Nuclear Photographic Expedition Is On

 art, awesomeness, blather, books, drawings, history, new products, news, Nuclear Pulse Propulsion, nukes, photography, rockets, science, secrets, weapons  6 Responses »
May 142014
 

And really soon, too… next week. No point in waiting, I suppose.

As previously mentioned, I’m putting together a book titled something like “A Guide to American Nuclear Explosive Devices.” It will include accurate diagrams of American nuclear bombs, RVs and warheads, along with pertinent information for each design. I’ve made a pretty good dent in the basic layout drawings, but there is more research to be done.

In order to get this done, there are a few places I need to visit. One of them is the National Museum of Nuclear Science & Industry in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s about an 11 hour drive from here, so  it’d be the better part of a work week to get down there, photograph *everything* (with scale references) and then get back. With gas, motels, cat boarding and the like, it’d be a fair chunk of change, but it also seems a pretty invaluable resource.

Sort of along the way is the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos. A smaller museum, but it looks pretty good as far as nukes. I am also interested in any suggestions for things to see – nuclear, military, aerospace, geological – between Thatcher, Utah, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

So,  in order to pull this off, I’m looking for funding. In the grand tradition of Kickstarter and the like, I’m using three funding levels:

$10 “Warm Glow”: You get a thank you email and a warm sense of accomplishment.

$50 “Going Ballistic”: I send you a DVD (or 2, or 3, or everything transferred via Dropbox or some such) with every single nuke-relevant photo I take on the trip.

$100 “BLAMMO”: You get the DVD & a prototype edition version of the book, which won’t be otherwise available (I’m looking at 11X17 with old-school pressboard covers, like the BoMi, Dyna Soar & BWB booklets I recently made briefly available). The final book, whether self-published by me or – who knows – by an actual publisher, will almost certainly be formatted much smaller.

So if you want a whole bunch of photos of nuclear weapons and a book of large-format detailed and accurate drawings of American nuclear weapons, or if you just want to help out… now’s your chance. This opportunity will be open for the next week or so.

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Here is a somewhat older image, showing a number of the nuclear weapons I’ve drawn up (more since then):

nukes3

And here are some images showing roughly what you’ll see in the 11X17 prototype of the book: multiple views of each device in large scale, with a crude mockup of what the data page will look like for each device. It will have unique charts showing the physical effects – overpressure, thermal radiation, cratering, etc. – for each device.

Nuclear warheads nukes-Model

 Posted by at 6:21 pm

Proposed: Nuclear Photographic Expedition

 blather, books, drawings, history, Hmm..., new products, news, nukes  7 Responses »
May 102014
 

As previously mentioned, I’d like to put together a book titled something like “A Guide to American Nuclear Explosive Devices.” It would include accurate diagrams of American nuclear bombs, RVs and warheads, along with pertinent information for each design. I’ve made a pretty good dent in the basic layout drawings, but there is more research to be done.

In order to get this done, there are a few places I need to visit. One of them is the National Museum of Nuclear Science & Industry in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s about an 11 hour drive from here, so  it’d be the better part of a work week to get down there, photograph *everything* (with scale references) and then get back. With gas, motels, cat boarding and the like, it’d be a fair chunk of change, but it also seems a pretty invaluable resource.

Sort of along the way is the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos. A smaller museum, but it looks pretty good as far as nukes.

So, how about this: in order to pull this off, I’m looking for funding. RIGHT NOW THIS IS JUST THEORETICAL… don’t send money unless you really, really want to, or just for giggles, or you think your money would be better off with me than with you, whatever. So in the grand tradition of Kickstarter and the like, I’m thinking of three funding levels:

$10: You get a thank you email and a warm sense of accomplishment.

$50: I send you a DVD (or 2, or 3, or everything transferred via Dropbox or some such) with every single nuke-relevant photo I take on the trip.

$100: You get the DVD & a prototype edition version of the book, which won’t be otherwise available (I’m looking at 11X17 with old-school pressboard covers, like the BoMi, Dyna Soar & BWB booklets I recently made briefly available). The final book, whether self-published by me or – who knows – by an actual publisher, will almost certainly be formatted much smaller.

