Elon Musk demonstrates the new SpaceX rocket engines that will power Starship. Daleks are seen by 'Doctor Who' enthusiasts.
Elon Musk seems to be rather pleased with SpaceX's latest rocket engines.
Musk unveiled a batch of the new Raptor 2 engines this week at SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas, where they will be used on the company's Starship megarocket's maiden orbital launch later this year.
Musk stated on Twitter on Tuesday, "Raptor 2 rocket engines at Starbase, each generating over half a million pounds (230 tonnes) of force" (April 26). Musk's shot looked to show more than a dozen of the new rocket engines, but his Twitter followers saw something else: Doctor Who's villainous Daleks.
As the phrase "Daleks" began to trend following Musk's picture upload, Twitter user Richard Nellis said, "It was only a matter of time until he started creating Daleks."
"Elon, it turns out, is the creator of Daleks. Elon is Davros, and Davros is Elon "Another Twitter user, Simon, referred to the designer of the Dalek soldiers, who live within devices that look like rocket engine nozzles.
To be clear, Elon Musk has not developed an evil warrior species that screams "Exterminate!" as they conquer the Earth. For SpaceX's Starship rockets and their huge Super Heavy boosters, the Raptor 2 will be the workhorse engine.
The Starship vehicle will be propelled by nine Raptor 2 engines, while each Super Heavy booster will be powered by 33 Raptor 2 engines. The Raptor 2, like SpaceX's veteran Merlin engines on its Falcon 9 rockets, as well as the Starship and Super Heavy spacecraft, is meant to be reusable.
Liquid methane and liquid oxygen, a novel fuel for SpaceX, are used to power the Raptor 2. The Merlin engines on its Falcon 9 rockets utilise liquid oxygen and rocket-grade fuel.
Raptor 2 is the outcome of many years of development for SpaceX's Raptor engines. It features a more streamlined design than the original Raptor from SpaceX, with fewer intricate tubing and plumbing systems.
"The V1 has a lot of 'fibbly' pieces, like a Christmas tree spaghetti pile. V2 has been substantially streamlined while also boosting thrust "Musk said in a Starship update on February 10th.
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