Humanoid silhouette on SpaceX's Starhopper; what does it represent?

Question

update: The silhouette now has a page in Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hughmann_for_scale.svg

The images below are from a NASA Spaceflight forum post and can be seen in @bolsachicagal's twitter and also in this NASASpaceFlight tweet.

Question: What does this silhouette of a bipedal individual designate? Is it related to these SpaceX-related markings or this SpaceX ~~Star~~Grasshopper-related character?

enter image description here

above: cropped and zoomed from below; below: from a NASA Spaceflight forum post and can be seen in @bolsachical's twitter Click for full size

Only a guess, in this picture the silhouette seems to be the same size as the guys below. So this drawing may be a way to feel the scale of the prototype. — user721108, Jul 28 '19 at 09:36
@qqjkztd I like it! This guy was also approximately "life-size", so two 1x scale human proxies on two different hoppers... — uhoh, Jul 28 '19 at 09:40
Whatever it means, as this is a reusable vehicle, it is likely that one will be added with each flight. — DrSheldon, Jul 29 '19 at 01:20
Just had to trace it..https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hughmann_for_scale.svg — Ohsin, Aug 28 '19 at 22:30
@Ohsin that's excellent! I've added a link above and here as well. — uhoh, Aug 28 '19 at 23:48

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 29 '19 at 11:19

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SpaceX has a history of using dummies/models/mannequins on the test vehicles.

Grasshopper, the Falcon 9 landing test vehicle had a cowboy mannequin strapped on for test flights. But the bulked up landing legs, had room to mount a dummie. Starhopper less so, and has a more powerful engine (when running with 1 and 3 are coming).

The Tesla Roadster launched on the first Falcon Heavy flight had a mannequin in a spacesuit (Starman) in the drivers seat.

(Cheese wheel on the first Dragon as a further joke, etc).

This is just a continuation of the man in the loop testing they have been doing.

answered Jul 29 '19 at 11:19

geoffc

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How is a picture on the hull ''man in the loop testing'? – Organic Marble Jul 29 '19 at 11:27
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@uhoh Right, but the point I was trying to make is they have a history of this sort of thing. Just one in more in a chain of silly things they have done for fun. – geoffc Jul 29 '19 at 12:03
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also I don't understand the last sentence, if it's a space joke can you help me with context? – uhoh Jul 29 '19 at 12:25
Less space jokes as much as geeks jokes. HHGG in glove box, towel, Don't panic are all jokes, not space per se. Cheese wheel is a Python joke. Man in the loop is a joke I made about there is a man (iquin) involved in testing. – geoffc Jul 29 '19 at 14:37
I like the idea of "human for scale" that was mentioned in the comments. Seems reasonable. – Magic Octopus Urn Jul 30 '19 at 15:31

Humanoid silhouette on SpaceX's Starhopper; what does it represent?

1 Answers1