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Before reusing the first stage of Falcon 9, is it repainted?

If yes then why?

geoffc
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Joe Jobs
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    They used to repaint them. I'll see if I can find when they stopped repainting them. I think it was when they started using block 5 boosters, but I'm not sure. – Speedphoenix Nov 04 '20 at 14:05

1 Answers1

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No. According to this article it is not even cleaned: https://www.arstechnica.com/science/2018/12/singed-and-sooty-spacexs-falcon-9-rocket-still-looked-brilliant-monday/

lijat
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    Interesting - SpaceX has given up washing or re-painting its first stage rockets between flights, because it views such cosmetic changes as an unnecessary expenditure of time and expense – Joe Jobs Nov 02 '20 at 20:35
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    A first stage used 6 times should look really dark, is there any photo? – Joe Jobs Nov 02 '20 at 20:35
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    Photos of the 6-flight one are here. – Camille Goudeseune Nov 02 '20 at 21:58
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    I used to have a car like that. I was afraid to wash it because I couldn't be sure what parts were being held on by grime. ;-) – T.J. Crowder Nov 03 '20 at 09:00
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    I suspect part of the reason for not cleaning them is to call attention to the fact that they are reusing boosters. – Fred Larson Nov 03 '20 at 14:17
  • Very nice photo there but it is even more interesting to see it right before launch – Joe Jobs Nov 03 '20 at 14:30
  • Dirt changes the surface flow over the rocket, but apparently not enough to bother with removing it... – Lawnmower Man Nov 03 '20 at 20:04
  • @JoeJobs not sure how you'd see one up close before a launch. The floating landing platform is docked in the same bay as some cruise ships. Last time I went on a cruise there was a recently returned one sitting right there. – Mark Ransom Nov 03 '20 at 22:14
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    @MarkRansom: SpaceX live-streams every single launch, and at every single launch of a re-flown booster, they explicitly show a close-up of the first stage, and they explicitly point out, talk about, and explain that the booster is not cleaned. Also, many YouTubers live-stream SpaceX launches as well, e.g. both NASASpaceflight and the Everyday Astronaut, and both regularly have their own camera crews, and both will typically explicitly point out the fact that the booster is not cleaned during their live streams as well. – Jörg W Mittag Nov 04 '20 at 05:08
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    @T.J.Crowder: Actually, SpaceX does clean the weld seams and inspect them, so I guess they feel the same way :-D – Jörg W Mittag Nov 04 '20 at 05:09