Quote from: hkultala on 10/24/2017 06:42 amThe big wings of the SLS were made to allow ~3000 km crossrange for military missions that do single polar orbit and return to the launch site.Not quite. This document https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts_overview.htmlSays it was 1100nm, about 2046Km. QuoteTo provide the abort-once-around capability in polar orbit launches.Because in fact the ground track is actually a spiral, not a circle.
The big wings of the SLS were made to allow ~3000 km crossrange for military missions that do single polar orbit and return to the launch site.
To provide the abort-once-around capability in polar orbit launches.
I am using the STS as a basis for my design since it is the only operational orbital spaceplane to date.As for getting a shuttle type vehicle lunar capable I was thinking of something along the lines of the shuttle-Saturn concept except with a SLS first stage and boosters for LEO and the external tank for TLI.For thermal protection the vehicle would use a full belly heat shield that can easily be replaced after each mission greatly reducing the turn around time but it would weight about 20,000lbs.That is just the few issues I’m working on right now I’m still early in the design process most of it is still in my head.I would love some help please.
I'm sorry to say but there is no way to get the shuttle to low luna orbit. You need about 10 km/s to get to low earth orbit, and another 5.5 km/s to get to LLO and back. You can use this ∆v calculator to work out how much ∆v the shuttle could have had if you fill the payload bay with propellant.Some (generous) numbers to start with.Dry mass of orbiter, ~ 68500kgPayload ~ 25000kgISP of RL10 upper stage engine ~ 470sMass of modifications 0kg (I did say generous)Calculated ∆v = 1.4 km/s not enough to get even half way to geo.
Whoops, I miscalculated, mostly by not taking into account that Vandenberg is not at the equator.
Why do you have to send a winged orbital spaceplane to the moon?Why not use the orbital spaceplane to get up and down and construct your landers so they can get to the moon from the ISS (or the DSG) and have enough fuel to return. That way, you aren't trying to haul a lot of wings and stuff out to Luna, where they aren't going to be able to serve any purpose. You'd probably be better to have something like what Elon is constructing. The second option is to just use either a Dragon 2 or Starliner to get to the ISS, then transfer to your lunar lander there.
Remember everyone thought the apollo and shuttle programs were impossible too.
I ment the goals in the time before they were announced.Talking about landing on the moon in the 1940’s was science fiction as was a spaceplane back then too.Yes I know my grammar isn’t amazing right now mostly in part due to my LCD on my phone being cracked and I can’t type certain letters leaving me at the mercy of auto correct.I think it’s possible with enough modifications a spaceplane can make Lunar trips.Right now I’m going through the shuttle schematics from tail to cockpit removing outdated and heavy equipment and also some structural redesign so far I’m only half way through the wings and almost to the cargo bay and so far the weight drop is looking promising if my stats on the raptor engine are right.Again if anyone has solid numbers on the Raptor engine I would love to see them.I only found some on Wikipedia and the article has no source verifying it’s accuracy.
The plan is to have it be at the most LLO capable its main mission will be construction of orbital stations between LEO and LLO and be able to come home and land on a runway hence the wings.
It will never land on the moon it simply can't but it will have the ability to launch single use landers from its cargo bay and recover them but that is not its sole purpose.
I like to believe we should learn from the shuttle and expand its range and learn from the mistakes it was after all the first of her kind and since only the X-37 has improved upon the 30 years of experience we gained from the program
Quote from: Caleb Cattuzzo on 10/25/2017 09:47 pmRemember everyone thought the apollo and shuttle programs were impossible too. You keep trying to justify your ideas by dissing real things or things being done by real aerospace companies. FYI, that's not a good strategy.
Stop ranting. And DO look at the tags of people posting. It will also be helpful not to whine about the kind of feedback you get. Metadiscussion is boring.Quote from: Coastal Ron on 10/26/2017 03:36 amQuote from: Caleb Cattuzzo on 10/25/2017 09:47 pmRemember everyone thought the apollo and shuttle programs were impossible too. You keep trying to justify your ideas by dissing real things or things being done by real aerospace companies. FYI, that's not a good strategy.Exactly
I started this thread so that i could have some help getting numbers and help on designing a THEORETICAL spacecraft.
...instead after answering questions I ask I keep getting fed the same answer "It's not efficient" over and over even when I ask:What the raptor's stats are? or Will adding a 20,000lb heat shield effect the shuttles aerodynamics and in what way?
But when I ask a question it would be nice not to get spammed with the answer to a different question over and over.
Quote from: Caleb Cattuzzo on 10/26/2017 04:13 amI started this thread so that i could have some help getting numbers and help on designing a THEORETICAL spacecraft.You did not say that up front.Quote...instead after answering questions I ask I keep getting fed the same answer "It's not efficient" over and over even when I ask:What the raptor's stats are? or Will adding a 20,000lb heat shield effect the shuttles aerodynamics and in what way?You are asking NSF members to do a lot of work for you, and many kindly have. I see information, links, and even documents that they have provided.But since you are not paying them for their work, you will get what THEY want to give you.QuoteBut when I ask a question it would be nice not to get spammed with the answer to a different question over and over.Hmm. There are many possible answers to that...