Excalibur Almaz

[Jim]

Capt. David - 20/3/2008  5:05 PM


BTW, just looked up the proper definition for "dead end" and saw a photo of the X-33.

I agree and the new russian version of dead end is Excalibur Almaz.  Which is just a pipe dream, like K-1

[Capt. David]

Jim - 20/3/2008  6:07 PM

Capt. David - 20/3/2008  4:28 PM

As for the "could be" ... the Almaz program isn't over yet! Just ask the guys at "Excalibur Almaz". I believe "Rocket Scientist" is the LEAST of their list of credentials.

pipe dream, just like all future russian plans.

"Excalibur Almaz" isn't a Russian plan. Never was.

[Jim]

Capt. David - 20/3/2008  6:20 PM

Jim - 20/3/2008  6:07 PM

Capt. David - 20/3/2008  4:28 PM

As for the "could be" ... the Almaz program isn't over yet! Just ask the guys at "Excalibur Almaz". I believe "Rocket Scientist" is the LEAST of their list of credentials.

pipe dream, just like all future russian plans.

"Excalibur Almaz" isn't a Russian plan. Never was.

russian hardware, same thing

[Capt. David]

Jim - 20/3/2008  5:59 PM

Capt. David - 20/3/2008  4:44 PM

1.   I know that the LAST place to find accurate info about USSR spaceflight history is the US military.

2.  A couple of my colleagues have been writing some excellent papers on just how much the US did and didn't know about the USSR space program.

1.  Last time I looked enlisted weren't privy to this type info.  Anyways who said it was military people providing the information?  Also it wasn't "history" yet when I got briefed.  

2.  Seems to me after the fact, we were right most of the time

1). If you're referring to Charlie, he's one of the colleagues I mentioned. He makes a ton of spelling and grammatical errors in his emails, but he's the best photographic analyst the US military and CIA ever had.

2). If we were right most of the time, the Kennedy administration would have never thrown all that money at the scientific community. One of my friends who worked at Oak Ridge (before it became ORNL) told me years later they "... couldn't spend the money as fast as we were getting it."

[Capt. David]

Jim - 20/3/2008  6:24 PM

Capt. David - 20/3/2008  6:20 PM

Jim - 20/3/2008  6:07 PM

Capt. David - 20/3/2008  4:28 PM

As for the "could be" ... the Almaz program isn't over yet! Just ask the guys at "Excalibur Almaz". I believe "Rocket Scientist" is the LEAST of their list of credentials.

pipe dream, just like all future russian plans.

"Excalibur Almaz" isn't a Russian plan. Never was.

russian hardware, same thing

"Excalibur Almaz" isn't Russian hardware either.

[Capt. David]

Jim - 20/3/2008  6:06 PM

Capt. David - 20/3/2008  5:40 PM

Jim - 20/3/2008  4:26 PM


* - SSF would have still gone forward without the Almaz, since it did not save money.   It was a political decision.

Is this the same kind of "political decision" that will shortly have us TOTALLY dependant on the Russians for trips to and from this "space station" we could have built without their help? It's a fair question ... or better yet, a "FARE" question.

Ba-Da-Pish, AGAIN!!!

Huh?   Explain "Ba-Da-Pish" because you are still wrong.  

1.  It is not the same kind of "political decision" , it is the fall out of the original decision.
2.  We are not TOTALLY dependent on them


Your manlove for Chelomei has clouded your judgement

1). If I had to explain "Ba-Da-Bish" then you wouldn't get it anyway.

2). I never said we were TOTALLY dependant on them. I implied that we will shortly be TOTALLY dependant on the Russians for trips too and from the ISS. It's unlikely ESA will be able to provide transportation in time, I'm pretty sure we won't be taking trips with China (although they are using Russian based technology), and the US shuttle fleet will be retired in a few years, or one more major mishap - whichever comes first.

3). As for clouded judgement, history now shows that we strongly suspected the crimes of Wener Von Braun, but chose to turn a blind-eye to the stains on his hands.

[Jim]

Capt. David - 20/3/2008  8:17 PM


1). If I had to explain "Ba-Da-Bish" then you wouldn't get it anyway.

2). I never said we were TOTALLY dependant on them. I implied that we will shortly be TOTALLY dependant on the Russians for trips too and from the ISS. It's unlikely ESA will be able to provide transportation in time, I'm pretty sure we won't be taking trips with China (although they are using Russian based technology), and the US shuttle fleet will be retired in a few years, or one more major mishap - whichever comes first.

3). As for clouded judgement, history now shows that we strongly suspected the crimes of Wehner Von Braun, but chose to turn a blind-eye to the blood stains on his hands.

1.  I know what it is and it wasn't applicable.  You didn't nail it or make a point.  

2.  There is COTS

3.  Never said I was a Von Braun worshiper or apologist.   In fact, I am anti MSFC, to me, the real visionaries and doers were on the west coast of the USA at JPL and WDD.

[Jim]

Capt. David - 20/3/2008  7:06 PM


2). If we were right most of the time, the Kennedy administration would have never thrown all that money at the scientific community. One of my friends who worked at Oak Ridge (before it became ORNL) told me years later they "... couldn't spend the money as fast as we were getting it."

