The Mercury Applications Project (RO-RSS)

[NotAgain]

I'm sure that plenty of you have heard of the Apollo Applications Programme, and what it aimed to accomplish. That's all well and good, but I'd like to take it a step crazier with a little idea that I call

The Mercury Applications Project

The idea of this challenge is to build an 'Advanced Mercury' spacecraft capable of remaining in Low Earth Orbit for seven days in proper RSS, with Realism Overhaul and TAC LS or Kerbalism (or any equivalent).

Advanced Mercury specifications:

Crew: 1

Minimum endurance: 7 days

Power: Battery or Fuel Cells (no solar or RTG power)

Minimum onboard Delta Vee: 300m/s

 

I've left those specifications deliberately loose, and any craft that fulfills those is welcome. (They're subject to change at any time.)

 

The Challenge:

To complete a category, complete everything within it.

Easy(ish):

1. Make a crewed proving flight, remaining in Low Earth Orbit for at least 7 days.

2. Perform a rendezvous between two Advanced Mercurys in Low Earth Orbit.

3. Dock an Advanced Mercury to an uncrewed target and remain docked for two days. During this time, the combined spacecraft must raise its apoapsis by at least 50km.

Hard(er):

1. Make a crewed proving flight, remaining in Low Earth Orbit for at least 7 days.

2. Perform a rendezvous between two Advanced Mercurys in Low Earth Orbit.

3. Dock an Advanced Mercury to an uncrewed target and remain docked for two days. During this time, the combined spacecraft must raise its apoapsis by at least 50km.

4. Launch a two-crew space station and deliver two Kerbals to the station using your Advanced Mercury spacecraft. You do not necessarily have to dock, do it your own way. The crew must remain on the station for at least 50 days before returning safely to Earth.

You have too much time on your hands:

1. Make a crewed proving flight, remaining in Low Earth Orbit for at least 7 days.

2. Perform a rendezvous between two Advanced Mercurys in Low Earth Orbit.

3. Dock an Advanced Mercury to an uncrewed target and remain docked for two days. During this time, the combined spacecraft must raise its apoapsis by at least 50km.

4. Launch a two-crew space station and deliver two Kerbals to the station using your Advanced Mercury spacecraft. You do not necessarily have to dock, do it your own way. The crew must remain on the station for at least 50 days before returning safely to Earth.

5. Crewed Lunar landing. Self-explanatory. You're allowed to modify your spacecraft somewhat for this, and you can do it in whatever style you want, but the electricity rule still stands.

 

NOTE: Vostok style spacecraft are totally allowed.

 

Good luck everyone.

[macktruck6666]

Limitations of the rocket?

[NotAgain]

47 minutes ago, macktruck6666 said:

Limitations of the rocket?

Main lifter: 500 tons on the pad.

Space Station lifter: 1000 tons on the pad.

Lunar landing mission lifter: 2000 tons on the pad.

[macktruck6666]

I'm not even sure it's possible to do a 2000 ton mission to the moon. Saturn V was 3000 tons.

[NotAgain]

On ‎25‎/‎01‎/‎2018 at 11:09 PM, macktruck6666 said:

I'm not even sure it's possible to do a 2000 ton mission to the moon. Saturn V was 3000 tons.

I'm working on the assumption that other people's Advanced Mercury spacecraft won't weigh 28.8 tons, like the Apollo CSM. Mine weighs 3.5 tons.

Edited January 28, 2018 by NotAgain

[NotAgain]

As inspiration, here's the uncrewed test flight of my own 'Advanced Mercury', the Lonetrek Block IV, flying on Lonetrek 14.

Spoiler

Liftoff on a Domain 3 launch vehicle, which uses a single RD-108 sustainer and twin H-1 boosters.

Booster separation.

LES jettison.

Ascending at sunset.

Nearing MECO.

MECO, first stage separation and second stage ignition.

Orbital insertion on the twin RL-10 upper stage.

And, finally, a close-up of the spacecraft. Weighs 3.4 tons in orbit. The bit on the front is the Utility Module (UM), containing most of the batteries and life support. There's more life support in the niche between the capsule and UM, which is also where the parachutes are kept. There's further life support supplies in the capsule and in the three cylinders set into the side. The bit on the bottom is the Power and Propulsion Module (PPM), which provides the remaining battery storage, communications and propulsion (four 1.1kN Hydrazine thrusters).

After a full six days in Low Earth Orbit (and sufficient power for another two, possibly three) the test ends, and Lonetrek - 14 makes its de-orbit burn.

Once inside the atmosphere, the UM is jettisoned. Those solid rocket motors you see firing are also a part of the LES, used to add thrust during the initial stage of the abort, as the main LES is designed for a 1.5 ton capsule, not a 3 ton capsule.

Then the PPM is jettisoned, and the re-entry begins proper.

We deliberately made a very harsh re-entry to test the heatshield for a return from a higher orbit, but it survived with a massive margin of ablator left.

The mission concluded with a safe parachute-landing within sight of Cape Canaveral.

 

Edited January 28, 2018 by NotAgain