US Spaceflight for the future [update]
Edit: Hello! If you're looking at the first page...congrats. Lots of good information in this thread.
10 months after creating this thread, my predictions were proven to be correct. http://www.tribalwar.com/forums/show...2#post15931372 details the success of this first post. The rest of the thread talks less about individual space rockets and such, and more on general space advancement, hardship, whats coming next, etc etc. Give it a read when you have some time. here are a few articles and then i'll explain them a little bit if you're interested of course... Bolden to review HLV study on Friday ***8211; Sidemount in doubt, In-line/SSME boost | NASASpaceFlight.com Quote:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/wp-co...010/01/A39.jpg it lifts 100 tons or so to low earth orbit, but carries it's giant fairing the whole way and is a little unsafe in terms of crew ejection if something bad happened on the pad the jupiter launch vehicle (which began as an idea on the internet and then came to fruition from nasa engineers doing work on it after their day jobs...) http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/wp-co...009/05/a81.jpg it is pretty cheap, reusing a number of existing technologies. Also able to lift 110 tons to low earth orbit, safe to use as the crew are on top of the rocket and can be 'thrown' off it in case of catastrophe. this is my favorite design for a new rocket since it makes monetary and political sense (the standing army at nasa working on shuttle isn't axed...which Senator Nelson wouldn't allow since it's a big part of his state). the article states NASA won't destroy their SSME production facility, which is big news, since Jupiter will use this engine, and it also aids a shuttle extension to decrease the gap in us human spaceflight, currently projected to be 5-7 years wide. Using jupiter and extending shuttle to 2012 will reduce this to 3 years i believe. Jupiter also allows Orion to increase it's mass again, leading to perhaps ground landings again, toilets, and more saftey features for the capsule best part about Jupiter is that it is highly modular, allowing it to be upgraded throughout the years to take advantage of new technologies and bigger payloads (they have run simulations on fairings of 12meters in diameter). more info since i cant remember all of it (been following for a year+) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_(rocket_family) Ares I is dead. Ares V may be dead, or we may get something similar to Jupiter in an Ares V 'classic". Either way it's a win for space. ESA wants to extend ISS to 2020 BBC News - Space station needs 'extension to 2020' agree with what they say, except to understaff ISS. finally finished, ISS can start really cranking out research onexperiements and data. this seems haphazard. ask my questions and i'll see if i can answer them or find the answer to them |
nasa is looking at a flexible path for spaceflight, involving visiting near earth objects (neos like asteroids and such), phobos, maybe venus, the moon, Lagrange point 2 (between moon and earth...believe it's on the 'far' side of the moon) and mars towards the end. Doing science on all along the way. They would be looking into putting a station at L2, or a propellant depot. Propellant depots would really open up space, allowing for refueling of the craft in space, since most of the fuel is spent on getting out of earth's gravity well. Refueling lets us make and utilize bigger payloads and go further quicker.
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did you just respond to yourself?
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hes trying to generate interest in an cool, important topic but needs help because tw is full of gigantic retards with no scientific curiosity
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This might be a noobie question, but how would we get the propellant to the "propellant depot" wouldn't it be just as much of a hassle?
Or would we be able to send up massive things of just propellant, like space oil tankers, and save on weight because they wouldn't have all the scientific equipment? |
What's in it for us? National pride?
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Only this gas costs a **** of a lot more to get there. probably in the range of 100:1 spent:stored. and they would probably use unmanned so like you said no science equipment and what not. And I found it to be a good read just didn't have anything to add until he responded to himself. |
the only application of this that you can think of is national pride?
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Sending my ass to Mars. if they told me I could go in a group of 6-8 people to mars to be left there with no hope of coming back but the supplies to live a relatively long life and daily movies sent from earth I'd do it :) |
figuring out compositions of asteroids, how they were created, what's on them, how extremely low gravity affects humans and other things, how and if we can move them for better orbits allowing industry to take advantage of the minerals that asteroids have (which leads to wealth)
thats for neos lagrange point 2, allows for a 'rest' stop and refueling opportunity before heading to mars so the vehicle doesnt need to be launched in 5 heavy lift vehicles, allows for better comms, research in zero g, study the dark side of the moon, observatories either lunar based of space based that can be repaired or retrofitted easily (this station doesn't need to be manned at all times, maybe a few times a year if that). having a hubble-esque telescope behind the moon would generate so much more data due to blocking the sun. Propellant depots: there are 5 US launch vehicles in the sub 20MT class. Even smaller rockets could be used to launch essentially 'dummy' payloads to the propellant depot. You could build a dumb rocket where safety isn't that big a deal, because if it explodes, all you lose is really cheap fuel, not payloads, not people. You have it reach orbit, then a tug between it and the depot grabs the fuel payload and guides it to the depot. this means stupidly cheap fuel costs that then allow one big rocket to do the job of 2 big rockets. And these big rockets cost hundreds of millions to build and launch. So there are some savings. Also allows smaller rocket builders access to low earth orbit and perhaps beyond, since once they get to space, they will be able to refuel and explore further out so, yes, something like a big dumb oil tanker. Cheap and only used for fuel |
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forgot a big thing
iss will be utilized for future human ventures in deep space we'll need to figure out how to shield ourselves effectively and mass-effectively against radiation, gamma rays, solar flares, and other nasty **** (galactic cosmic rays woo!) otherwise we'll die of radiation before we crashland onto mars and die there instead this is all important because ultimately, if we don't leave earth, we die as a species. |
on prop depots, a better breakdown maybe:
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y don't we just use the ufos that we have acquired over the years? they are obviously capable of intergalactic travel wtf?
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other benefits, in more technical terms
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edit: last thing on propellant depots, in regards to EELVs (those 20mt rockets), a 75mt rocket not designed, or a 125mt rocket not built yet (which would be the heavy lift rocket) Quote:
http://www.nasa.gov/ppt/375965main_0...p%20slides.ppt http://www.nasa.gov/offices/hsf/meet..._meeting.html# |
Cool stuff. I still think we need wormholes though.
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Cool stuff indeed. What are the chances of space elevators being built?
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japanese are in the process of R&D for technology on the space elevator initiative
Japanese Scientists Plan to Build Space Elevator - Nanotechnology - Gizmodo Quote:
Japan hopes to turn sci-fi into reality with elevator to the stars - Times Online Quote:
anyway, a big big problem with space elevators is the van allen belt. Van Allen radiation belt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia the elevator would move too slowly through it, essentially cooking any organisms with radiation. Making the elevator rad hardened would give it a big mass hit. However, as a cargo carrier, it is pretty awesome. My preferred method, rather than have a big giant tether that can be targeted by turrists, birds, and impact satilites, is the space fountain Space fountain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia just need a pair of 1km diamater magnets. One buried in the ground, the other in the air. Then start throwing **** at them. Tada! (and a fusion power plant..see polywell fusion for 6gws of power for 'cheap') Fusion power? YOU BET! by Goshin - TribalWar Forums |
The picture on the article is laughably horrible but the theory is sound: Space activity suit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
It's about time we update spacesuits to something a little less 1950's. |
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