Aft Cargo Carrier Space Station: 2

 art, projects, spacecraft  7 Responses »
Nov 092012
 

Another brochure illustration showing the ACC in use supporting the development of external tank based space stations. This time, SpaceLab components are shown attached to the outside of ET space stations. This would have meant that the ETs would have had to have had fittings welded onto them, either on the ground before launch or while in orbit, or otherwise holes drilled or punched into them on orbit for bolts or some other mechanical fasteners. Poking holes in the tanks would of course ruin them as pressure vessels; in this case they’d be good only as structural attachments.

Another issue would be the insulating foam. Over time, environmental conditions (extremes of hold and cold over 90-minutes orbits) would cause the foam to degrade and flake off, surrounding the station with a comet-tail of debris.

More on the ACC – the complete 22-page brochure – is available HERE.

 Posted by at 1:59 am

Test Article With Impact

 APR, awesomeness, history, Nuclear Pulse Propulsion, nukes, projects, spacecraft, youtube  10 Responses »
Nov 082012
 

A silent film record of the “Putt-Putt” test vehicle built by General Atomic to prove the principle of propulsion via discrete detonations. A part of Project Orion, Putt-Putt used canisters of C4 plastic explosives rather than atomic bombs, but still managed to – eventually – lurch itself into the sky.

More on this was in issue V1N4 of Aerospace Projects Review, and more will be in my Nuclear Pulse Propulsion book.

[youtube Pcidu6ppcFg]

 Posted by at 12:29 pm

Commercials With Impact

 humor, youtube  1 Response »
Nov 082012
 

A couple of commercials that are *hideously* annoying until right near the end, at which point they become fairly awesome:

[youtube AXbzAbFyEjs]

[youtube x1QSXMyVYuU]

 Posted by at 12:01 pm

And so it begins…

 Forward!, news, politics, weapons, ಠ_ಠ  27 Responses »
Nov 072012
 

Now that the election is over and Obama doesn’t need to worry about campaigning anymore, expect his true goals to come forth. Behold!

After Obama win, U.S. backs new U.N. arms treaty talks

The talks failed in July because the Obama administration didn’t want to have to deal with the “gun grabber” issue in the debates. But within *hours* of the re-election, the adminstration jumps back in. A quote from one of the “officials:”

“We will not accept any treaty that infringes on the constitutional rights of our citizens to bear arms”

Translation: “We will accept any treaty that infringes on the constitutional rights of our citizens to bear arms.”

 Posted by at 7:36 pm

Aft Cargo Carrier Space Station: 1

 art, projects, rockets, spacecraft  4 Responses »
Nov 072012
 

The Martin Marietta Aft Cargo Carrier would have allowed the Space Shuttle to transport payloads of larger diameter by carrying them on the aft end of the External Tank, rather than in the Orbiters cargo bay. This would of course have necessitated that the ET be carried all the way to orbit; consequently, the ET would be on-hand and available for use.The illustration below shows how a fairly small number of Shuttle launches could have resulted in a truly vast space station.

More on the ACC – the complete 22-page brochure – is available HERE.

 Posted by at 1:13 am

It was that kind of day

 cats, Gah., news, Obamazombies, politics, ಠ_ಠ  4 Responses »
Nov 072012
 

Even Buttons, the cat for whom every stranger is a new friend, every fixed or mobile object in the universe is a toy, and every day is a new adventure, is a little bummed by the realization that things just aren’t that likely to get any better anytime soon.

Buck up, little buddy! The Benghazi hearings might lead to an impeachment!

 Posted by at 1:08 am
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