Author Topic: LIVE: Atlas V - X37B Flight 2 - Cape Canaveral - March 5, 2011  (Read 295036 times)

Offline Prober

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Some pics from Boeing and USAF:

Anyone notice something in this pic?
Looks like the placement of a window?

nope, just different whiter TPS for the top of the vehicle and the doors use a higher temp TPS

No the location I'm talking about is above the electronics bay.   The location your talking about might be the solar panel door?


We are still waiting on the pics of you standing in front of an X-37B.  Hint, Hint
« Last Edit: 06/17/2012 01:14 pm by Prober »
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Offline ChileVerde

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Is a description of the autopilot/autoland system X-37 uses available?  I looked around but didn't find anything very specific.
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Online edkyle99

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Thanks. The picture from the back showed that engine significantly off-center, with enough room to mount another one next to it, so I thought there might have been two.

There were plans for two engines at one time, discussed in a Boeing paper that I can't find right now.  Perhaps costs or mission changes forced, or allowed, use of only one engine and the easiest way to implement the change was to simply install only one of two while keeping the hardpoints for two.

Just guessing though.

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Offline manboy

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Do you think the X37c a upgrade of X-37B will be built.
No.
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Offline Antares

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Why should Boeing do this without funding?

Because they did 707, 717, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787 without subsidy. Eventually deep pocket, Old Space is going to have to act like the rest of their company and not like the parts that have been unweaned from NASA and the DoD.
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Offline apace

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Why should Boeing do this without funding?
Because they did 707, 717, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787 without subsidy. Eventually deep pocket, Old Space is going to have to act like the rest of their company and not like the parts that have been unweaned from NASA and the DoD.

If Boeing has preorderings like in the airplane market, I'm sure they will do it, but there exist no such market!

Online edkyle99

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Why should Boeing do this without funding?

Because they did 707, 717, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787 without subsidy. Eventually deep pocket, Old Space is going to have to act like the rest of their company and not like the parts that have been unweaned from NASA and the DoD.

Boeing got a $42 billion (today's dollars) contract to build more than 800 KC-135 tankers at the dawn of the jet age. 

Plus $50 billion plus for B-52, plus more than $40 billion for B-47, etc.

The company has cashed its share of government checks.

 - Ed Kyle

Online edkyle99

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I've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location.  I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. 

 - Ed Kyle

Offline Prober

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I've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location.  I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. 

 - Ed Kyle

The solar Panel location has some balance & the payload.
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Offline kevin-rf

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If the engine is pressure fed and the tanks are empty, then there would not be much mass in the tail.
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Offline hpras

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my experience with model rocketry (IANARS, obviously) was that you weighted up the nose so the CoG was ahead of the CoP, and then it was aerodynamically stable.  Maybe something to do with it, but recall my disclaimer. :)

I've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location.  I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. 

 - Ed Kyle

Offline Ben the Space Brit

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I've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location.  I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. 

I wouldn't be surprised if X37 is nose-heavy. The nose compartment is probably very densely-packed with avionics plus the fuel system for the nose RCS and the RCS package itself.

Additionally, as Kevin rightly points out, with the MPS prop tanks empty or near-empty there probably isn't much mass aft of the main gear either.


[edit]
Now, this is going to annoy Jim, but I'd like to know.  Given what we know of the X37's specifications, could you quick-reaction launch an X37 atop an all-solid LV like Minotaur-IV/V or Athena-III?
« Last Edit: 06/19/2012 09:13 am by Ben the Space Brit »
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Offline Jason1701

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I've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location.  I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. 

I wouldn't be surprised if X37 is nose-heavy. The nose compartment is probably very densely-packed with avionics plus the fuel system for the nose RCS and the RCS package itself.

Additionally, as Kevin rightly points out, with the MPS prop tanks empty or near-empty there probably isn't much mass aft of the main gear either.


[edit]
Now, this is going to annoy Jim, but I'd like to know.  Given what we know of the X37's specifications, could you quick-reaction launch an X37 atop an all-solid LV like Minotaur-IV/V or Athena-III?

X-37B is about 5 t. Minotaurs lift <2 t, Athena <3 (AFAIK). So no. But an SRB-X... :D

Offline Prober

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I've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location.  I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. 

I wouldn't be surprised if X37 is nose-heavy. The nose compartment is probably very densely-packed with avionics plus the fuel system for the nose RCS and the RCS package itself.

Additionally, as Kevin rightly points out, with the MPS prop tanks empty or near-empty there probably isn't much mass aft of the main gear either.


[edit]
Now, this is going to annoy Jim, but I'd like to know.  Given what we know of the X37's specifications, could you quick-reaction launch an X37 atop an all-solid LV like Minotaur-IV/V or Athena-III?

