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I had a hard time believing that Nasa would do such a study..
[url=http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19910014907_1991014907.pdf]Feasibility Analysis of Cislunar Flight Using the
Shuttle Orbiter[/url]
Davy A. Haynes, Space Exploration, Langley Research
Hampton, Virginia, Initiative Office Center
June 1991
The vehicle would utilize the orbiter's main engines and would have a fully-fueled external tank, which will have been carried into orbit by the Shuttle and then refueled at Space Station Freedom by Shuttle-C tankers.
The results of the analysis indicate that the Shuttle orbiter would be a poor vehicle for payload delivery missions to lunar orbit. The maximum payload to a circular 100 km lunar orbit is only about 3.2 mt.
Why such a small amount of payload when a shuttle cargo bay would normally yield in excess of 17 mt? While 10 Shuttle C to refuel the ET is crazy...
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What ever induced you to search out this mission concept? Did you, literally, or was it by chance? Well, after reading it, I think the study was worth whatever it cost the taxpayers: it shows how careful analyses of off-the-top-of-the-head ideas can be taken to their conclusions on paper and archived to be read and understand, and if not found wanting set aside without prejudice by new-to-the field enthusiasts in favour of more promising concepts. What a relief!
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I had a hard time believing that Nasa would do such a study..
[url=http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19910014907_1991014907.pdf]Feasibility Analysis of Cislunar Flight Using the
Shuttle Orbiter[/url]Davy A. Haynes, Space Exploration, Langley Research
Hampton, Virginia, Initiative Office CenterJune 1991
The vehicle would utilize the orbiter's main engines and would have a fully-fueled external tank, which will have been carried into orbit by the Shuttle and then refueled at Space Station Freedom by Shuttle-C tankers.
The results of the analysis indicate that the Shuttle orbiter would be a poor vehicle for payload delivery missions to lunar orbit. The maximum payload to a circular 100 km lunar orbit is only about 3.2 mt.
Why such a small amount of payload when a shuttle cargo bay would normally yield in excess of 17 mt? While 10 Shuttle C to refuel the ET is crazy...
LOL! So that's where Homer Hickam got his idea!
"We go big, or we don't go." - GCNRevenger
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Actually just happened onto it in a thread located elsewhere on another forum.
The last movie that I saw with the twin shuttle cis-lunar was in Armageddon with Bruce Wilis and his misfit oil rig drillers playing astronaut to blow up the impending asteriod dooming earth to destruction.
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I had a hard time believing that Nasa would do such a study..
[url=http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19910014907_1991014907.pdf]Feasibility Analysis of Cislunar Flight Using the
Shuttle Orbiter[/url]Davy A. Haynes, Space Exploration, Langley Research
Hampton, Virginia, Initiative Office CenterJune 1991
The vehicle would utilize the orbiter's main engines and would have a fully-fueled external tank, which will have been carried into orbit by the Shuttle and then refueled at Space Station Freedom by Shuttle-C tankers.
The results of the analysis indicate that the Shuttle orbiter would be a poor vehicle for payload delivery missions to lunar orbit. The maximum payload to a circular 100 km lunar orbit is only about 3.2 mt.
Why such a small amount of payload when a shuttle cargo bay would normally yield in excess of 17 mt? While 10 Shuttle C to refuel the ET is crazy...
LOL! So that's where Homer Hickam got his idea!
Energiya would have done a better job. Just omit the orbiter!
I remember seeing some wide, dish-shaped aerobrake disks to be launched by Shuttle-C.
One place where side payload mount beats in-line is in launcing oddly shaped outsized payloads that do not lend themselves to being top mount.
Energiya could launch a wide disk to aerobrake--but be left in space. The actual modules would be launched by other Energiya shots.
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