Another patch on e-bay, courtesy of the Novosti-Kosmonavtiki forum. Not sure what to make of it: A sword? A bear? (dragon?) Silence vengeance? Five stars?
Quote from: Galactic Penguin SST on 03/27/2012 05:15 pmAnother patch on e-bay, courtesy of the Novosti-Kosmonavtiki forum. Not sure what to make of it: A sword? A bear? (dragon?) Silence vengeance? Five stars? My Nordic mythology is pretty shaky, but I think the guy might be Wotan/Odin and the beast Fenris/Fenrir. What the significance of those might be escapes me at the moment. More research is indicated...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FenrirEdit: And maybe the helmet is the Tarnhelm? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarnhelm
Norse Mythology predicted Odin would be devoured by Fenrir during Ragnarok (the Norse version of Doomsday), so I doubt they'd use that. Furthermore, Odin is usually depicted carrying a spear.I think the patch depicts Sigurd (Siegfried) fighting the dragon Fafnir. The helmet would then indeed be Tarnhelm and the sword would be Balmung.Fafnir used to be a dwarf who killed his father and stole his treasure. Part of this treasure was Tarnhelm and he used this to turn himself into a dragon. His brother wanted revenge (this explains the 'vengeance') and sent Sigfried out to kill FafnirSigfried killed the dragon in silence, as he lay in a ditch and waited for Fafnir to cross the ditch. He then stabbed Fafnir in his belly, which injured him mortally.Minor historical inaccuracy would be that Sigfried wasn't wearing Tarnhelm when fighting Fafnir, as the helmet was part of Fafnir's loot.
Heck, I was wrong. It's Odin's son, Vidar, avenging his father, after he was consumed by Fenrir (explains 'vengeance'). Vidar was known as the 'silent god' (explains silence). Vidar killed Fenris by grabbing his jaw with one hand and tearing it apart or by grabbing his head and stabbing him in his heart with a sword (clearly seen in the patch).
Quote from: Dappa on 03/24/2012 08:39 pmQuote from: ChileVerde on 03/24/2012 05:50 pm[...] NROL-15 does seem to have been an important factor in the development of the RS-68A upgrade for Delta IV. Maybe after the NROL-15 launch we'll get a better idea of why that was.So this is the first launch with the RS-68A? Interesting.I believe so, can someone confirm this? I think it is rather noteworthy too that the next launch of Delta IV-Heavy after NROL-15 will be EFT-1, also with RS-68A (someone correct me if I'm missing something on the launch schedule for the next couple of years).Will any non-heavy Deltas use the RS-68A anytime soon? IIRC, only the heavy will use them at first.-Mike
Quote from: ChileVerde on 03/24/2012 05:50 pm[...] NROL-15 does seem to have been an important factor in the development of the RS-68A upgrade for Delta IV. Maybe after the NROL-15 launch we'll get a better idea of why that was.So this is the first launch with the RS-68A? Interesting.
[...] NROL-15 does seem to have been an important factor in the development of the RS-68A upgrade for Delta IV. Maybe after the NROL-15 launch we'll get a better idea of why that was.
There is a Heavy at VAFB in spring-summer 2013, so that is probably the next one.
Quote from: Rocket Guy on 03/27/2012 10:19 pmThere is a Heavy at VAFB in spring-summer 2013, so that is probably the next one.I believe RS-68A was made specifically for this payload.
Did a little bit more research on Vidar and it seems Vidar is the Norse god of silence, stealth and revenge. This seems to indicate that we are indeed dealing with a stealth bird.
Okay, so RS-68A => highest performance EELV to date. It needs more impulse than any 551 or D4H. RS-68A was first mentioned in 2007 => not a recent need.Discuss.
Quote from: Antares on 03/28/2012 02:25 amOkay, so RS-68A => highest performance EELV to date. It needs more impulse than any 551 or D4H. RS-68A was first mentioned in 2007 => not a recent need.http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pratt--whitney-rocketdyne-demonstrates-first-rs-68a-production-engine-is-ready-for-flight-117599088.htmldoes this help?
Okay, so RS-68A => highest performance EELV to date. It needs more impulse than any 551 or D4H. RS-68A was first mentioned in 2007 => not a recent need.
