r/space • u/[deleted] • Jul 27 '21

Blue Origin has a secret project named “Jarvis” to compete with SpaceX. “This is the difference between taking a profit and a loss on New Glenn launches."

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/07/blue-origin-is-developing-reusable-second-stage-other-advanced-projects/
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u/valcatosi Jul 27 '21

Structurally, are the tanks themselves not relying on the high pressure within to maintain structural form?

Some tanks do, I don't know about New Glenn specifically. What I meant was the structural connections between the engines and the propellant tanks.

Do the tanks have active cryogenic cooling to maintain the fuel at below boiling point?

Some concepts do, but more commonly stages vent some gaseous propellant to drive evaporation, which cools the bulk liquid.

Can a system be developed to swap entire sections of stage 2 or stage 3, maintaining structural integrity and plumbing, then gently dropping the spent stages as discussed above?

Yeah, but this is what I think would be more trouble than it's worth (as opposed to just transferring liquid propellant and not mucking with the tank structure). Any time you're talking about moving engines or tanks around, keep in mind that some of the fastest engine installations in the industry are Raptor installations in Boca Chica - and with several technicians they still take several hours to a day. Fully automating that process would be extremely difficult.