Author Topic: Armadillo Aerospace - New Video Update (Read 50950 times)

JesseD · « **on:** 03/27/2007 11:02 pm »

Over at http://www.spacefellowship.com/Forum/post-23894.html#23894 is posted a link to Armadillo's website. They've just added a seven and a half minute long video recapping their group, their progress, their recent X Prize Cup foray, and their future outlook.

Has some interesting information on their plans for a modular vehicle. Shown is a 4X4 16-engine 1st stage, coupled to a 2x2 4-engine second stage, coupled to a single engine 3rd stage....

http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home

enjoy!

hyper_snyper · « **Reply #1 on:** 03/27/2007 11:56 pm »

I'm a bit skeptical of the modular vehicle. It doesn't look like it could take the stresses of an orbital shot (aerodynamics, structural, etc.) Anyway, cool video. Always exciting to hear updates from Armadillo.

bad_astra · « **Reply #2 on:** 03/28/2007 01:17 pm »

structurally it looks heavy, but with a fairing the aerodynamics part would be ok. It's not going to be in atmosphere for very long anyway.

Crispy · « **Reply #3 on:** 03/28/2007 03:13 pm »

Sounds a bit like OTRAG doesn't it?

jongoff · « **Reply #4 on:** 03/28/2007 07:23 pm »

Quote

Crispy - 28/3/2007 8:13 AM

Sounds a bit like OTRAG doesn't it?

Yeah, that's where he got the idea. As for the aerodynamics issues that someone else was mentioning, he claims his plan is to take a big gravity loss hit on the first stage in order to keep the indicated airspeed low through most of the atmosphere. Basically, first stage is an elevator, then the second/third stage provide all the horizontal velocity...

It's an interesting concept, but I'm more of a fan of just scaling up your smaller systems and stacking them instead of trying to gang a bunch of them together.

~Jon

JesseD · « **Reply #5 on:** 03/28/2007 08:46 pm »

it seems to me that such a system would have the potential to significantly decrease the G loads on any passengers, wouldn't it?
edit: on further thought, wouldn't it simply decrease the duration of the high-G load? (can you tell I'm not up on my physics?)

Anyway, here's John Carmack's musings on OTRAG: http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home/News?news_id=328

braddock · « **Reply #6 on:** 03/29/2007 12:12 pm »

That is a great video. Not so much a video as a mini-documentary.

I love Armadillo. Talk about an order of magnitude reduction in development costs, these guys are attempting a two-to-three order of magnitude reduction! I would love to see them succeed with with their cost-of-a-large-house trial-and-error experimentalist development program.

Masten is in my thoughts too, but they don't feed me monthly update candy...

jongoff · « **Reply #7 on:** 03/29/2007 10:57 pm »

Braddock,

Quote

Masten is in my thoughts too, but they don't feed me monthly update candy...

Hmm...I'll have to see what I can do about that. We are past due for an update...

~Jon

publiusr · « **Reply #8 on:** 03/30/2007 06:16 pm »

OTRAG would allow for very wide payloads if memory serves, so large aeroshells and maybe even lenticular craft may be possible with the booster big enough.

Jim · « **Reply #9 on:** 03/30/2007 06:34 pm »

Quote

publiusr - 30/3/2007 2:16 PM

OTRAG would allow for very wide payloads if memory serves, so large aeroshells and maybe even lenticular craft may be possible with the booster big enough.

Not so, the staging method would cause stability problems

publiusr · « **Reply #10 on:** 03/30/2007 06:57 pm »

It would also be quite heavy--the wide payload was mentioned by Wade, etc.

meiza · « **Reply #11 on:** 03/30/2007 06:59 pm »

I bet the modules and configurations change still many many times before they get round to multi-stage flight...

bad_astra · « **Reply #12 on:** 03/31/2007 02:53 pm »

No doubt. It's interesting to speculate about, and if it works out, it will be proof that the new suborbital vehicles can lead to orbital development.

jongoff · « **Reply #13 on:** 03/31/2007 07:13 pm »

bad_astra,

Quote

No doubt. It's interesting to speculate about, and if it works out, it will be proof that the new suborbital vehicles can lead to orbital development.

It'll be interesting to see. John was saying that they're going to try flying one of their single modules as their Level 1 entry in the lunar lander challenge this year. I'm not personally much of a fan of such modular rockets, but it'll be interesting to see if he can make it work.

It's interesting to note though that almost every suborbital company that I have personal contacts at has at least some long-term ideas and plans on how to transition into orbital vehicles. In spite of all the poo-pooing that goes on about suborbital vehicles (how orbit takes 81x as much energy, etc), most of the ideas I've heard of are quite solid. Of course, most of us are focused on making our current plans work, executing on the technology, and getting a solid base setup from which to grow. So at least for now, it isn't yet in our interest to try setting the record straight. Why rattle future competition when we're not there yet?

~Jon

simonbp · « **Reply #14 on:** 03/31/2007 07:24 pm »

I've got a feeling that the massive modular array, along with the throatless nozzle will, like the H2O2 propellants, fall by the wayside as Armadillo gains more experience and feels confident enough to try higher efficiency designs. For now, though, their real strength is in their guidance and control system, which is a technology that they could actually license in the future...

Simon

cape51 · « **Reply #15 on:** 03/31/2007 07:36 pm »

Im a bit skeptical, but this is the kind of stuff that keeps America number one, a bunch of volunteers doing it part time and they love it

braddock · « **Reply #16 on:** 05/08/2007 01:07 am »

New update at Armadillo.

http://armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home/News?news_id=345

They are aiming for non-tethered tests in two weeks.

Carmack: "I expect that by the next update we will have full video of us essentially “winning” the level 1 LLC. We have every reason to believe that the new engine will handle level 2 as well."

"We are now requesting permitted flights every single weekend for the rest of the year"

John also discusses the competition for this year's Lunar Lander Challenge (he doesn't expect any).

They are getting their modular assembly process down:

http://media.armadilloaerospace.com/2007_05_02/jig2.jpg">

jimvela · « **Reply #17 on:** 05/08/2007 03:09 am »

Mr Carmack closes his most recent update with the following text:

BTW, congrats to the Up Aerospace guys for a successful space shot in New Mexico!

This guy is an all around class act!

Looks like they have an SBIR award, which I must say is richly deserved. There's lots of noise by the new.space crowd, but few actually out there flying (and landing) metal.

I hope to see great things in the future to this little company...

Any of the artsy types care to illustrate a stack of modules making up a BFR, with a picture of widget on the side and black skies above? The only thing I can imagine better than that would be a NASA meatball below widget, or a set of blue USAF wings...

braddock · « **Reply #18 on:** 05/08/2007 12:20 pm »

Quote

jimvela - 7/5/2007 11:09 PM

Any of the artsy types care to illustrate a stack of modules making up a BFR, with a picture of widget on the side and black skies above?

Armadillo included a teaser shot of a big stack of modules in the video they released last month.
Don't miss that video!
http://media.armadilloaerospace.com/misc/sas07_high.mpg

Jason · « **Reply #19 on:** 05/30/2007 01:49 am »

Does Armadillo do it's test flights in Oklahoma? Because there is a new Temporary flight restriction near Sherman OK. for a Lunar Lander prototype test flight. http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_7_2647.html