They say it bends space time, but I think that it will bend your brain.
Maybe these guys are smoking something funny over there...
Naw, seriously, this is something I read about many years ago. You can't predict where this might go. It may not go anywhere, or it can go somewhere, or should I say everywhere.
Al Fin: "Cowboy Commentary", aka "Eat your veggies" The Flag banner is posted in order to defy those who would make patriotic symbols illegal or disreputable.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Next Big Future: Bosch has advanced start-stop coasting system for ...
Next Big Future: Bosch has advanced start-stop coasting system for ...: With its new start-stop coasting function, Bosch enables drivers of vehicles with combustion engines to travel in zero-emission, noise-free,...
Improvements in combustion engines? That's like improving the buggy whip for horse drawn carriages. Time to move on. Electric powered vehicles are the next big thing if somebody would just jump on in there.
Improvements in combustion engines? That's like improving the buggy whip for horse drawn carriages. Time to move on. Electric powered vehicles are the next big thing if somebody would just jump on in there.
U.S. can still beat China back to moon
Mark Whittington, USA Today via Instapundit
Why bother with the SLS?
Two Falcon Heavy launches could put 240k lbs into LEO. With careful planning, that would be enough for an Apollo type mission. The first launch will put the command module and lunar module package into LEO. The second launch will bring the fuel that would be needed to propel the craft towards the moon.
Of course, you'd have to develop the lander that would do the lunar landing. Somebody in the private sector could do that. Perhaps someone in the commercial field already has something that could work. I'm not too sure about that, but if it became a national priority, it may not take all that long to set it up and go with it.
Since the Falcon Heavy is already close to operational status, the entire project can be done in just a few years. Or at least by 2020. It would have to be a national priority, though.
Update:
Here's an idea:
Use the Dragon's SuperDraco engines for the necessary propulsion after getting into lunar trajectory.
These would be the capture to lunar orbit burn, the descent burn, the ascent burn, and the departure burn.
You would need to carry sufficient fuel to execute these four burns, but if you were to use the same engines for all four, the amount of mass would be less than what was used for Apollo. I'm guessing about 15k kgs for ascent and descent. I won't hazard a guess for the insertion and departure burns, but those should be less than the ascent and descent since the delta v is less. Even if they equal out, that 30k kg for fuel and about 5k for the Dragon itself bringing the mass up to 35 k plus the fuel tanks. This should be less than what the Apollo missions used. The savings would result from less hardware as the Dragon would be used for landing and for returning to Earth.
Another advantage is that it wouldn't require anything substantially new to develop as the SuperDraco thrusters are already being developed and the Dragon already exists. The Falcon Heavy is near testing and all the parts could be made ready in a short time.
Update:
Actually, that last paragraph needs correction. In this proposed configuration, there is no Earth Departure Stage hardware that exists. It must be developed before a mission can take place. I'm presuming one will be developed, but that presumption could be incorrect.
The missions to Mars are the ones that I had in mind, but none of those may have these requirements.
In one scenario, NASA could provide the manned Orion deep space craft which would be launched with the heavy-lift rocket, Space Launch System, while the private sector could provide lunar landing vehicles and the habitats that would comprise a lunar base. The lunar base would be established and owned by a commercial enterprise and NASA would be a core customer leasing space.
Why bother with the SLS?
Two Falcon Heavy launches could put 240k lbs into LEO. With careful planning, that would be enough for an Apollo type mission. The first launch will put the command module and lunar module package into LEO. The second launch will bring the fuel that would be needed to propel the craft towards the moon.
Of course, you'd have to develop the lander that would do the lunar landing. Somebody in the private sector could do that. Perhaps someone in the commercial field already has something that could work. I'm not too sure about that, but if it became a national priority, it may not take all that long to set it up and go with it.
Since the Falcon Heavy is already close to operational status, the entire project can be done in just a few years. Or at least by 2020. It would have to be a national priority, though.
Update:
Here's an idea:
Use the Dragon's SuperDraco engines for the necessary propulsion after getting into lunar trajectory.
These would be the capture to lunar orbit burn, the descent burn, the ascent burn, and the departure burn.
You would need to carry sufficient fuel to execute these four burns, but if you were to use the same engines for all four, the amount of mass would be less than what was used for Apollo. I'm guessing about 15k kgs for ascent and descent. I won't hazard a guess for the insertion and departure burns, but those should be less than the ascent and descent since the delta v is less. Even if they equal out, that 30k kg for fuel and about 5k for the Dragon itself bringing the mass up to 35 k plus the fuel tanks. This should be less than what the Apollo missions used. The savings would result from less hardware as the Dragon would be used for landing and for returning to Earth.
Another advantage is that it wouldn't require anything substantially new to develop as the SuperDraco thrusters are already being developed and the Dragon already exists. The Falcon Heavy is near testing and all the parts could be made ready in a short time.
Update:
Actually, that last paragraph needs correction. In this proposed configuration, there is no Earth Departure Stage hardware that exists. It must be developed before a mission can take place. I'm presuming one will be developed, but that presumption could be incorrect.
The missions to Mars are the ones that I had in mind, but none of those may have these requirements.
Shale Gas Boom At 'Tip Of Iceberg'
Forbes
This is big news. If I may throw in something a bit negative though, and that is this: Is this the lowest cost possible for energy? If not, it may not develop as is anticipated.
He adds that the Marcellus Shale region is producing the equivalent of 2 million barrels of oil a day, which exceeds the oil production of many OPEC countries. The energy agency, meanwhile, says that 2,203 trillion cubic feet of shale gas here is technically recoverable — enough to last 92 years.
This is big news. If I may throw in something a bit negative though, and that is this: Is this the lowest cost possible for energy? If not, it may not develop as is anticipated.
NASA Con Ops Assess Baseline Features for SLS/Orion Mission to Mars
NASASpaceFlight.com
Got this link from the Space Launch System ( SLS ) article in Wikipedia. It gives a detailed proposed mission to Mars using this rocket system. It is called a Design Reference Mission (DRM), and in this example, it is referred to as the "Forward Work Mars Landing".
The SLS rocket is said to be a rocket in search of a mission. Well, here it is. But, it is one of many DRMs, so anything could happen, or nothing could happen. Time will tell.
Got this link from the Space Launch System ( SLS ) article in Wikipedia. It gives a detailed proposed mission to Mars using this rocket system. It is called a Design Reference Mission (DRM), and in this example, it is referred to as the "Forward Work Mars Landing".
the 5.0 overview involves a launch campaign using seven HLVs (Heavy Lift Vehicles), sporting nuclear propulsion stages....The 5.0 approach involves seven HLVs launching the major elements of three vehicles using NTR (Nuclear Thermal Rocket) propulsion, namely the MLV Cargo Vehicle – created from two HLV launches, the MLV Habitat Vehicle – created from two HLV launches, and the MTV Crew Transfer Vehicle – created from three HLV launches. All three vehicles would be assembled in Low Earth Orbit.This looks like a rather ambitious and complicated mission proposition.
The SLS rocket is said to be a rocket in search of a mission. Well, here it is. But, it is one of many DRMs, so anything could happen, or nothing could happen. Time will tell.
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