So… does this sound of interest? If I decide to pull the trigger on this, who would be willing to buy in? If interested at the $50 or $100 level, let me know either via commenting below, or by email.

If this happens, I’d like it to happen soon. Right now Utah can’t decide if it wants winter to be over… but soon enough, it will make that decision, and the nightmarish hellscape of a furnace that is the Utah/New Mexico summer will burst forth.

Shown below is an older version of the set of nukes I’ve drawn up. The final illustrations will generally have more than one view per bomb; three views should be standard, with cutaways where possible.

nukes3

 

 

 Posted by at 9:54 pm

V3N4 Dyna Soar preview

 aircraft, APR, awesomeness, blather, books, drawings, history, new products, news, projects, rockets, spacecraft  3 Responses »
May 072014
 

Slowing plugging away on the greatly revised X-20 Dyna Soar article. Shown below is what it currently looks like… something of a mess. There are still a  great many more illustrations I want to add, including a bucket of my own CAD diagrams, but how many will end up here is uncertain. It’s already pushing 100 pages when you include the CAD diagrams; probably too big. Perhaps a later stand-alone version will have everything plus the kitchen sink…

Image306

And the CAD diagrams:

x-20-booklet-2014-03

 Posted by at 8:24 pm

Book ideas

 blather, books, drawings, history, Hmm..., My Fiction, new products, nukes, projects, rockets, science fiction, spacecraft, weapons  3 Responses »
Apr 162014
 

A while back I sold limited editions of some 11X17 drawing-package booklets (of the BoMi, BWB, X-20 Dyna Soar and nuclear pulse propelled starship concepts). Based on comments that have come in from a few of the buyers (see: http://up-ship.com/blog/blog/?p=23871), they seem to have been well received. While these particular books are now done, it got me thinking about a few possible future works:

1) “A Guide To American Nuclear Explosive Devices.” Finally, an idea for what to do with the diagrams of the nuclear bombs I’ve created (see HERE). The book would feature full-page scale diagrams of every American nuclear bomb (including RV’s) that I can reliably create. The following page would contain all the particulars know for the bomb… weight, yield, dates in service, that sort of thing. Plus, a standard illustration/graph/chart showing the damage effects for ground bursts and air bursts, probably at a common altitude.

2) “A Guide to the Strategic Defense Initiative.” This would would be more like sci-fi. By assuming the trope of an alternate history, I can present diagrams of things that I cannot, in reality, present *reliably* *accurate* diagrams of. Things such as the Brilliant Pebbles, the Saggitar orbital railgun, the Zenith Star test laser, the larger planned operational space-based laser, the larger still “Phaser” phased array laser, neutral particle beam weapons, etc. have the problem of only being known from concept art and diagrams of disappointing quality, so my own diagrams would be highly speculative. But in a fictional setting… shrug. Also included would be SDI launch systems such as the ZSLS, the McD “Barbarian,” Shuttle-C and the General Dynamics (“Millenium Express”), McDonnell Douglas (“Delta Clipper”) and Rockwell (“Platypus”) SSTO concepts from 1991. These last three I can at least present quite reliable diagrams of.

These would each be some ways down the line. I *really* need to finish up the Space Station V book first; the nukes books needs one to two research trips, and the SDI book needs a whole lot of drafting, including 3D modeling.

 Posted by at 9:46 pm

Nuclear Pulse Starships, X-20, BoMi, BWB…

 aircraft, APR, art, awesomeness, books, drawings, history, new products, news, Nuclear Pulse Propulsion, nukes, projects, rockets, sales & specials, spacecraft  10 Responses »
Mar 132014
 

UPDATE: And so, the aloted time period ends, as does availability of these items. Huzzah.

I am making available, for a limited time, four bound volumes of large format diagrams. These are 11X17 line-drawing CAD diagrams produced by yours truly, bound in red pressboard report covers (why? because that’s classy, that’s why).

