Author Topic: Does Ares V can carry Orion-MPCV and Altair to moon at once?  (Read 2525 times)

Offline Kyle

  • Member
  • Posts: 2
  • Liked: 1
  • Likes Given: 0
According to wikipedia, Ares V's TLI payload is 71 tons.

Orion-MPCV is 26 ton and Altair is 46 ton, so it seems to be possible(barely) but I'm not really sure about that. Anybody can explain this to me?

« Last Edit: 10/16/2018 01:26 pm by Kyle »

Offline gongora

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10205
  • US
  • Liked: 13885
  • Likes Given: 5933
That program was canceled years ago

Offline MATTBLAK

  • Elite Veteran & 'J.A.F.A'
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5362
  • 'Space Cadets' Let us; UNITE!! (crickets chirping)
  • New Zealand
  • Liked: 2239
  • Likes Given: 3883
The last iteration of the Ares V before it's cancellation was to have a 10 meter wide corestage, with 6x RS-68B engines, 2x 5.5 segment solid rocket boosters and a J-2X upper stage engine. This gargantuan design would have produced more than 12 million pounds thrust at liftoff and weigh more than an eye-watering 3,700 tons at liftoff. This configuration in a '1.5 launch' architecture would have gotten the 26 ton Orion up on an Ares 1 first then the Earth Departure Stage and heavy Altair up after that. 'Distributed launch', if you will.

https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/365663main_Ares_V_FS5.pdf

The whole idea became a giant, expensive mess that would have needed way too many changes to KSC infrastructure not to mention the manufacturing infrastructure. One of the final nails in the coffin was a very real concern that non-regenerative nozzle 6x RS-68B engines would produce an enormous, base-heating 'crosstalk' between the engines, the corestage and SRB structures. Ares V was about to be switched back to far more sensible, regeneratively cooled RS-25 (SSME) engines before it's cancellation.
« Last Edit: 10/16/2018 01:53 pm by MATTBLAK »
"Those who can't, Blog".   'Space Cadets' of the World - Let us UNITE!! (crickets chirping)

Offline MATTBLAK

  • Elite Veteran & 'J.A.F.A'
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5362
  • 'Space Cadets' Let us; UNITE!! (crickets chirping)
  • New Zealand
  • Liked: 2239
  • Likes Given: 3883
"Those who can't, Blog".   'Space Cadets' of the World - Let us UNITE!! (crickets chirping)

Offline Kyle

  • Member
  • Posts: 2
  • Liked: 1
  • Likes Given: 0
Thank you for detailed answer.

Offline MATTBLAK

  • Elite Veteran & 'J.A.F.A'
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5362
  • 'Space Cadets' Let us; UNITE!! (crickets chirping)
  • New Zealand
  • Liked: 2239
  • Likes Given: 3883
The quickest, cheapest - albeit not most optimal - Shuttle derived heavy lifter would have been the large, Shuttle-C based 'Sidemount' presented at the Augustine Commission in 2009 by John Shannon. Larger than Apollo, 'sortie' style missions done in pairs of a nearly identical launch vehicle from Pads 39A & B. It would have been a vehicle capable of throwing more than 30 metric tons TLI in a single bound. The Lander could be sent to medium/low lunar orbit first to await the crew that would come in the next monthly launch window on an Orion, they would rendezvous in lunar orbit, then proceed much as Apollo did. They could have phased in reusable landers and propellant refill/depot technology over time.

With a launch rate similar to the Space Shuttle system it closely resembled; it could have done two or three manned missions per year, or two crewed and one cargo flight to the Moon per annum - mix and match as needed.

Also; this Shuttle Derived vehicle could eventually have been replaced by fully reusable Commercial launchers; phasing in as technology and improved costings came along. Evolutionary, basically. I'm so sad it never happened. No 'Deep space gateway' would have been needed. Not really... :'(



« Last Edit: 10/18/2018 10:48 am by MATTBLAK »
"Those who can't, Blog".   'Space Cadets' of the World - Let us UNITE!! (crickets chirping)

Tags:
 

Advertisement NovaTech
Advertisement Northrop Grumman
Advertisement
Advertisement Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island
Advertisement Brady Kenniston
Advertisement NextSpaceflight
Advertisement Nathan Barker Photography
1