Energia: Buran, LEK, Zvezda moonbase [Stock replicas]

[Alchemist]

Буран
Buran

 

Энергия - Буран
Energia - Buran

 

Craft download link

Functional full-stock replica

Soviet answer to Space Shuttle

• Asymmetric heavy launch vehicle

• Reusable winged orbiter

• Nominal payload: 42 t (Energia-Buran) / 80 t (Energia)

 

ОК-ГЛИ
OK-GLI 

Орбитальный корабль для горизонтальных лётных испытаний
Orbital craft for horizontal flight tests

Craft download link

Functional full-stock replica

Buran airframe test prototype

 

 

 

 

 

 

ЛЭК / Звезда
LEK / Zvezda

 

Энергия - ЛЭК
Energia - LEK

Лунный экспедиционный комплекс
Lunar expeditionary complex

Craft download links:

• Orbital craft
• Lander
• LZhM - base module

Functional full-stock replicas

Multi-launch lunar mission.

Total crew: 5

Landing crew: 3-4

Launches: 2-3

Duration: 2 weeks (2-launch), 4-5 weeks (3-launch)

 

Лунная база "Звезда"
Zvezda moonbase

Также известна как Барминград
Also known as Barmingrad

 

Craft download links:

• LZhM - laboratory and habitation module
• LZM - laboratory and manufacturing module
• rover

Functional full-stock replicas

Multi-modular long-term surface outpost.

Edited May 23, 2016 by Alchemist

[Alchemist]

Энергия - Буран
Energia - Buran

KerbalX page
Craft download link

Functional full-stock replica

 

Soviet answer to Space Shuttle

Features:

• Asymmetric heavy launch vehicle

• Reusable winged orbiter

• Payload: 42 t (in cargo bay) / 80 t (including orbiter)

• Can fly uncrewed

• Docking-grade RCS system

• Power source - fuel cell

• Split-rudder airbrake helps to maintain high AoA during reentry

• Jets (optional feature) for gliding range extension

Action groups:

2 - Orbital maneuvering engines
3 - Jet engines
4 - Rudder airbrake
Brakes - also deploy the rudder and the drogue chute.

 

 

 

 

STS challenge awards:

STS-1 - Heavy payload lifting

Mission report

 

STS-2 - Satellites to stationary orbit (with the entire Buran)

Mission report

 

STS-3 - Deploying a telescope

Mission report

 

STS-4/4R - Rescuing crew of a... Shuttle

 

STS-5-8 - Assembling an interplanetary ship 

 

 

STS-10 - Interplanetary flight

 

 

 

Fully automated flight, just like the real one (kOS powered)

 

Edited April 30, 2017 by Alchemist

[duk]

Awesome design and great use of parts! I have never seen as good of a buran!

[Alchemist]

ОК-ГЛИ
OK-GLI 

Орбитальный корабль для горизонтальных лётных испытаний
Orbital craft for horizontal flight tests

KerbalX page
Craft download link

Buran airframe test prototype

This vehicle was used to practice landing of Buran - piloted and automated, powered (using engines on top) and unpowered.
It has 2 additional jet engines for takeoff and gaining altitude, since the orbiter’s jets are not powerful enough.

The pilots nicknamed the aircraft "Утюг" - "Smoothing iron"

 

Action groups:
2 - Takeoff engines
3 - Orbiter’s jet engines
4 - Rudder airbrake
Brakes - also deploy the rudder and the drogue chute.

 

 

[Alchemist]

Лунная база "Звезда"
Zvezda moonbase

Также известна как Барминград
Also known as Barmingrad

The concept of lunar base (nicknamed Barmingrad for its chief designer Barmin) first appears during early stages of development of N1 and UR-700, however without clearly defined capabilities of the launch vehicle no detailed specifications of the modules were developed at that stage. Multiple deployment schemes were considered, including inflatable modules or tube-shaped modules that would be landed vertically and then taken from the landing platform and put together by a rover.

This particular scheme with multiple separate modules not requiring excessive surface assembly appears during late stages of N1 development, however it was proposed not for the rocket used in N1-L3 (95 t to LEO, fully fueled by LOX/kerosene), but for the planned N1F, featuring upgraded NK-33 engines on the first and second stages and LOX/LH2 fueled third stage that completes orbital insertion (105 t to LEO) and performs the TLI burn. With this launch vehicle it would be possible to separately (one launch for each) deliver large enough modules to the surface using identic landing stages.

The scheme turned out fully compatible with the 3-stage option for Energia (same 105 t to LEO with LOX/LH2 fueled third stage; however it's not clear if a third stage capable of reaching lunar orbit would be used here - some options of Energia third stage would have such lifetime, but it's extremely doubtful that this was an option for N1F), however using Energia was considered just a backup option. Vulkan launch vehicle (225 t to LEO - more than double the payload of Energia!) was proposed as the primary option for lunar missions. This rocket would deliver several base modules to lunar orbit (the  LOX/LH2 fueled third stage would have enough heat insulation for such trip) at once and deploy the entire base (including the crew landers) in just 2-3 launches (alternatively, single-launch expeditions with a single super-heavy lander were considered).

