Continuing. By stretching the ET and adding a segment to each of the SRBs, an additional 30 to 35 thousand pounds (!) of payload could be carried to polar orbit.
Next time: Stretching the Orbiter itself!
Aug 252019
Aug 242019
This story has it all:
NASA astronaut accused of stealing identity, accessing bank account of estranged wife while in space: report
What?!?! Some astronaut while on the space station committed crimes against his wife who was back on Earth? Why, That’s an outrage! Clearly part of the cis-het patriarchy! Argle bargle damned toxic masculinity! NASA needs to diversify away from alpha males! Why…
Former Air Force intelligence officer Summer Worden, from Kansas, has been involved in a bitter divorce with astronaut Anne McClain since 2018 but the battle heated up after Worden filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and NASA’s Office of Inspector General accusing her wife of assuming her identity and gaining improper access to her private financial records while orbiting the earth
Oh.
NASA officials told the Times that they were unaware of any previous crimes committed on the space station.
Consider this: the first crimes committed on the space Station, quite likely the first crimes committed in space, were committed by a Protected Special Class. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Aug 232019
Continuing…
The notion of adding a “docking module” to the Shuttle to allow it to dock with another spacecraft. Here’s one that actually got built and used for docking to Mir and ISS.
Next time: a stretched External Tank & SRBs for increased payload.
Aug 222019
For Kerbal Space Program 2, at any rate:
A good mix of beauty, awesomeness and hilarity. Note that this seems to imply that Orion and Daedalus nuclear pulse propulsion systems will be a part of it.
I’ve never gotten into KSP. I guess I’ve missed out. When people first started telling me about it years ago I started getting interested until I found out that the planets *weren’t* earth and the rest of the solar system, modeled accurately.Turn it into a true simulation system directly applicable to real-world designs, and I might be interested in going to the bother.
Aug 212019
Continuing… An idea for added propellant tanks for the rear of the cargo bay. The propellant would feed not the SSME’s, but the orbital maneuvering system engines. This would allow the Shuttle to reach higher orbital altitudes.
Aug 192019
Continuing. This time, discussion of possibilities of higher thrust SSMEs including the SSME-150 with an extendable nozzle. Once again this would be for increased payload capability, in particular 32,000 pounds to polar orbit from Vandenburg.
Hey. Hey.
Aug 182019
Continuing. This time, discussion of possibilities of swapping out existing Orbiter structures with graphite composites. The advantage would be lowered dry mass of the Orbiter, leading to potentially higher payload performance. This would, presumably, be of interest for USAF launches from Vandenburg, a possibility that Challenger put to bed.
If this sort of stuff is of interest or use, why not subscribe to the Unwanted Blog? Doing so comes with Absolutely No Rewards Whatsoever, other than the warm comforting glow that comes from donating money to someone you’ve never met. That and it helps put food in front of a quarter of unappreciative cats.
Aug 162019
Aug 162019
Around three years ago I posted some rather cruddy images of a saucer-shaped nuclear-powered spacecraft that the Chrysler corporation drew up in 1956. At this time a manned spacecraft was a perfectly normal sort of thing for Chrysler to design; their aerospace division was responsible for the Redstone missile and the Saturn I first stage. One of the images was a small scan of the cover of the August-September 1957 issue of “Saucer News.” I finally managed to score a copy of this “fanzine”on ebay a while back and have scanned the cover at high (600 dpi) resolution. The image quality is a bit regrettable, but what can you expect from a 1950’s UFO magazine.
As always, if anyone might happen to know anything more about this design, I’m all ears. Chrysler long ago got rid of their aerospace division and whatever archive it might have had.
I have uploaded the full resolution scan to the 2019-08 APR Extras Dropbox folder, available to $4 and up subscribers to the APR Monthly Historical Documents Program.
Aug 152019
One sizable document I’ve scanned for preservation is a Rockwell presentation package from October, 1985, showing a large number of space programs that the company could capitalize on. These included everything from minor mods to the Space Shuttle to major changes… stretching the orbiter, stretching the tank, adding additional boosters. Heavy lift boosters to put SLS to shame; heavy lift SSTOs; small experimental spaceplanes; manned military spaceplanes; space-based weaponry; space stations; space based nuclear power. Figured this stuff might be of some modest interest. So why not, I’ll post little bits of it from time to time.
