payload   
   >> volume?  If the ship itself grows taller, is that a major change in   
   >> strcture? or did they realize that their current design/steel has the   
   >> strength to grow taller?   
   >>   
   >>   
   >> If Raptor V2.0 is much better, I can understand seeing Booster with more   
   >> umph and thus able to lift heavier Sharship, hece ability to lift more   
   >> fuel. But why the exra vaccuum engines in Sharship?   
   >>   
   >> I was always under the impression that once dropped by a stage 1, a   
   >> stage 2 has luxury of time to accelerate to orbit. Does the addition of   
   >> 3 engines to Starship mean that in the end, they don't have that luxury   
   >> and with the mass it has, it needs to finish acceleration to orbital   
   >> speed at faster rate?   
   >>   
   >> Since Raptor 2.0 is supposed to be the "new and improved" version, once   
   >> would have expected the need for fewer engines to achieve same thrust   
   >> instead of need to add more.   
   >>   
   >>   
   >> Since only sea level engines will gimbal, is it fair to state that they   
   >> will be fired up after stage 1 separation to help push Starship to   
   >> orbital speed? or will they sue differential thrust on the 6 fixed   
   >> vaccum to achieve directional control?   
   >   
   > In the 3+3 configuration, it was certainly expected that all the engines   
   > would fire on the way to orbit.  If the purpose of the engine count revision   
   > is to allow bigger payloads, then I would expect the sea level engines to be   
   > asked to contribute some kick.  But it is probably too early for anyone not   
   > working on Starship to answer.   
      
   Somewhat more informed speculation:   
      
      
   /dps   
      
   --   
    Maybe C282Y is simply one of the hangers-on, a groupie following a   
   future guitar god of the human genome: an allele with undiscovered   
   virtuosity, currently soloing in obscurity in Mom's garage.   
     Bradley Wertheim,  theAtlantic.com, Jan 10 2013   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)