Orbit Only Transport System (idea)

[NSEP]

Oi peeps, last night i thought of a idea that kept me awake at night.

The Orbit Only Transport System is a space only vehicle, that transports crew from space station to space station. It can also be used for other missions.

I dont know how such a thing would exactly look like, because these things could come in many different shapes and sizes. Im working on something now.

Expected FAQ:

Q: Does it have a return module? And if not, what would you do if something like a leak or a fire appears?

A: It does not, it would add in alot of extra weight and it would cost more. The only way to deal with leaks, fire and other failures is to avoid the causes. Leaks could be caused by micrometeorites and space debris, and you could avoid that by changing your orbital trajectory, or having luck. Fires can be caused by electrical failure, to avoid thay, the wires have to be checked every weekand the electricity usage has to be regulated

Q: Why cant you just use a spacecraft like the Soyuz or the Dragon (V2)?

A: Because those are built to send crew from Earth to Space and the other way around. They have special seats and pther hardware mainly used for launch and re-entry, wich could be a waste of money and resources. The OOTS can also be used for other thongs like science missions.

This post is not finished, but you can start discussing anyways.

 

Edited November 28, 2016 by NSEP

[Gaarst]

If your two stations are on the same orbit, then sure. Else, no.

Inclination changes are insanely expensive in LEO, neither the Soyuz nor the Dragon have the capability of transferring from one station to another (they pack at most a handful of hundreds m/s of dV which is enough to circularise, rendez-vous, deorbit but not much more). To be able to transfer from one station to another you'd basically need a really big fuel tank with a small payload on top. Since you'd need to refuel it for each transfer anyway, you might as well launch your thing from the ground.

[NSEP]

14 minutes ago, Gaarst said:

If your two stations are on the same orbit, then sure. Else, no.

Inclination changes are insanely expensive in LEO, neither the Soyuz nor the Dragon have the capability of transferring from one station to another (they pack at most a handful of hundreds m/s of dV which is enough to circularise, rendez-vous, deorbit but not much more). To be able to transfer from one station to another you'd basically need a really big fuel tank with a small payload on top. Since you'd need to refuel it for each transfer anyway, you might as well launch your thing from the ground.

Yes, two stations with nearly the same orbit will be required, i know that. It is going to be launched from the ground, and it will get refueled per transfer is needed. But it will be reused, they are like busses.

Are 2 stations in nearly the same orbit really that safe? Should 2 space stations with a like about 15 km altitude difference be a safe thing? If so, a "space station zone" should exist, where the inclination is the same and spacecraft could transfer to spacestations easier.

[Kryten]

23 minutes ago, Gaarst said:

If your two stations are on the same orbit, then sure. Else, no.

Inclination changes are insanely expensive in LEO, neither the Soyuz nor the Dragon have the capability of transferring from one station to another (they pack at most a handful of hundreds m/s of dV which is enough to circularise, rendez-vous, deorbit but not much more). To be able to transfer from one station to another you'd basically need a really big fuel tank with a small payload on top. Since you'd need to refuel it for each transfer anyway, you might as well launch your thing from the ground.

Soyuz has demonstrated travel between space stations; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_T-15

[Gaarst]

11 minutes ago, Kryten said:

Soyuz has demonstrated travel between space stations; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_T-15

The two stations were essentially in the same orbit, one higher than the other. It just amounts to doing your regular Hohmann transfer to the highest station.

[NSEP]

13 minutes ago, Kryten said:

Soyuz has demonstrated travel between space stations; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_T-15

Interesting!

[James Kerman]

Basically you need a space bus.

I would build a crew transfer vehicle that had enough fuel to de-orbit itself (it could be used for return in an emergency or a life raft - if one station had a problem dock to the other until its safe to return).

In KSP I'd make an RCS tug with 6 or so command chairs.

[magnemoe]

58 minutes ago, Gaarst said:

The two stations were essentially in the same orbit, one higher than the other. It just amounts to doing your regular Hohmann transfer to the highest station.

This, we get spoiled in KSP as all orbits are at equator. 
In KSP it makes perfectly sense to do ship to ship movements or keep kerbals on an space station later operations,

[YNM]

16 hours ago, Kryten said:

Soyuz has demonstrated travel between space stations; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_T-15

Mir :

Orbital inclination	51.6 degrees
Orbital speed	7.7 km/s (27,700 km/h, 17,200 mph)
Orbital period	91.9 minutes ()

ISS :

Orbital inclination 51.64 degrees Orbital speed 7.67 km/s (27,600 km/h; 17,200 mph)[3] Orbital period 92.65 minutes

 

Edited November 29, 2016 by YNM

[p1t1o]

Bing bang boom: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_tug

[kerbiloid]

"Parom" project (cancelled)

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/parom.html

[Stone Blue]

and an old proposal:



NASA LUNOX

 

Edited November 29, 2016 by Stone Blue

[Stone Blue]

Which, by the way, has been modded for KSP TWICE already

[cantab]

Be a prime case for something with high efficiency and moderate thrust. The thrust can't be too low because we want to be able to do the transfers in a reasonable time. An arcjet might be suitable, with specific impulses in the 500-1500 s range reasonable, and thrusts rather better than the kind of ion engine the Dawn spacecraft used.