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Post by scooter on Mar 26, 2007 20:46:07 GMT -4
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Post by grashtel on Mar 26, 2007 21:10:00 GMT -4
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Post by scooter on Mar 26, 2007 22:30:34 GMT -4
Thank you! Didn't realize how big it was till I posted...yowza!
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Post by hplasm on Mar 27, 2007 14:28:27 GMT -4
OOO!! I like that place! ;D Reminded me of a piece in OMNI from waaay back- a chap called Bob Truax was building a rocket to put, if I remember correctly, a Mexican Pizza Millionaire into space. He designed and built the craft using scrapyards like that one, where parts could be had for a fraction of what they cost the military. Dunno what became of him though; anyone have an idea? |
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Post by BertL on Mar 27, 2007 15:02:19 GMT -4
Why even bother to ask? (I am referring to the thread title here, not the question asked in the post before this one)
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Post by gwiz on Mar 27, 2007 16:01:07 GMT -4
Dunno what became of him though; anyone have an idea? Well, there was the Evel Knievel connection: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_TruaxHe must be getting on a bit by now, but I don't recall seeing an obit so he's probably still alive. |
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Post by nomuse on Mar 27, 2007 16:05:59 GMT -4
Well, there was the Evel Knievel connection: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_TruaxHe must be getting on a bit by now, but I don't recall seeing an obit so he's probably still alive. First time I read that I thought it said "orbit." He's been adding bigger rockets to his bikes lately, hasn't he! |
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Post by PhantomWolf on Mar 27, 2007 19:32:17 GMT -4
Hmmm, you think that it would be possible to use a single F-1 to get to orbit?
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Post by nomuse on Mar 28, 2007 2:54:39 GMT -4
I dunno, but I bet it could get you into obit.
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Post by grashtel on Mar 28, 2007 5:04:00 GMT -4
Hmmm, you think that it would be possible to use a single F-1 to get to orbit? A single F-1 can produce 6.7 MN and the Atlas rockets used for project Mercury only produced 1.6 MN so it should be possible, you would probably need to use a setup with discardable fuel tanks to keep the on orbit mass down though. |
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Bob B.
Bob the Excel Guru?
Posts: 3,072
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Post by Bob B. on Mar 28, 2007 8:25:49 GMT -4
Hmmm, you think that it would be possible to use a single F-1 to get to orbit? A single F-1 can produce 6.7 MN and the Atlas rockets used for project Mercury only produced 1.6 MN so it should be possible, you would probably need to use a setup with discardable fuel tanks to keep the on orbit mass down though. The problem I see is that the F-1 can’t be throttled, so the g-forces at the end on the burn might kill you. EDIT: Just to clarify what I mean, when the F-1 engines burned out on the Saturn V they where still pushing the dry mass of the first stage, the entire second and third stages, and the entire payload. The maximum acceleration was about 4 g. If I understand the current discussion, I believe we are talking about using the F-1 as essentially a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO). In that case, given the F-1’s specific impulse, we’d need a mass ratio of about 20. If our rocket weighed 1,000,000 lbs at launch, it would therefore weight about 50,000 lbs at burnout. With a thrust of 1,500,000 lbs, the acceleration at liftoff would be 1.5 g, but by burnout it would be a bone crushing 30 g. Controlling accelerations is one of the reasons why rockets are staged, using less powerful engines on the later stages. A SSTO vehicle will have to have either multiple engines that can be shut down during ascent, or engines that can be throttled, or some combination. |
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Post by PhantomWolf on Mar 28, 2007 19:27:33 GMT -4
Dang, well strike the 1.5 million dollar option to launch a manned space programme, lol.
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