I had not planned on releasing these, but I had also not taken into account the fact that the IRS will very soon be demanding a sizable income tax check from me. Ooops. So, my sudden financial panic is your opportunity to get a limited edition item. They will be available until some time on Thursday, March 20. At which point they will be gone forever. Each one will be hand inscribed with the number of the edition (“#1 of 5” or “#4 of 7,” whatever the case may be), with the numbering done via order in which orders are received. Also with my hand-enscribbled initials. (Because who knows, I might be famous someday.)

What I have:

1) BoMi: the complete set of diagrams created for the “Bomber Missile” articles for Aerospace Projects Review issues V2N3 and V2N4, a total of about 45 pages. Includes the MX 2276 from 1955, up through the SR-126 studies from 1957, Brass Bell, Convairs RoBo, Super Hustler, FISH; and Boeing Model 728 studies, among others. $45

BoMi booklet 2014-03

Img_3762 Img_3763 Img_3764 Img_3765 Img_3760 Img_3761

2) BWB: The complete set of diagrams created for the V1N3 APR article on Blended Wing Body aircraft, 29 pages. Contains many jetliner concepts, along with such oddities as the Lockheed CL-1201,a giant nuclear powered VTOL assault transport concept. $40

BWB booklet 2014-03 Img_3759

3) Model 2050E X-20 Dyna Soar: the diagrams from the not-yet released issue V3N4 APR article. These are the diagrams in their current state; some may change before I’m done with them. And some will not appear in the article. Includes not only the X-20, but also several proposed launch vehicles (including, I’m reasonably proud to say, the first publicly available accurate and detailed diagrams of the X-20 atop the Titan IIIc), layouts of test and operational versions of the DS with transstage, several small space stations designed expressly for DS servicing, and several high-energy transstage concepts. Also includes really quite good diagrams of the ASSET test vehicle and the X-37B spaceplane. 24 pages, $35

x-20 booklet 2014-03 Img_3766 Img_3767 Img_3768 Img_3769 Img_3770

4) Nuclear Pulse Propulsion Starships: diagrams from my hopefully-forthcoming book on nuclear pulse propulsion. I really had not planned on releasing any of the diagrams prior to publication of the book, but what the heck: here are 14 pages showing several versions of the Enzmann Starship, the Dyson Starship, the BIS Daedalus, the Martin/Bond Worldships and the US Naval Academy “Longshot.” $30

nppstarships booklet 2014-03Img_3771 Img_3772 Img_3773 Img_3774 Img_3775

 

Several of the X-20 and NPP diagrams have been formatted specifically for this release, and will not be otherwise released. And of course if I get mashed by a Mack truck or flattened by a meteorite, these diagram sets will be the only versions of these diagrams ever released. So, you know, there’s that…

Please note that since these are physical objects, postage is sadly required. There’s only two options for that… US and non-US. You only need to buy *one* “postage,” no matter how many of the diagram sets you buy.

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 Posted by at 6:31 pm

US Bomber Projects #08, Large formats 01-03 and 04-06 Now Available

 aircraft, art, awesomeness, books, drawings, history, new products, news, nukes, projects, rockets, spacecraft, US Bomber Projects  No Responses »
Feb 162014
 

Now available:

Issue number 08 of US Bomber Projects is now available (for background, see HERE). This issue includes:

  • Boeing Model 464-27: a slightly-swept turboprop B-52 progenitor
  • Rockwell D645-6: A minimum-weight spanloader missile carrier
  • Martin Mach 4.25: A large, manned nuclear ramjet
  • Boeing Model 484-2-2: A swept-wing, slightly supersonic B-58 competitor
  • Douglas System 464L: A many-surfaced Dyna Soar spaceplane
  • Martin Model 223-8: a 1944 step on the road to the XB-48
  • Boeing Model 801-11A: A Mach 3.5 hydrogen fueled design of incredible range
  • Martin MAMBA: A mid-1960’s A-10-analog

USBP#08 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4:

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usbp08

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Brand new: larger format drawing collections

The CAD drawings created for USBP reformatted an rescaled for 11X17 collected in separate volumes. Drawings have in some cases been corrected, improved and added to.

