Apr 062010
A brief look at Aerospace Projects Review V2N6. It’s getting hugenormous again, this time loaded to the gills with Douglas ROMBUS/ICARUS/Ithacus/Pegasus info.
Clearly, there’s a whole lot of writin’ to do as yet, as well as a fair amount of CAD work.
One of the critters that will be presented in this issue is the ROMBUS III launch vehicle. The ROMBUS III (shown below) was an advanced, fully reusable version of the ROMBUS. And continuing the trend of “advanced,” the design shown below had an upper stage packing four gas-core nuclear rocket engines, and a Mars-bound payload also equipped with gas-core and solid-core nukes, and with a nuclear reactor for power right at the nose.
8 Responses to “V2N6 preview: ROMBUS III”
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That’s the bomb-diggity. Technically speaking.
And the fact that, 45 years later, we can’t figure out how to wire Shuttle and Delta IV parts together to essentially replicate the Saturn V, is beyond pathetic.
Scott, go ahead and double the price of this issue. Or else, sell the original documents as appendix (at a price). This is exclusive stuff, and must be paid exclusively (my opinion).
Cheers
I always got a kick out of Ithacus, where the fight crew can leave in their escape craft if something goes wrong, but all the on-board troops are going right down with the ship.
OMG
that’s gona be a splendid issue of eAPR
the UMPIRE Douglas are launched in one piece with ROMBUS
but this picture show ROMBUS with only the First stage of UMPIRE
http://www.cloudster.com/RealHardware/SIVBStage/Models/Display04.jpg
http://www.cloudster.com/RealHardware/SIVBStage/Models/Display05.jpg
http://www.cloudster.com/RealHardware/SIVBStage/Models/rombus01.jpg
on the escape craft
it look like this was only for the Prototypes version
>Scott, go ahead and double the price of this issue. Or else, sell the original >documents as appendix (at a price). This is exclusive stuff, and must be >paid exclusively (my opinion).
What he said.
I’m always fascinated when I see conceptual drawings of space vehicles that use an aerospike engine configuration. I understand some of the theoretical advantages of the aerospike rocket, and assume that some have been validated on test stands.
However, I am unaware of any aerospike design actual being used on a real, free-flying vehicle. Has the aerospike ever actually flown?
> Has the aerospike ever actually flown?
Yes. The Lance battlefield missile had an aerospike of sorts:
http://www.manuelsweb.com/lance_engine.htm
And here’s one flown not by a major government contractor, but by students:
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=12631
So that’s why the Lance engine nozzle looked so strange.
I always wondered about that.
There’s a 28 page PDF on the engine here:
http://www.redstone.army.mil/history/lance/rocketbro.pdf
…including a cutaway of the engine on page 13.