Author Topic: U.S. Air Force Awards More Rocket Research Contracts (Read 15617 times)

Robotbeat · « **Reply #40 on:** 01/15/2016 02:26 pm »

Quote from: edkyle99 on 01/15/2016 02:15 pm

Quote from: Robotbeat on 01/15/2016 02:16 am
Core stage of a rocket that can have boosters strapped on.
That doesn't explain the word "Segment" in "Common Booster Segment", unless the core is segmented.

- Ed Kyle

Good point. Pretty sure this is a descendant of SRB tech. Again, Ares I back from the grave...

baldusi · « **Reply #41 on:** 01/15/2016 02:48 pm »

Quote from: edkyle99 on 01/15/2016 02:15 pm

Quote from: Robotbeat on 01/15/2016 02:16 am
Core stage of a rocket that can have boosters strapped on.
That doesn't explain the word "Segment" in "Common Booster Segment", unless the core is segmented.

- Ed Kyle

It's the Booster wording that confuses me. When I originally read it, I thought the GEM-63XL was the CMS. It's so common to talk about the ground segment, space segment, etc. that I assumed that. When people started to talk about segmented solids, it was sort of obvious. But the amount of money, at least for ATK, seems "low" for three projects. The nozzle extension for BE-3U seems particularly interesting, because it is not for Utah but for Composites (California?)

Oli · « **Reply #42 on:** 01/15/2016 03:08 pm »

1 segment of ATK's advanced boosters would be ~177mt of propellant. Supplemented with 0-4 ~46mt boosters. Sounds reasonable for a 670kn hydrolox second stage.

baldusi · « **Reply #43 on:** 01/15/2016 04:09 pm »

Quote from: Oli on 01/15/2016 03:08 pm

1 segment of ATK's advanced boosters would be ~177mt of propellant. Supplemented with 0-4 ~46mt boosters. Sounds reasonable for a 670kn hydrolox second stage.

Minimum would be two segments, top and bottom.

Oli · « **Reply #44 on:** 01/15/2016 04:16 pm »

Quote from: baldusi on 01/15/2016 04:09 pm

Quote from: Oli on 01/15/2016 03:08 pm

1 segment of ATK's advanced boosters would be ~177mt of propellant. Supplemented with 0-4 ~46mt boosters. Sounds reasonable for a 670kn hydrolox second stage.
Minimum would be two segments, top and bottom.

I suppose they can make a monolithic "segment"?

notsorandom · « **Reply #45 on:** 01/15/2016 05:40 pm »

Quote from: Robotbeat on 01/15/2016 02:26 pm

Quote from: edkyle99 on 01/15/2016 02:15 pm
Quote from: Robotbeat on 01/15/2016 02:16 am
Core stage of a rocket that can have boosters strapped on.
That doesn't explain the word "Segment" in "Common Booster Segment", unless the core is segmented.

- Ed Kyle
Good point. Pretty sure this is a descendant of SRB tech. Again, Ares I back from the grave...

It could be a series of monolithic motors stacked as independent stages like how the Athena II was done. There were two Castor 120 stages one on top of another on that rocket. If we are willing to bend the word "common" to mean very similar then we could entertain a Pegusus II style rocket. The first two stages of that proposed rocket were very similar except for the length and propellant amount.

oldAtlas_Eguy · « **Reply #46 on:** 01/15/2016 05:50 pm »

I got the impression that the max payload size for OATK's new rocket would be >= DIVH capability. Just need a large enough solid to get about 2km/s to lift a combined S2 and payload of 200mt (25mt payload) into vacuum. An S2 using a BE-3U and with >160mt of prop could produce >7km/s delta V. It would have a tremendous GTO capability as well.