New Mars Forums

Cosmophobic space buff!

InActive

From: Michigan

Registered: 2007-06-30

Posts: 5

Re: How Much For The Mercury Spacecraft?

I was wondering if anyone would be able to figure something out for me? How much do you think it would cost to build an old fashioned Mercury spacecraft with the complete launch assembly? Now, if you could do this how much of it could be replaced by modern components and materials? For example: the instrument panel could be replaced by a lap top computer saving space and reducing weight. The original spacecraft, strictly the space capsule itself, weighed approximately 2,500 lbs. Could we bring it down to 1,000? I know this is a wierd question but I've been dying to ask somebody about this and I think this group is the only bunch that can. I would really appreciate it. Thanks everyone.

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,017

Re: How Much For The Mercury Spacecraft?

Well the best place to start with such is the history of the ship and that can be gotten at http://www.astronautix.com/ .

Capsule only details http://www.astronautix.com/craft/merpsule.htm

That is interesting but where to buy the pieces, where could you launch it from even with all the assumptions that can be made as to what to use or how to do it.

X

Member

From: Alabama

Registered: 2007-02-02

Posts: 134

Re: How Much For The Mercury Spacecraft?

It might be better for someone trying to redo Mercury on the cheap to copy the craft the early cosmonauts used I think so you don't need to rent and have ships or aircraft staged to pick you up at sea.  Coming down on land you can just radio someone to come pick you up after you're down without worrying about drowning, but you might want to bring a gun in case you have to fight wildlife while you're waiting.

cIclops

Member

Registered: 2005-06-16

Posts: 3,230

Re: How Much For The Mercury Spacecraft?

How much do you think it would cost to build an old fashioned Mercury spacecraft with the complete launch assembly? Now, if you could do this how much of it could be replaced by modern components and materials? For example: the instrument panel could be replaced by a lap top computer saving space and reducing weight. The original spacecraft, strictly the space capsule itself, weighed approximately 2,500 lbs. Could we bring it down to 1,000?

As with most obsolete machinery, recreating it only makes sense for nostalgic purposes. AFAIK no one has attempted yet to rebuild an old launch system let alone an old spacecraft and if they did it would almost certainly be for a museum not to fly. Replacing parts no longer available with new custom made ones is extremely expensive and time consuming. Once new technology is used instead of the originally specified parts it's not the same system. So yes if mechanical indicators and controls were replaced with modern avionics both weight and power would be saved. Replacing the structural elements with Al-Li and composite materials would save even more weight as would using modern actuators, parachutes, control jets etc etc. As to how much weight could be saved, this is a hard question to answer without a detailed engineering analysis.

---

[color=darkred]Let's go to Mars and far beyond -  triple NASA's budget ![/color] [url=irc://freenode#space]  #space channel !! [/url] [url=http://www.youtube.com/user/c1cl0ps]   - videos !!![/url]