Jun 162010
I was recently asked if I knew anything about an “Ultra Large Launch Vehicle” concept from circa 1990 known as “EUCLID.” It was conical and powered by 18 M-1 engines, with a payload in the million-pound range. And while I’ve got nuthin’ (and Google provides no clues), there’s something about it that sounds damned familiar.
Does this ring any bells?
6 Responses to “ULLV “EUCLID””
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It sounds familiar to me also, but I can’t find any info on it either.
Are you sure it was from around 1990? the M-1 engine program was pretty dead by then, wasn’t it?
The RAND report describing it said “M-1 class”, which I take to mean LH2 gas generator cycle engines of 1.5 million lbs thrust or above.
Interestingly at about this time, NASA was looking at an “M-1A” engine as a potential alternative to the F-1A for the FLO launcher. Restarting the M-1 program would have been difficult, because the project was stopped in 1966 before entering production and most all of it, including the test stands, was scrapped. The F-1 restart could be credibly proposed since it went into production and there was a production and operational history to fall back on.
Sounds familiar to me also, but the Advanced Launch System (ALS) of the mid-’80’s and National Launch System (NLS) of the late-’80’s/early-’90’s online references are thin at best.
I think it was a concept by Edward Hujsak from this book IIRC
http://astrobooks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=988
http://www.amazon.com/About-Rocket-Engines-Edward-Hujsak/dp/1886133077/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277500876&sr=8-1
Much of the text of page 146 of this book can be recovered by Dead Sea Googling:
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The accompanying line illustration of the “Euclid” ULLV is capable of launching 600000 pounds into low-earth orbit. It can be used for smaller pay loads by reducing the number of engines and loading the tanks to partial capacity.
The structure and tanks are made of the new “Weldalite” aluminum- lithium alloys that have recently been proven to be highly suitable for producing lightweight rocket components. These alloys, developed by Martin Marietta corporation, are presently planned for production of lightweight Space Shuttle external tanks.
The propellant tanks are spherical and supported by a strut system that attaches to the outer structure. The large size of the hydrogen tank gives visual impact to the affect of this low density propellant on the physical dimensions of the vehicle. At that, the total weight of oxygen in the oxygen tank is five times that of the tanked hydrogen. The propellant feed line from the oxygen tank runs through the hydrogen tank to a distribution header, from which it is fed to the engines.
The propellant tanks are pressurized by warm oxygen and hydrogen gas, respectively,
drawn from heat exchangers on the rocket engines. Euclid’s rocket power is provided by 20 Space Transportation Main Engines. The STME has been under development as part of the now dormant National Launch System that was recently under […]
The launch vehicle lifts off at about 1.5 g and can be programmed for moderate acceleration levels by the simple process of shutting off engines at appropriate times in the launch trajectory.
The payload fairing can protect an interior payload, or it may be part of a payload, for example a shielded spacecraft or a propellant carrier.
Assembly of the Euclid ULLV is planned to take place on launch barges, which would be dry-docked inside large buildings during the assembly process. The major vehicle elements would be hoisted into place and fastened together. The ULLV is secured to launch pedestals and stands over an opening in the barge through which engine exhaust is ported at liftoff.
A single-stage-to-orbit ULLV requires no new technology and would be far more economical to build than its cluster counterpart. Future space initiatives that call for very heavy lift capability will in all probability enter concepts like the Euclid ULLV into design trade studies.If an engine is already available as a result of development efforts related to the Air Force’s Spacelifter program, a system like this could be produced with far less effort than was required to design and build Saturn V.
[…] Hujsak’s “The Future of US Rocketry.” It is not exactly as originally described HERE; instead of 18 M-1 engines, it has 20 STME’s. And instead of a million pounds payload, it has […]