 

The base would consist of:

Луноход
Lunokhod - Lunar Rover

The name "луноход" literally means "moonwalker" or "mooncrawler" and is the generic name for lunar rovers

KerbalX page
Craft download link

The first craft to land, the rover would inspect the landing site and provide landing guidance for the other modules. The vehicle would be used for transporting crew and cargo between modules, investigating the area near the base and other purposes. It is also equipped with drill for gathering samples from below the surface and even harvesting ore to be processed in LZM.

The landing platform should have deployable ramps, but I had huge trouble packing the craft the way it is. Anyway, it’s rather good at just jumping from the platform.

The rover would also be used to to deploy a portable nuclear reactor (included in the package) that would be used to power the base (however, all the modules and vehicles would have the reactors of their own, sufficient to fulfill the basic power and heating needs)

 

ЛЗМ - Лабораторно-заводской модуль
LZM - Laboratory and manufacturing module

 

KerbalX page
Craft download link

This module is the workshop that would be used for maintenance of the base, as well as the laboratory for physics, chemistry, plant growth and other research that requires special hardware or large laboratory space. But more importantly it would have the ability to extract oxygen from lunar soil to cover the base’s air supply requirements, greatly reducing the consumption of supplies delivered from Earth. Additionally, the option to refill the oxidizer for the possible future version of crew transfer vehicle (that could be launched by a single N1F or Energia rocket) was considered.

 

ЛЖМ - Лабораторно-жилой модуль
LZhM - Laboratory and habitation module

KerbalX page
Craft download link

This module is the primary habitat of the lunar base, providing the long-term habitation for the crew of 3-4 cosmonauts, as well as some laboratory space.
A possibility of having crews of 2 landers on the base at once would mean having 2 of these habitation modules.

Crew landers

There were multiple options considered for crew landers:

• The originally proposed option featured the lander having the same landing stage as the base modules, however it wouldn't be enough to bring a return vehicle capable of getting the crew of such size straight back to Earth. Therefore the double-launch scheme was proposed - the Lunar Expeditionary Complex (LEK) would consist of lander (with separate landing and ascent stages), bringing the crew of 3-4 to the surface and back to lunar orbit, and the orbital craft bringing the crew from and back to Earth. The orbital craft would act as a temporary station with 1 or 2 cosmonauts staying in the orbit while the rest of the crew is at the base. This scheme (with the option of shorter 2-3 launch expedition) was first proposed for N1F (but rejected in favor of L3M that only required a single docking before the landing), but then brought back as the primary option for Energia. (To add even more confusion, the entire base scheme is also sometimes referred to as Lunar Expeditionary Complex)
• L3M was a 2-launch landing scheme (consisting of the lander and the descent stage, that would be docked to it in lunar orbit and dropped right before the landing) developed as the primary lunar expedition option for N1F, and could be used as the crew vehicle for the base. One of the options of L3M first featured the Soyuz-style reentry module packed inside the habitable volume.
• With the ability to refill the oxygen by the LZM module, it would be possible to make a crew lander delivered by a single launch of N1F or Energia and refilled at the base for the flight back. The reliability of such scheme would most likely mean having a backup lander at the base in case refueling of the lander the crew was sent in proves impossible.
• For Vulkan launch vehicle the single-launch Lunar Expeditionary Craft (LEK, yes the same acronym) would be used (featuring the crew compartments and reentry module based on L3M design). The option for the base would likely be launched together with a module (probably, LZhM), however the standalone version proposed for single-launch mid-term expedition would be heavier (utilizing the full payload capacity of the rocket).

 

Edited May 23, 2016 by Alchemist

[Alchemist]

Энергия - ЛЭК
Energia - LEK

Лунный экспедиционный комплекс
Lunar expeditionary complex

The 2-3 launch lunar expedition scheme based on the Zvezda moonbase and a possible crew transfer option for it. First proposed for N1F, then adapted for Energia.
The 3-launch option with a base module also allows future expansion of the mission site to the full base by sending additional modules

Total crew: 5

Landing crew: 3-4

Launches: 2-3

Duration: 2 weeks (2-launch), 4-5 weeks (3-launch)

Lander

KerbalX page
Craft download link

The landing stage is based on the landing stage of the base modules.
Launched uncrewed to lunar orbit. The orbital craft is launched next to dock with the lander and transfer the crew. The descent stage is used to land, ascent stage brings the crew back to orbit and docks with the orbital craft.

Orbital craft

KerbalX page
Craft download link

The landing stage is based on the landing stage of the base modules.
Launched crewed to lunar orbit to dock with the lander and transfer the crew (one of the crewmembers is left in the orbital craft and performs experiments in orbit while the rest of the crew is on the surface). After the surface mission is complete, docks with the ascent stage of the lander and brings the crew back home.

Optional launch

For mid-term lunar expedition another craft may be launched to the mission site before the lander. Possibilities range from just a supply freighter (with the lander providing the habitation) to a habitation module (LZhM module of Zvezda base).

 

[Matuchkin]

35 minutes ago, Alchemist said:

Лунная база "Звезда"

Wrong quotation marks. In Russian, "___________" is replaced with <<________________>>