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG503.htmlNational Security Space Launch ReportOn January 20, 2004, Congress in House Resolution 4200 directed the Secretary of Defense to establish a panel of experts with extensive space launch and operations background to address the future National Security Space (NSS) launch requirements and the means of meeting those requirements. The Department of Defense (DoD) selected the RAND Corporation to facilitate and support this panel in its deliberations between May 2005 and May 2006...Chapter Three also indicates that the production capacity for Atlas V is sufficient to satisfy the total projected demand for EELV intermediate launch vehicles and that the production capacity for Delta IV, with one possible exception, can satisfy the entire projected NSS launch demand. The exception involves the requirement to increase the Delta IV Heavy lift capability to accommodate a single NRO payload. The best solution to this requirement is currently under study.[A launch manifest in this document shows NROL-15 scheduled for 2010.]
http://ulalaunch.com/site/docs/publications/ULA-Innovation-March-2010.pdfThe RS-68A engine enhancement was begun in 2006, driven by customers’ need for increased performance.
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20070032980_2007031295.pdfTo facilitate RS-68 engine upgrade activities, the Ares V team in 2006 finalized a technical directive with Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) to evaluate the Core Stage Engine requirement and review technical options, culminating in an Upgrades Requirement Review in October 2006. NASA and the engine contractor met to determine the best options for helium-use mitigation and to plan for analysis and testing. As an integral part of this engine effort, the Ares V team established a formal working relationship with the U.S. Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to partner with the service on the RS-68 engine work, which is already in progress. The NRO plans to develop an upgraded RS-68A variant for a mission. From that variant, NASA would join with the Air Force to develop a common RS-68B version for use on both the Ares V and the Delta IV, featuring upgrades required by NASA for operability and changes planned by the Air Force for their Assured Access To Space program to improve robustness.
www.smcindustrydays.org/2007/greaves.pdfAir Force Space & Missile Systems Center (SMC)SMC Industry Days18 Apr 07RS-68 Upgrade Program•Cooperative effort between Air Force, NRO and NASA•Leverages performance improvements from NRO’s Heavy Upgrade (HUG) Program (RS-68A)[The figure accompanying the text indicates that the RS-68A design was already well along by the time of this presentation.]
www.nro.gov/news/articles/2008/2008-01.pdfFigure 2: The Delta IV RS-68 main engine upgrade. Data from the NRO-funded upgrade will be shared with the Air Force and NASA.Another significant example of partnership and shared mission goals is the Delta IV heavy lift upgrade program currently underway. NRO mission requirements demanded more performance than the Delta IV heavy lift vehicle (HLV) currently provides. The main effort focuses on upgrading the Delta IV’s main engine, the RS-68, to a more powerful RS-68A. The NRO partnered with the Air Force and NASA to evaluate a plan forward to achieve the necessary performance improvements. These partners determined that there were benefits for all three organizations. The NRO would attain the performance it required. The Air Force (as the EELV program manager) would have the option to make the RS-68A a Delta IV fleet-wide upgrade for all common booster cores, potentially avoiding the cost of using solid rocket strap-on boosters for some future Delta IV missions. NASA would receive all RS-68A program data to enable it to develop another variant—the RS-68B.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleyelichwala[Accessed 2012-02-26][Experience]Staff Engineer : RS-68A Expendable Rocket Engine Upgrade for Delta IV Heavy Launch VehiclePratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc.April 2006 – July 2011 (5 years 4 months)Staff Engineer (4/2006 - 8/2011)RS-68A Expendable Rocket Engine Upgrade for Delta IV Heavy Launch Vehicle* Major contributor of RS-68 rocket engine upgrade to higher thrust (702,000 lbf @ sea level) providing enhanced propulsion to Delta IV Heavy vehicle for scheduled June 2012 launch of National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) security satellite.
http://www.aero.org/publications/crosslink/spring2010/03.htmlThen and Now: 50 Years Supporting National Security SpaceCrosslinkVolume 11, Number 1 (Spring 2010)Launch Vehicles Then and Now: 50 Years of EvolutionRandy Kendall and Pete Portanova[snip]Delta IVThe Delta IV family of vehicles is built around a 5-meter-diameter common core booster, using the newly developed Rocketdyne RS-68 main engine and a modified Delta III upper stage powered by the cryogenic RL10B-2 engine. The RS-68 is a 663,000 pound-force, sea level thrust engine using cryogenic liquid-oxygen/liquid-hydrogen propellants in a gas generator cycle. Since 2005, an upgraded version has been in development to increase performance and will be designated RS-68A.
