yinzer - 21/11/2006 12:57 PMQuoteJim - 21/11/2006 10:19 AMQuoteyinzer - 21/11/2006 12:56 PMThe X-37 does (or at least did) have solar panels. The thinking back in the day was to be able to return usually quite expensive payloads back to earth for refurbishing/reuse/reflight. Lots of intelligence payloads cost tons of money, and the nature of military remote sensing means that you'd frequently like to be able to make big changes to the parameters of your orbit to change overflight times. This takes a lot of propellant, which means you can only do it so many times, but also means that you can run out of propellant when your fancy sensing payload is still doing fine, so it'd be nice to bring it back and only have to refuel it and send it back up again.It wasn't designed for "returning" payloads. It can only carry 500 lbs. The vehicle itself is the payload.Launch vehicle payload vs. satellite payload are two different things. Doesn't the X-37 provide power, pointing, communications, and maneuvering like a normal satellite bus?
Jim - 21/11/2006 10:19 AMQuoteyinzer - 21/11/2006 12:56 PMThe X-37 does (or at least did) have solar panels. The thinking back in the day was to be able to return usually quite expensive payloads back to earth for refurbishing/reuse/reflight. Lots of intelligence payloads cost tons of money, and the nature of military remote sensing means that you'd frequently like to be able to make big changes to the parameters of your orbit to change overflight times. This takes a lot of propellant, which means you can only do it so many times, but also means that you can run out of propellant when your fancy sensing payload is still doing fine, so it'd be nice to bring it back and only have to refuel it and send it back up again.It wasn't designed for "returning" payloads. It can only carry 500 lbs. The vehicle itself is the payload.
yinzer - 21/11/2006 12:56 PMThe X-37 does (or at least did) have solar panels. The thinking back in the day was to be able to return usually quite expensive payloads back to earth for refurbishing/reuse/reflight. Lots of intelligence payloads cost tons of money, and the nature of military remote sensing means that you'd frequently like to be able to make big changes to the parameters of your orbit to change overflight times. This takes a lot of propellant, which means you can only do it so many times, but also means that you can run out of propellant when your fancy sensing payload is still doing fine, so it'd be nice to bring it back and only have to refuel it and send it back up again.
yinzer - 21/11/2006 1:50 PM... you can only sprinkle the words "aircraft-like operations" throughout your powerpoints for so long - at some point you have to actually try.
Jim - 23/11/2006 8:19 AMX-37 only weighs 5000lbs or so and it can only carry 500lbs of payload itself. More could be returned on a capsule. exact numbers are hard to determine. But it would have less system weight
mike robel - 23/11/2006 11:31 AMSo, does anyone have a three or five view drawing of an X-37? Dang if I can find one on the web.
edkyle99 - 23/11/2006 3:00 PMQuoteJim - 23/11/2006 8:19 AMX-37 only weighs 5000lbs or so and it can only carry 500lbs of payload itself. More could be returned on a capsule. exact numbers are hard to determine. But it would have less system weightAre you talking about landing mass? I remember reading that X-37 weighed more like 5,000-plus kg (12,000-ish pounds) at launch, which is why NASA had to switch to an EELV launch from Delta II. Launch mass would, of course, include on-orbit and de-orbit propellant.Which raises another question. What is the de-orbit propulsion system? Is it "built-in" or is a "retro" package used? - Ed Kyle
Jim - 23/11/2006 2:33 PMQuoteedkyle99 - 23/11/2006 3:00 PMQuoteJim - 23/11/2006 8:19 AMX-37 only weighs 5000lbs or so and it can only carry 500lbs of payload itself. More could be returned on a capsule. exact numbers are hard to determine. But it would have less system weightAre you talking about landing mass? I remember reading that X-37 weighed more like 5,000-plus kg (12,000-ish pounds) at launch, which is why NASA had to switch to an EELV launch from Delta II. Launch mass would, of course, include on-orbit and de-orbit propellant.Which raises another question. What is the de-orbit propulsion system? Is it "built-in" or is a "retro" package used? - Ed KyleI was a little low on mass. Max landed was 7500 lbs. 13500lbs launch. It wasn't mass, it was controllability that led to the switch. The Delta II launch would have no fairing on the X-37Deorbit propulsion is built in.
publiusr - 30/3/2007 3:16 PMProbably under wraps. I'm thinking you really don't need a higher security clearance for integration--just the actual design. Either this craft or similar types in the future will probably have cold gas thrusters...--perhaps for satellite inspection