So I finally got around to scanning the sketch of the Perigee West Company’s “Euclid” Ultra Large Launch Vehicle from 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 only a paltry 600,000 pounds payload. I assume that these discrepancies are due to design changes.
As shown, the sketch is not very detailed, and does not give across the idea that this was an in-depth design effort. However, most of the drawings in Hujsak’s book are drawn in this fashion, so it’s hard to say how detailed the original source drawings were.
If anyone knows of the source material, I’m interested. I don’t knot that much about the Perigee West Co. other than Edward Hujsak was the president.
5 Responses to “Euclid the ULLV”
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Thanks for posting that, Scott.
The earliest reference to EUCLID that I found was in a RAND report on innovative ideas for the Space Exploration Initiative, the first President Bush’s lunar/Mars program. Rand collected input on a number of technologies and systems proposed by industry, academia, and just plan folk. (Stunningly, I wasn’t asked.) Hujsak submitted a version of EUCLID with the eighteen M-1 class engines Scott describes, and a 1.5 million-lb payload version as well, to RAND.
The version scanned in by Scott and shown in Hujsak’s book (circa 1995) was a more modest design based on the then-in-development STME (later RS-68).
Oh dude, I love it. It’s a shame our industry doesn’t have the balls to go with new designs like this.
With our country obsessing over Obama-care, Lady Gaga, and the Jersey Shore retards, and our schoolkids getting dumber by the minute I doubt we’d ever build something like this.
If something like that ever flies, sure bet the menu will be freeze-dried stir fry or curry.
America handed over her space card. All we have left is mothballed Shuttles, rusty Saturn V carcasses, and Apollo 11 clips.
…and Falcon 9 and Armadillo Aerospace and White Knight and…
IE, a growing space-launch infrastructure that might actually pay for itself.
“Might” beign the operative word here. In order for them to succeed, they will need the right combination of “sane regulations” from the government, not to be taxed or sued out of existence, and the economy will need to be such that rich people feel free to spend lots of money on space vacations. I’m not exceedingly optimistic.
Well yes, the government can always screw things up. Even so, I’d rather rely on the profit motive for getting us into space on a self-sustaining level than rely on politicians. How many administrations have promised to get us off foreign oil? Every one back to Nixon (at least).