X-37B is about 5 t. Minotaurs lift <2 t, Athena <3 (AFAIK). So no. But an SRB-X... :D

try non NRO a Delta II class launcher.
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Offline Jason1701

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I've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location.  I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. 

I wouldn't be surprised if X37 is nose-heavy. The nose compartment is probably very densely-packed with avionics plus the fuel system for the nose RCS and the RCS package itself.

Additionally, as Kevin rightly points out, with the MPS prop tanks empty or near-empty there probably isn't much mass aft of the main gear either.


[edit]
Now, this is going to annoy Jim, but I'd like to know.  Given what we know of the X37's specifications, could you quick-reaction launch an X37 atop an all-solid LV like Minotaur-IV/V or Athena-III?

X-37B is about 5 t. Minotaurs lift <2 t, Athena <3 (AFAIK). So no. But an SRB-X... :D

try non NRO a Delta II class launcher.

Non NRO? What does that mean? Are you thinking of a specific launcher that I forgot about?

Offline Prober

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I've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location.  I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. 

I wouldn't be surprised if X37 is nose-heavy. The nose compartment is probably very densely-packed with avionics plus the fuel system for the nose RCS and the RCS package itself.

Additionally, as Kevin rightly points out, with the MPS prop tanks empty or near-empty there probably isn't much mass aft of the main gear either.


[edit]
Now, this is going to annoy Jim, but I'd like to know.  Given what we know of the X37's specifications, could you quick-reaction launch an X37 atop an all-solid LV like Minotaur-IV/V or Athena-III?

X-37B is about 5 t. Minotaurs lift <2 t, Athena <3 (AFAIK). So no. But an SRB-X... :D

try non NRO a Delta II class launcher.

Non NRO? What does that mean? Are you thinking of a specific launcher that I forgot about?

NRO =secret payload, fairing covered like in the Atlas V.    X-37B is only about 11,000lbs.
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Offline Lurker Steve

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I've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location.  I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. 

I wouldn't be surprised if X37 is nose-heavy. The nose compartment is probably very densely-packed with avionics plus the fuel system for the nose RCS and the RCS package itself.

Additionally, as Kevin rightly points out, with the MPS prop tanks empty or near-empty there probably isn't much mass aft of the main gear either.


[edit]
Now, this is going to annoy Jim, but I'd like to know.  Given what we know of the X37's specifications, could you quick-reaction launch an X37 atop an all-solid LV like Minotaur-IV/V or Athena-III?

X-37B is about 5 t. Minotaurs lift <2 t, Athena <3 (AFAIK). So no. But an SRB-X... :D

try non NRO a Delta II class launcher.

Non NRO? What does that mean? Are you thinking of a specific launcher that I forgot about?

It's a launcher from that California company that hasn't qualified their fairing yet, and isnt qualified to launch critical DOD payloads yet. I don't think they would qualify for a "quick-reaction" launch either, given their record of on-time launches.


Offline Jason1701

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I've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location.  I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. 

I wouldn't be surprised if X37 is nose-heavy. The nose compartment is probably very densely-packed with avionics plus the fuel system for the nose RCS and the RCS package itself.

Additionally, as Kevin rightly points out, with the MPS prop tanks empty or near-empty there probably isn't much mass aft of the main gear either.


[edit]
Now, this is going to annoy Jim, but I'd like to know.  Given what we know of the X37's specifications, could you quick-reaction launch an X37 atop an all-solid LV like Minotaur-IV/V or Athena-III?

X-37B is about 5 t. Minotaurs lift <2 t, Athena <3 (AFAIK). So no. But an SRB-X... :D

try non NRO a Delta II class launcher.

Non NRO? What does that mean? Are you thinking of a specific launcher that I forgot about?

It's a launcher from that California company that hasn't qualified their fairing yet, and isnt qualified to launch critical DOD payloads yet. I don't think they would qualify for a "quick-reaction" launch either, given their record of on-time launches.



The original question was about all-solid launch vehicles, so I don't see how the last few posts are relevant.

Offline kevin-rf

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Silly me, I thought you where referring to Antares ;)

I mean after all in this post shuttle era, they are the only launch provider left that has experience with wings on the ELV ;)
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Offline Rocket Science

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I've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location.  I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. 

 - Ed Kyle
Hey Ed!

We have to remember we are dealing with an aircraft in atmospheric flight (not a rocket) in landing mode, so cg is forward of center of lift. Hence the main gear is located about the center of lift (or just rear of). Rocket motors are generally hollow expensive pieces of metal compared to a packed (dense) piston engine. You need to increase AoA at landing as lift decreases allowing a de-rotate and slapdown.

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Edit: to add
« Last Edit: 06/19/2012 02:33 pm by Rocket Science »
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