You are talking ancient history, I was referring to the 70's

[Capt. David]

Jim - 20/3/2008  8:33 PM

Capt. David - 20/3/2008  7:06 PM


2). If we were right most of the time, the Kennedy administration would have never thrown all that money at the scientific community. One of my friends who worked at Oak Ridge (before it became ORNL) told me years later they "... couldn't spend the money as fast as we were getting it."

You are talking ancient history, I was referring to the 70's

The 70's were too easy. The Soviets were showing us most of what they had by then.

[Capt. David]

Jim - 20/3/2008  8:29 PM

Capt. David - 20/3/2008  8:17 PM


1). If I had to explain "Ba-Da-Bish" then you wouldn't get it anyway.

2). I never said we were TOTALLY dependant on them. I implied that we will shortly be TOTALLY dependant on the Russians for trips too and from the ISS. It's unlikely ESA will be able to provide transportation in time, I'm pretty sure we won't be taking trips with China (although they are using Russian based technology), and the US shuttle fleet will be retired in a few years, or one more major mishap - whichever comes first.

3). As for clouded judgement, history now shows that we strongly suspected the crimes of Wehner Von Braun, but chose to turn a blind-eye to the blood stains on his hands.

1.  I know what it is and it wasn't applicable.  You didn't nail it or make a point.  

2.  There is COTS

3.  Never said I was a Von Braun worshiper or apologist.   In fact, I am anti MSFC, to me, the real visionaries and doers were on the west coast of the USA at JPL and WDD.

1). It wasn't a point, but a pun.

2). Most of the COTS competitors are dreaming. And I'll believe the winner will succeed only when I see the action.

3). Agreeable.

[Zond]

The excalibur almaz blog is "on hold".
Has this project folded? Their website is still up (http://www.excaliburalmaz.com/) and they are still listed as a member of the personal spaceflight federation (http://www.excaliburalmaz.com/) but their hasn't been news of them for over a year.

[Capt. David]

No, Excalibur Almaz has not "folded". Officially Excalibur Almaz is staying under the radar during the development and upgrade of hardware and systems. So, no news is good news.

There is a new team member, but I do not have the authority to reveal the identity of this person.

[neilh]

No, Excalibur Almaz has not "folded". Officially Excalibur Almaz is staying under the radar during the development and upgrade of hardware and systems. So, no news is good news.

There is a new team member, but I do not have the authority to reveal the identity of this person.

Looks like they're out of stealth mode!

http://www.hobbyspace.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=14678
http://excaliburalmaz.com/SP1/spacecraft-almaz.php
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0908/18almaz/

Article quote:

Dula has also contracted with several international companies to help out. They include Space Flight Operations (SFO) a subsidiary of United Space Alliance in the United States; EADS Astrium Space Transportation in Europe; and Japan Manned Space Systems in Japan. EA intends to begin flight tests of the Almaz hardware by 2012 and to launch its first revenue flight as early as 2013.

Excalibur has raised "tens of millions of dollars" to initiate what will become a several hundred million dollar program, Dula tells Spaceflight Now. He has spent more than 20 years eying this specific Almaz program, something I can vouch for from my own experience with the Almaz program in Russia.

He also says "the business plan closes" generating profits within a few years. His surveys have found research and science customers for space missions that are not tourist hops, but less demanding than ISS operations.

[Norm Hartnett]

Unfortunately this still looks more like smoke and mirrors than a serious effort.

While the names on the letterhead are impressive there are no signs that there is metal being bent, circuits being pressed, or actual developmental work being done. The contracts with all these companies is interesting but appear to be no more than memorandum of understanding and not serious cash being laid out.

This maybe prepostioning for possible crewed commercial contracts but without some real photos of real new hardware I am skeptical.

[aquarius]

I read one of the above-mentioned articles, but didn´t quite understand one thing: do they plan to launch only a spacecraft or a spacecraft and a station?

[Patchouli]

From what I read first they'll launch the VA spacecraft with a service module of their own design and then they might launch the Almaz station after seven or so free flight missions.

[aquarius]

From what I read first they'll launch the VA spacecraft with a service module of their own design and then they might launch the Almaz station after seven or so free flight missions.

Thanks, Patchouli.

[Olaf]

Quote from http://excaliburalmaz.com/SP1/spacecraft-history.php

"The RRVs went through nine flight tests, with two RRVs flown to orbit several times, demonstrating their reusability."

When these flights were performed and under which designation?

[Danderman]

Quote from http://excaliburalmaz.com/SP1/spacecraft-history.php

"The RRVs went through nine flight tests, with two RRVs flown to orbit several times, demonstrating their reusability."

When these flights were performed and under which designation?

The flights were all conducted under the generic Kosmos designation. Kosmos 1267 and 1443 flew to Salyut stations, and returned capsules to Earth. Kosmos 1686 flew a modified capsule that was not designed for return to Earth.

Prior to these flights, there were a series of single orbit tests, launched by Proton, each launch flew two capsules, one with an escape rocket, the other without. One of these missions failed during launch, and so one of the two capsules was destroyed. These missions were also launched under the Kosmos designation.

The result from these flights was that the capsule flown as Kosmos 1443 had been launched twice before, under the dual launch tests, and thus flew in space three times. I believe that this is the capsule now in the Smithsonian.

[fauxpaw]

Is there any information available regarding the heat shield composition on the RRVs?  I've searched all the sites that I could find with Almaz information but couldn't find an answer.  If these are ablative then the heat shields are presumably part of a removable structure?