Quote from: Zed_Noir on 07/31/2014 05:04 amInteresting photo on the scale of the Rutherford engine from Rocket Lab press photo on Doug Messier's Parabolic web site. That is Peter Beck founder & CEO of Rocket Lab standing next to the Electron core, reminisce of Elon Musk next to his Falcon 1 photo.I'm wondering, is Rutherford stage combustion engine? I don't see any turbine exhaust nozzle on that picture.
Interesting photo on the scale of the Rutherford engine from Rocket Lab press photo on Doug Messier's Parabolic web site. That is Peter Beck founder & CEO of Rocket Lab standing next to the Electron core, reminisce of Elon Musk next to his Falcon 1 photo.
It might be a tipping point for Australia to set up Commonwealth Space Agency and space program after all. C'mon Kiwi, c'mon!
Quote from: baldusi on 07/31/2014 01:29 pmQuote from: Zed_Noir on 07/31/2014 05:04 amInteresting photo on the scale of the Rutherford engine from Rocket Lab press photo on Doug Messier's Parabolic web site. link That is Peter Beck founder & CEO of Rocket Lab standing next to the Electron core, reminisce of Elon Musk next to his Falcon 1 photo.Question. If the Electron core is 1 m diameter, can anyone estimate the nozzle diameter of the Rutherford engine? I think it about 18 cm from looking at the photo.No downcomers, no hold downs, no connectors. It just seems like an engineering article. There's something that just seems too plain. Actual flight hardware has access doors, connectors for fluids, electricity and communications, mechanical hold downs, a couple of tubes for data wires and pressurization gases, etc.It is a composite structure. Maybe all the connections are on the side away from the camera view. After all this is a publicity photo. It could also be a mock-up.
Quote from: Zed_Noir on 07/31/2014 05:04 amInteresting photo on the scale of the Rutherford engine from Rocket Lab press photo on Doug Messier's Parabolic web site. link That is Peter Beck founder & CEO of Rocket Lab standing next to the Electron core, reminisce of Elon Musk next to his Falcon 1 photo.Question. If the Electron core is 1 m diameter, can anyone estimate the nozzle diameter of the Rutherford engine? I think it about 18 cm from looking at the photo.No downcomers, no hold downs, no connectors. It just seems like an engineering article. There's something that just seems too plain. Actual flight hardware has access doors, connectors for fluids, electricity and communications, mechanical hold downs, a couple of tubes for data wires and pressurization gases, etc.
Interesting photo on the scale of the Rutherford engine from Rocket Lab press photo on Doug Messier's Parabolic web site. link That is Peter Beck founder & CEO of Rocket Lab standing next to the Electron core, reminisce of Elon Musk next to his Falcon 1 photo.Question. If the Electron core is 1 m diameter, can anyone estimate the nozzle diameter of the Rutherford engine? I think it about 18 cm from looking at the photo.
Doubt the Rutherford is a stage combustion engine, don't think there is space above the combustion chambers for SC plumbing for 9 engines.
Looks like the chamber is DMLS-made....
Quote from: strangequark on 07/31/2014 07:10 pmLooks like the chamber is DMLS-made space age, 45 years after moon landing things are finally start to happen.Pardon my ignorance, but what is DMLS?
Looks like the chamber is DMLS-made space age, 45 years after moon landing things are finally start to happen.
So we have three recently-proposed launch vehicles, Falcon 9, Firefly and Electron, each of which has a single lox-hydrocarbon engine on the second stage and a large cluster of sea-level versions of the same engine on the first stage. It seems to be the new paradigm. Though you could argue it goes all the way back to the Saturn B designs circa 1960 -- eight H-1s for the first stage and a small cluster of vacuum-optimised H-1s for the second stage.Of course, Electron differs in having a third stage. Do we know anything about it? Might it be solid?
Quote from: Zed_Noir on 07/31/2014 11:51 pmQuote from: baldusi on 07/31/2014 01:29 pmQuote from: Zed_Noir on 07/31/2014 05:04 amInteresting photo on the scale of the Rutherford engine from Rocket Lab press photo on Doug Messier's Parabolic web site. link That is Peter Beck founder & CEO of Rocket Lab standing next to the Electron core, reminisce of Elon Musk next to his Falcon 1 photo.Question. If the Electron core is 1 m diameter, can anyone estimate the nozzle diameter of the Rutherford engine? I think it about 18 cm from looking at the photo.No downcomers, no hold downs, no connectors. It just seems like an engineering article. There's something that just seems too plain. Actual flight hardware has access doors, connectors for fluids, electricity and communications, mechanical hold downs, a couple of tubes for data wires and pressurization gases, etc.It is a composite structure. Maybe all the connections are on the side away from the camera view. After all this is a publicity photo. It could also be a mock-up.Surely you're not suggesting that the hold-downs are only on one side.
More info on their technology and history.http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/08/01/rocket-labs-history/
Quote from: TrevorMonty on 08/01/2014 02:43 pmMore info on their technology and history.http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/08/01/rocket-labs-history/The info on the bottom is interesting but the video just comes across as silly. He's comparing multi-billion dollar launch vehicles capable of tremendous lift capability to a rocket that only lifts 110 kilo's. At $5 million that is not exactly cheap for multiple sat constellations. Makes more sense to do what Orbcomm just did or Iridium will do, plus neither of those small sats are small enough to fit on this rocket. This really only makes sense for the few things you would send up a single one and it needs to be in an orbit it can't reach as a secondary. Interesting but I fear its just too small for the price.
Quote from: WindnWar on 08/01/2014 07:55 pmQuote from: TrevorMonty on 08/01/2014 02:43 pmMore info on their technology and history.http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/08/01/rocket-labs-history/The info on the bottom is interesting but the video just comes across as silly. He's comparing multi-billion dollar launch vehicles capable of tremendous lift capability to a rocket that only lifts 110 kilo's. At $5 million that is not exactly cheap for multiple sat constellations. Makes more sense to do what Orbcomm just did or Iridium will do, plus neither of those small sats are small enough to fit on this rocket. This really only makes sense for the few things you would send up a single one and it needs to be in an orbit it can't reach as a secondary. Interesting but I fear its just too small for the price. My speculation. There might be some sort of a Heavy version of the Electron in the future. Perhaps even a 5 or 7 core super Heavy version. ;D
My speculation. There might be some sort of a Heavy version of the Electron in the future. Perhaps even a 5 or 7 core super Heavy version.
Quote from: Proponent on 08/01/2014 11:26 amQuote from: strangequark on 07/31/2014 07:10 pmLooks like the chamber is DMLS-made space age, 45 years after moon landing things are finally start to happen.Pardon my ignorance, but what is DMLS?I think it's Direct Metal Laser Sintering, a technique for 3D printing out of metal.