August 2014 – Page 2 – Aerospace Projects Review Blog

One-stop lunar base

nukes, rockets, spacecraft No Responses »

Aug 102014

A 1963 Douglas concept for a simple lunar base: a small pressurized hab that carries with it a robotic “snowblower” that, under control from Earth, spews lunar dirt atop the hab. This is done to provide radiation/thermal/meteoroid shielding. If the hab is actually a “wet lab,” i.e. the actual upper stage, formerly filled with propellants, then this could be a reasonably cost effective approach. The robot is nuclear powered, but it appears that the reactor is not mounted permanently on the robot. instead, the first thing it would seem to do is haul the reactors some distance away, dig a hole, and then burying it (or at least place the reactor in the hole). Extensive power cabling would be needed.

Last chance for July Rewards

bomber, Dyna Soar, hi-rez, launch vehicles, Patreon, rockets, space shuttle, space station, spacecraft, spaceplane No Responses »

Aug 072014

I’ve got the August rewards just about ready to go. When I make them available for the current Patreon supporters, the July rewards will be replaced. So if you are interested in the July items, time runs real, real short.

1) A large format diagram of the B/J-58, a Convair concept for a two-engine tactical B-58

2) A PDF document, “Manned Space Stations and Alternatives” which covers Gemini and Dyna Soar-based small MOL-like station concepts, and includes info on the Gemini satellite inspector/interceptor

3) Two CAD diagrams, one of the McDonnell-Douglas Model 192 ISINGLASS hypersonic rocket-powered recon platform, the other comparing the Titan IIIC with the Titan IIIC/Dyna Soar and the Titan IIIM/MOL.

If you’d be interested in helping me dig up and release this sort of obscure aerospace historical material, or if you want to get in on the rewards, please consider joining my Patreon.

EMPIRE film

launch vehicles, nukes, rockets, spacecraft No Responses »

Aug 062014

A 1963 General Dynamics film about the EMPIRE program (early manned interplanetary missions), starring Krafft Ehricke. Included are a lot of artists concepts that I haven’t seen before, or have only seen poorly reproduced before. Includes a color version of the Mars lander illustration I posted a few months back, numerous illustrations of manned interplanetary craft and several paintings of the NEXUS SSTO super-booster. It also includes Ehrickes trademark optimism about the schedule for manned space exploration… humans to Pluto by 1995, for instance.

[youtube tPVAMVjk0bE]

Power Module Construction

space shuttle, space station, spacecraft No Responses »

Aug 052014

A NASA artists concept from 1977 showing the construction in low Earth orbit of a Power Module. This would be one of a *vast* number to be assembled; when finished they would be hauled up to geosynchronous orbit there to be assembled together into very large Solar Power Satellites. This design is shaped like a trough, with the bottom of the trough covered in photovoltaic cells; the sides of the trough would probably be extremely thin aluminum foil. The foil would reflect more sunlight onto the cells. This was done because thin aluminum is a whole lot cheaper *and* lighter weight than solar cells; additionally, these cells tend to operate slightly more efficiently at higher insolation levels (i.e. the more sunlight they get, the better they work).

This painting shows a Shuttle External Tank being used as the backbone of a Power Module construction base. At the nose of the ET is a small “Space Lab” for crew (with possibly more crew space within the LOX tank), and a large solar panel for power. Further down the side of the ET is a movable manipulator arm; at the end of the arm is what appears to be a manned pod which serves as the “hand.” The arm appears to have rails that run the length of the ET, allowing it to slide back as forth as needed. Further down the ET is the “beam builder,” a self-contained little factory that takes rolls of aluminum “tape” (the two “Mickey Mouse ears” on the back of the device) and forms and spot-welds the tape into large structural elements.

Dual-Keel Space Station

space station No Responses »

Aug 042014

A NASA-MSFC artists concept of the Space Station as envisioned in the mid/late 80’s, found on eBay.

New aerospace acquisitions

launch vehicles, Patreon, rockets, spacecraft 3 Responses »

Aug 022014

Thanks to the funding made available via my Patreon campaign, these recently arrived:

Document: “A Recoverable Air-Breathing Booster,” 1964, Chrysler Space Division. This report describes a ring to be fitted to the base of a Saturn I booster; the ring is equipped with either 4 or 8 additional H-1 rocket engines for additional liftoff thrust, as well as a similar number of turbojets to be used to return the ring-booster to Cape Canaveral for a vertical landing.

Diagrams: “Plans for Scale Model Construction of the LONG TANK DELTA” and “Plans for Scale Model Construction of the LONG-TANK THOR AGENA,” from McDonnell-Douglas, 1971. These came in an envelope, and illustration on which depicts the Delta rocket, the Honest John (the diagram of which I have previously obtained), the Saturn I, the Genie AAM, the Nike Ajax and the Nike Hercules. If anyone knows of the latter 4, please enlighten me.

These will be added to the list of drawings/documents available to my Patreon patrons to vote on.

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