Author Topic: piloted lunar vehicle Ryvok proposed (Read 4746 times)

B. Hendrickx · « **on:** 05/25/2016 10:52 pm »

http://tass.ru/kosmos/3313272

At an international conference on manned spaceflight in Korolyov outside Moscow RKK Energiya’s Yuri Makushenko has presented a concept for a piloted lunar vehicle called “Ryvok” (“dash”, “spurt”). A quick translation of the TASS report :

“It would be three times cheaper to send the reusable Ryvok to the Moon than the piloted transport ship “Federatsiya”, Makushenko stressed. According to his presentation Ryvok will be based at the International Space Station and will fly to an international lunar orbiting platform, carrying cargo and cosmonauts earlier delivered to the ISS by Soyuz vehicles. Ryvok will be boosted from first to second cosmic velocity by a modified Blok-DM upper stage to be launched by a heavy Angara rocket and will dock with the vehicle in Earth orbit. How Ryvok itself will be delivered to orbit was not mentioned in the presentation.

The flight from the ISS to the Moon is expected to last up to five days. Ryvok will return to Earth, re-entering using an “umbrella” with an area of 55 m². Makushenko said that in contrast to Federatsia the new project does not require the development of a super heavy rocket or a new version of the heavy Angara (Angara-A5V). RKK Energiya believes that in this way it can lower the cost and reduce the time needed to develop a national lunar transportation system”.

Accompanying the TASS report is a slide that Makushenko apparently showed during his presentation. Ryvok will have a maximum fuelled mass of 11.4 tons and a dry mass of 7 tons. Pressurized volume is 30 m³. The “umbrella” can withstand temperatures of up to 1300° and considerable research on its shape is said to have been carried out in the 1980s.

http://ria.ru/science/20160525/1439368078.html

According to this RIA report, Makushenko also provided more details on discussions going on between NASA and the Russians on a joint cislunar station. See the thread "International lunar station".

Obviously many questions remaining about Ryvok. Are they looking at Feniks as a possible launch vehicle? What kind of research was done on umbrella type re-entry shields in the 1980s? Apparently no relation to the inflatable re-entry technology demonstrators later tested by ESA and NASA.

It's also kind of strange that RKK Energiya is proposing a vehicle that will compete with its own Federatsiya.

B. Hendrickx · « **Reply #1 on:** 05/26/2016 08:41 am »

As has become clear from discussions on the "Novosti kosmonavtiki" forum, the shield is intended for an aerobraking maneuver that would send Ryvok back into Earth orbit for a redocking with the ISS. Looks complicated. One other problem is of course that the plan assumes ISS will still be operational by the time Ryvok is ready to fly. Just another fancy PowerPoint plan I would imagine.

TrevorMonty · « **Reply #2 on:** 05/26/2016 03:35 pm »

Quote from: B. Hendrickx on 05/26/2016 08:41 am

As has become clear from discussions on the "Novosti kosmonavtiki" forum, the shield is intended for an aerobraking maneuver that would send Ryvok back into Earth orbit for a redocking with the ISS. Looks complicated. One other problem is of course that the plan assumes ISS will still be operational by the time Ryvok is ready to fly. Just another fancy PowerPoint plan I would imagine.

The idea of using dedicated vehicle for the LEO-Lunar gate-LEO is great. Better than moving a heavy and very expensive capsule to BLEO just for a direct return to earth.

fregate · « **Reply #3 on:** 05/27/2016 05:51 am »

Quote from: TrevorMonty on 05/26/2016 03:35 pm

Quote from: B. Hendrickx on 05/26/2016 08:41 am
As has become clear from discussions on the "Novosti kosmonavtiki" forum, the shield is intended for an aerobraking maneuver that would send Ryvok back into Earth orbit for a redocking with the ISS. Looks complicated. One other problem is of course that the plan assumes ISS will still be operational by the time Ryvok is ready to fly. Just another fancy PowerPoint plan I would imagine.
The idea of using dedicated vehicle for the LEO-Lunar gate-LEO is great. Better than moving a heavy and very expensive capsule to BLEO just for a direct return to earth.

Reincarnation of Orbital Transfer Vehicle NASA study (from 80s) with a conical nose heat shield?
I'll try to dig a picture from last year RKK Energia annual report.

Danderman · « **Reply #4 on:** 05/28/2016 06:33 pm »

Russia to launch yearly manned flights to Moon starting 2025

https://www.rt.com/news/344719-russia-yearly-moon-flights/

Russia plans to launch one or two manned space missions to the Moon each year between 2025 and 2040, a source in the leading research institute of Russia’s Roscosmos state space corporation told TASS.

rocx · « **Reply #5 on:** 05/28/2016 07:13 pm »

Well that may be a very realistic plan, if the oil price they assume in economic forecast does come true. I wouldn't bet on it though.

Danderman · « **Reply #6 on:** 05/28/2016 07:59 pm »

Quote from: rocx on 05/28/2016 07:13 pm

Well that may be a very realistic plan, if the oil price they assume in economic forecast does come true. I wouldn't bet on it though.

It's not a plan.

It's a proposed design by a company controlled by Roskosmos. It's not a plan until incorporated into the state budget.

Nicolas PILLET · « **Reply #7 on:** 05/28/2016 08:29 pm »

Quote from: Danderman on 05/28/2016 06:33 pm

Russia to launch yearly manned flights to Moon starting 2025

https://www.rt.com/news/344719-russia-yearly-moon-flights/

Russia plans to launch one or two manned space missions to the Moon each year between 2025 and 2040, a source in the leading research institute of Russia’s Roscosmos state space corporation told TASS.

This article is NOT related to Ryvok.