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Canopus

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  1. Canopus
    Well thats why we are currently talking about it again. It seems like it‘s now being launched on an Atlas V 551. The difference is that with SLS it would have taken maybe less than 2 years to get to Jupiter instead of flying a veega trajectory, which takes something like 6 years or longer. Of course it would have been cool to see it arrive so soon, but with SLS‘s low launch cadence, it is more sensible to keep it for missions that absolutely do need it like the current planned construction of the Gateway.
  2. Canopus
    There is a reason that it‘s doing flybys instead of orbiting Europa, and thats radiation. So in the end the flyby approach will most likely lead to a longer mission, ergo more information about Europa. Also have you seen the flyby paths? They cover pretty much the whole moon. Nothing an orbiter could have done much better.
  3. Canopus
    NH just shows how much information you can gather from a single flyby. Now imagine multiple flybys of Europa. The lander they had invisioned wouldn‘t have penetrated the ice more than a meter or something so the idea that it could have found Europan sea slugs is wrong anyway. In the end the Orbiter would have collected more data of the moon than the lander ever could.
  4. Canopus
    Right there in your post it quotes the Vice President of ULA who expects first launch of Vulcan in mid 2020. Even if its delayed for one or two years, it doesn‘t make it any more plausible that ULA would go out of business. The whole idea is ridiculous.
  5. Canopus
    In 2020? I somehow doubt that. They could but since they are a launch provider looking to maximise profits they won‘t since there is no Payload that would necessitate such capabilities. You are right about Europa Clipper though. Makes more sense to launch it the traditional way. Even if that takes 6 years.
  6. Canopus
    This isn't KSP where you can simply slap a docking node in front and a few RCS thrusters on the side of a stage and call it a day. Rendezvous and autonomous docking (something which hasn't been done by SpaceX yet) means you have to build a whole new stage. Essentially a space tug. It's not easy The Lander is actually long gone from Europa Clipper.
  7. Canopus
    Only from pure point of view of mass, since as already stated, without some major changes to the Upper stages, complex multilaunch mission like that aren't possible with Delta IV or Falcon Heavy.
  8. Canopus
    Of course they could develop service modules and habitat modules but that would mean waiting another ten years in the end. As for SLS, i think it can lead to a positive outcome, in the form of the commercial lunar landers that might be developed.
  9. Canopus
    Both refueling and orbital maneuvers like rendezvous with already launched cargo would basically require a new upper stage for Falcon to be developed, something which doesn't seem to be on the plan for SpaceX. That's why i think a more realistic SLS replacement could be Vulcan ACES where all those capabilities are already going to be included. I don't think either CST-100 or Dragon 2 are able to carry out missions long enough and don't have the capacity to maneuver to be of any real use beyond low earth orbit. So Orion might even outlive SLS and fly on other LV's.
  10. Canopus
    Exactly. Falcon Heavy was meant to launch Communication satellites into GTO. Nothing less and nothing much more. The SLS is designed to launch payloads beyond earth orbits. They are not interchangeable. And all that would have to involve additional developments which SpaceX would probably never do because it isn‘t required for satellite launches.
  11. Canopus
    Falcon Heavy expendable payload to GTO is 27 tons. SLS block 1b GTO payload is 48.5 tons. Not comparable and i doubt a methalox upper stage could make a big difference. I‘m not saying that pure payload mass trumps in Spaceflight. But suggesting that FH would be an cheap and simple alternative to SLS is simply not true. The whole mission architecture would have to change, have to involve multiple launches and possibly refueling of stages.
  12. Canopus
    I can‘t find much about the Ares IV but from what i have seen, it doesn‘t look like it could launch cargo with the Orion MPCV.
  13. Canopus
    It apparently raises the periapsis and modifies the inclination.
  14. Canopus
    Correction the Centaur will not circularize but rather put the sat into a supersynchronous transfer orbit closer to its target orbit.
  15. Canopus
    It looks like this: With the 5 meter fairing both the Payload and the Centaur stage are covered.
  16. Canopus
    Yes it looks like the Centaur is doing the circularization maneuver.
  17. Canopus
    Atlas V launch happening right now in the ULA thread. (Got to keep this thread at the top if the mods aren't pinning it)
  18. Canopus
  19. Canopus
    We get it you are a fan, no need to bring SpaceX up on any occasion.
  20. Canopus
    Thats only the gap between the first and second launches.
  21. Canopus
    Nuclear Ramjets are a thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto Still i don't buy the story. Russias thing seems to be that they build one prototype, and then proclaim superiority. Even though they probably couldn't mass produce anything of that complexity.
  22. Canopus
    Pretty sure those are meant to be Radiators not solar panels.
  23. Canopus
    It's final name will be different anyway.
  24. Canopus
    The Booster aren‘t the reason that Europe doesn‘t have a manned spacecraft. Infact the Ariane 5 was originally meant to launch people onboard the Hermes. Simple fact is, as of right now, there simply is no reason for an independant Human Spaceflight capability. I‘m also sceptical of the rest of the idea. Everytime someone says something is easy or low cost, it turns out to be hard. Thats just a fact when it comes to Spaceflight.
  25. Canopus
    How about this one?
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