Possibilities of New Business Growth: Hammerhead ET

launch vehicles, rockets, space shuttle, spacecraft, US Launcher Projects No Responses »

Sep 052019

In 1985, just as Rockwell thought that a case might be made for an Aft Cargo Carrier for larger-diameter payload to fit behind the Shuttle External tank, there were those who believed that a case could be made for a *forward* cargo carrier for even bigger-diameter payloads. This “hammerhead” payload shroud would be much more conventional than the ACC and would not need to deal with the thermal issues of getting baked by the SSME and RSRM exhausts. it would have to withstand aerodynamic forces, but those are much better characterized.

An advantage of the “hammerhead” was that it allowed quite sizable payloads, but at a substantial mass penalty. Details from other sources are sparse on exactly *what* payload, but one item illustrated is a space-based laser with a very large primary mirror. A NASA mission would be for a “very large space telescope,” a follow-on to Hubble with a much larger mirror. Pretty much what became the Webb.

This very concept was described further and illustrated with diagrams in US Launch Vehicle Projects #01. Why not pick up a copy?

Now Available: US Bomber Projects #22, US Transport Projects #09

bomber, nukes, rockets, transports, US Bomber Projects, US Transport Projects No Responses »

Sep 042019

US Bomber Projects #22 and Transport Projects #09 are now available.

US Bomber Projects #22

Cover art was provided by Rob Parthoens, www.baroba.be

US Bomber Projects #22 is now available (see HERE for the entire series). Issue #22 includes:

GD/NASA Mach 5 Cruise Waverider: A 1990’s design very much like the “Aurora”
NASA SR-2P Dash-On-Warning: a vertically launched ICBM carrier
Republic MX-773B-2: a two-stage ramjet surface-to-surface missile
Convair Subsonic Nuclear Carrier Based Aircraft: A miniature naval NX-2
Consolidated Vultee “Parallel Staged Operational Missile:” an unusual early configuration for the Atlas ICBM
Convair MX-1626: an early B-36-carried design leading to the B-58
Boeing B-52X: a trie of layouts for four-engined B-52s
Boeing Model 988-122/123: A highly maneuverable stealthy flying wing

USBP #22 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4.25:

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Don’t forget to pick up the previous issue, US Bomber Projects #21…

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Also available:

US Transport Projects #09

Cover art was provided by Rob Parthoens, www.baroba.be

US Transport Projects #09 is now available (see HERE for the entire series). Issue #09 includes:

Convair 58-9 SST: A design fora preliminary low-capacity test SST
Boeing Model 757-3150: An important step in the development of the 747
Convair Nuclear Powered GEM Aircraft Carrier: a fast long-range strike carrier
Aero Spacelines “Pregnant Princess:” A jet-propelled Saturn rocket carrier
Seversky Executive: A 1930’s design for a prop-powered “business jet”
Williams International V-Jet: A 1980’s concept for a small executive transport
Lockheed L-152-15: A very early jetliner
Lockheed Martin 777F-sized Hybrid Wing body: A very recent large and efficient cargo transport

USTP #09 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4.25:

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Don’t forget the previous issue, US Transport Projects #08…

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Possibilities of New Business Growth: Liquid Rocket Boosters

launch vehicles, rockets, space shuttle, spacecraft, spaceplane 1 Response »

Sep 022019

Continuing…

As part of Rockwells 1985 ponderings of what they could do to dredge up more business, the notion of liquid propellant rocket boosters (LRBs) were floated. The idea of LRB’s has been a part of the Shuttle program since the beginning, and ran not only until the end of the program but beyond it: the Shuttle derived SLS vehicle uses derivatives of the Shuttle solid rocket boosters, and there are those who would like to see them replaced with LRBs.

LRBs would theoretically provide improved performance due to the higher specific impulse that liquid propellants offer. Their recovery, refurbishment and reuse would also theoretically be improved; as SpaceX has shown, the refurbishment of a recovered liquid rocket booster is a far simpler operation than the refurbishment of a solid rocket booster. From Rockwell’s point of view, the LRB had one great advantage over SRBs: Rockwell was not the prime contractor for the SRB. They could be for the LRB.

Note that the illustration below seems to show existing SRB casings repurposed into LRBs. This would of course not happen. The LRBs would be relatively smooth and featureless, without the raised field joints used to bolt the several segments of the casing together (this is likely an existing pen&ink sketch of the standard STS with some changes to the business ends of the boosters). However, the use of four engines per booster and the addition of clamshell waterproof closures to keep the engines dry after splashdown was a common feature of such designs. The use of a wide range of liquid fuels was studied… hydrogen, propane, methane and kerosene being the most commonly studied. Hydrogen was probably the usual favorite due to the high performance and the fact that the launch facilities were already plumbed for hydrogen. But a hydrogen fueled LRB would be very fat compared to the standard SRB; this would put the outboard engines well outside the exhaust pass-thoughts in the launch platform, meaning substantial launch facility modification would be required.

Next up: hammerhead ETs

Possibilities of New Business Growth: Adding extra boosters

launch vehicles, Monthly Historical Documents Program, space shuttle, spacecraft, spaceplane No Responses »

Sep 012019

Continuing…

In 1985 Rockwell gave thought to adding relatively small liquid propellant boosters to the undersides of the Orbiters wings. Even though the boosters were relatively small, with only a single RL-10 engine fed from low-density, narrow-diameter liquid hydrogen tanks. Even so, Rockwell projected an additional 15,000 pounds of payload. This would seem to require some interesting modifications to the underside of the wings… not just adding mounting hardpoints, but doors that could close over them after the boosters are jettisoned.

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