Iterative design for you. Thinner skin, bigger volume meaning more fuel, more engines, more powerful engines.
This thing is already a monster, and it is getting even bigger.
Seems like there was a special kind of metal alloy that was going to be used in the VentureStar program back in the nineties. I wonder if it would be possible to use this alloy in their design. Maybe they've already ruled it all out. But who knows? It might find its way in future versions of the Starship.
The use of tiles seems too labor intensive, and therefore it is something that would slow them down. What if it was dual plates of this alloy and stainless steel. Include the tiles as redundancy. Maybe the thing could be made so robust that even if a tile or two fell off, the ship would survive a reentry.
Al Fin: "Cowboy Commentary", aka "Eat your veggies" The Flag banner is posted in order to defy those who would make patriotic symbols illegal or disreputable.
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