NASASpaceFlight.com Forum
General Discussion => Historical Spaceflight => Topic started by: Proponent on 12/17/2018 10:30 pm
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The attached image comes from Erik Bergaust's 1962 children's book Rocket Power. At first glance, I thought it was some sort of early advanced Saturn concept, the two 400,000-lb thrust "outboard" engines possibly being of the E-1 type that von Braun originally intended to use on what became the Saturn I. But then I noticed the credit to Convair, manufacturer of the original Atlas. And, come to think of it, it does look like an Atlas. On the other hand, the nozzle-exit diameter of the F-1 being about 12 feet, the diameter of the rocket is more like that of the Saturn I than the Atlas.
Does anyone have any more information about this concept?
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I vaguely remember seeing something similar in the Atlas book, or the Centaur book. Had a quick look, but couldn't find it.
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And, come to think of it, it does look like an Atlas. On the other hand, the nozzle-exit diameter of the F-1 being about 12 feet, the diameter of the rocket is more like that of the Saturn I than the Atlas.
Difficulty: the little spaceplane/landing boat at the top was originally designed specifically to fit on the Atlas, so it is presumably the same size, with the proto-Centaur upper stage being ten feet in diameter.
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Difficulty: the little spaceplane/landing boat at the top was originally designed specifically to fit on the Atlas, so it is presumably the same size, with the proto-Centaur upper stage being ten feet in diameter.
That's a good argument in favor of this being a re-engined Atlas. But wouldn't it be drastically over-powered? Take-off thrust would have been a multiple of the Atlas D's.
I now suspect that the figure caption is wrong in describing the main engine as an F-1. Perhaps the first stage is an Atlas with upgraded engines and likely without the dropable booster section.
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I now suspect that the figure caption is wrong in describing the main engine as an F-1.
It is wrong. The center engine is, seemingly, an S-3D, the engine used on the Thor & Jupiter and sort of the early, overly complex version of the H-1. You can tell because of the turbine exhaust tube running alongside the bell, something the F-1 didn't have.
(http://heroicrelics.org/info/s-3d/s-3d-overview/s-3d-with-callouts-sm.jpg)
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The Payload are two Lifting bodies by Dr. Krafft A. Ehricke
had to be launch by Atlas into orbit
That means this Launch rocket has diameter of 3 meter or 10 ft.
This would match with S-3D engine in first stage
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8615/29763022664_2e3a082b01_o.jpg)
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That means this Launch rocket has diameter of 3 meter or 10 ft.
Maybe 12 feet. Notice that there is a *slight* increase in diameter from the third stage to the booster. The two-stage booster rocket is pretty much entirely different from the Atlas... new engines, new shorter tanks, different innards. So they might as well increase diameter a little.
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More info on the Convair Outpost Lifeboat and the rocket intended to launch this lifting body-type spaceplane can be found at these links:
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/convair-outpost-lifeboat.3531/
https://up-ship.com/blog/?p=38169
https://up-ship.com/blog/?p=38171
https://up-ship.com/blog/?p=38173