Musk explains why Starship uses steel over aluminum: heat resilience and no paint
DimaZeniuk · x · 2026-09-08
Elon Musk outlined the engineering rationale for Starship's stainless steel structure: aluminum easily melts from re-entry and engine heat; steel is far more resilient to both ascent and re-entry heating; and steel requires no paint, which is hard to maintain through cryogenic cycles.
More from Fun
- Two AI-written Python scripts edit video outside DaVinci and Premiere interfaces — _AustinCalvert_ · 2026-09-08
- Full 166,700-neuron fruit fly connectome runs inside Minecraft — birchlse · 2026-09-08
- OpenAI Accused of Training on Employees' In-Progress Codex Work to Scoop Them — zephyr_z9 · 2026-09-08
- Astra Gallery turns 358 Codex Billboard artworks into an explorable 3D museum — Dimillian · 2026-09-08
- Gary Marcus: Would Astra face less backlash if Jensen, Brockman, and Chamath hadn't overhyped it? — GaryMarcus · 2026-09-08
- 92-Year-Old Topologist Joan Birman Found a New Apprentice—and a New Chapter — lukaszkaiser · 2026-09-08