USBP 11X17 01-03 collects the diagrams created for issues 01, 02 and 03, including:

Rockwell D 645-1; NAA 1495-25 PAMSS; Boeing Model 701-273-0; Convair B-58-C-1; Lockheed CL-2102-2; Lockheed Model 195-A-13; Martin Model 223-1; Boeing Model 444 A; Rockwell D 645-1: LH2; NAA High Performance Penetrator; Boeing Model 701-273-1; Lockheed GL-232; Boeing Space Sortie; Martin Model 223-2; Boeing Model 461; Northrop Low Altitude Penetrator; Rockwell D 645-4A; Lockheed System 464L; Convair Mach 4 “Rollover;” Boeing Model 701-273-3; Boeing HSCT Model 1080-854; Martin Model 223-3; Boeing Model 462

USBP11x17-01-03 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $10:

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usbp11x17-01-03

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USBP 11X17 04-06 collects the diagrams created for issues 04, 05 and 06, including:

McDonnell System 464L; Lockheed-Martin Falcon; Lockheed Senior Peg; Boeing Mobile Missile Carrier; Boeing Model 701-273-4; Lockheed Cruise Missile Carrier; Boeing Model 462-5; Martin Model 223-4; McDonnell-Douglas ATB; McDonnell-Douglas/Boeing DF-9; Boeing Model 701-273-5; Fairchild N-9; Martin Model 223-5; Rockwell D645-5;North American 464L; Boeing Model 464-17; Boeing Model 464-18; Convair WS-125A; Martin MX-2092; GD AMPSS; Republic System 464L; Martin Model 223-6; Boeing Model 701-273-6; Martin Water-Based Attack Aircraft

USBP11x17-04-06 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $10:

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usbp11x17-04-06

 Posted by at 12:25 pm

The Scale of the Prometheus

 aircraft, art, awesomeness, drawings, models, new products, science fiction  15 Responses »
Feb 152014
 

Generating 2D line drawings of the Prometheus in “flight mode” went a lot quicker since I’d learned some lessons on the “landed mode.”  Two computers took about 6 hours to generate the six new views.

There are two ways to envision the scale of the Prometheus. One way is to compare a full-scale Prometheus with several other full-scale vehicles, like so:

prometheus scale

It dwarfs real-world vehicles like the Saturn V and the 747. I wouldn’t bet against it on a collision with the Enterprise, and it’s a safe bet that the Helicarrier would fall out of the sky if the Prometheus landed on it.

UPDATE: due to a few comments expressing surprise at the size of Prometheus, I guess it’s fair to show how I didn’t just handwave the scale. Two pieces of production art have been made public that show the Magellan – as the ship was originally called – was intended to have a length of 560 feet, stated explicitly.Second, another piece of production art shows one of the landing feet with a suited astronaut for scale. After I scaled my model out to 560 feet long, I added a 5′ 10″ human scale figure next to a foot. Put side by side, the two landing-foot-scale reference illustrations look really pretty close. So… 560 feet long.This makes the ship a bit of a monster. Each engine pod is bigger than the S-IC stage of the Saturn V.

sizing 560feet

Now, consider… the Prometheus is not only a big ship, it would be *massive.* Many times more massive than the Saturn V. Unlike, say, the Galactic Republic capital ships shown in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith,” Prometheus does not seem to float around on antigravity, but flies under the force of thrust and weight. So on liftoff it would have to generate many times the thrust of the Saturn V. And the Saturn V could damage structures and eardrums *miles* away. The Prometheus would need an exclusion zone with a radius of dozens of miles  (20? 30? 50?) around terrestrial landing pads. The bridge seems to be incredibly exposed… whatever that window glass is made from, it’s some tough, sound-absorbent stuff.

Here’s one of the clearest images of the Prometheus, shown with the “hangar” lowered. It’s Really Small compared to the rest of the ship… and some pretty sizable trucks were able to drive in and out with no problem. It’s a bigass ship.

prometheus-ship-1

Another way: compare the size of the forthcoming kit to several other kits, most of them also Fantastic Plastic kits. It’s in line with the other sizable kits FP has put out, though still something of a beast.

model scale

 Posted by at 7:35 pm
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