Could we get a kilo of whatever ULA/Bigelow are smoking?
Bigelow probably can't get a User's Guide for BFR - a rocket that doesn't even yet have a name.
Quote from: Basto on 10/17/2017 06:00 pm“The B330 would launch to Low Earth Orbit on a Vulcan 562 configuration rocket, the only commercial launch vehicle in development today with sufficient performance and a large enough payload fairing to carry the habitat.”This is just blatantly false. Vulcan fairing will be 5.4 meters diameter. Falcon fairing is 5.2 meters diameter. NGL fairing will be 5.25 meters diameter. New Glenn fairing was to be 5.1 meters diameter for the two-stage version, but that was just recently changed to 7 meters. - Ed Kyle
“The B330 would launch to Low Earth Orbit on a Vulcan 562 configuration rocket, the only commercial launch vehicle in development today with sufficient performance and a large enough payload fairing to carry the habitat.”This is just blatantly false.
Quote from: meberbs on 10/17/2017 10:11 pmQuote from: edkyle99 on 10/17/2017 09:59 pmQuote from: Basto on 10/17/2017 06:00 pm“The B330 would launch to Low Earth Orbit on a Vulcan 562 configuration rocket, the only commercial launch vehicle in development today with sufficient performance and a large enough payload fairing to carry the habitat.”This is just blatantly false. Vulcan fairing will be 5.4 meters diameter. Falcon fairing is 5.2 meters diameter. NGL fairing will be 5.25 meters diameter. New Glenn fairing was to be 5.1 meters diameter for the two-stage version, but that was just recently changed to 7 meters. - Ed KyleThe recent change was the removal of the smaller fairing option, not the addition of a larger fairing. The fairing sizes and number of stages were never correlated, and either way, it would still count as in development.Also, BFR.All of the company's 2016 presentation materials that I've seen differentiated the fairing between the two-stage and three-stage versions. Bigelow probably can't get a User's Guide for BFR - a rocket that doesn't even yet have a name. - Ed Kyle
Quote from: edkyle99 on 10/17/2017 09:59 pmQuote from: Basto on 10/17/2017 06:00 pm“The B330 would launch to Low Earth Orbit on a Vulcan 562 configuration rocket, the only commercial launch vehicle in development today with sufficient performance and a large enough payload fairing to carry the habitat.”This is just blatantly false. Vulcan fairing will be 5.4 meters diameter. Falcon fairing is 5.2 meters diameter. NGL fairing will be 5.25 meters diameter. New Glenn fairing was to be 5.1 meters diameter for the two-stage version, but that was just recently changed to 7 meters. - Ed KyleThe recent change was the removal of the smaller fairing option, not the addition of a larger fairing. The fairing sizes and number of stages were never correlated, and either way, it would still count as in development.Also, BFR.
What about the height of the fairing? If I remember correctly the Atlas/vulcan fairing is significantly longer than the spacex fairing (35ft vs 22ft for the cylinder and 52ft vs 36ft with the cone). The BA330 seems pretty tall to me. I'm guessing that's the fairing part they refer to? I haven't seen how long the fairing for NG or SpaceX's next vehicle are.
The internal length of Atlas V 5m long fairing is 16.5 meters, New Glenn's scales to about 21m externally.
Bigelow probably can't get a User's Guide for BFR - a rocket that doesn't even yet have a name. - Ed Kyle
What I find interesting is the description of the ACES stages carrying 35 tons of propellant to LEO. That suggests to me that this "distributed launch" plan differs from the method described in the earlier ULA paper, which showed one launch carrying propellant in a tank stacked atop the stage that would transfer its propellant to a second stage orbited with a payload on top. ACES is supposed to carry almost 70 tonnes of propellant fully loaded, so these two stages must be using some of their propellant for ascent, with one of them transferring its remaining propellant to the other. I'm guessing. - Ed Kyle
(snip)Again, don't see the point.
So this is being pitched as an alternative to the Deep Space Gateway?
Quote from: meberbs on 10/18/2017 01:27 amYour statements are not just wrong, even if they were correct, they do not change the fact that the original statement from the press release is false."Blue Orgin "Enlarges" Payload Fairing" ...http://spacenews.com/blue-origin-enlarges-new-glenns-payload-fairing-preparing-to-debut-upgraded-new-shepard/I'm not sure about the press release because I don't recall seeing any public information about the size of a cargo-only "BFR" fairing. How do you know the size of the fairing? BFR didn't even exist outside the walls of SpaceX until 18 days ago. It was a much different animal previously that could not be said to be "under development" in the standard aerospace use of the phrase. It was a "concept". Someone did this analysis on reddit last year. Suggests that length a differentiator.https://imgur.com/gi7vElOhttps://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/4eeobz/ba330_spacex_fairing_fit_analysis_oc/ - Ed Kyle
Your statements are not just wrong, even if they were correct, they do not change the fact that the original statement from the press release is false.
So .. it's a marketing campaign
It is one of the many opportunities to begin created a CisLunar economic zone. Been working with Bigelow on this for a couple of years.
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/10/ula-bigelow-expand-association-lunar-depot-plan/
Yes, that was the original "Distributed Launch" concept, but I'm not sure the mission description given here matches the 2015 paper concept. One stage has to dock to the payload, which would be difficult if a giant tank were stacked on top! - Ed Kyle