Jump to content

[New] Space Launch System / Orion Discussion Thread


Recommended Posts

1 minute ago, Rutabaga22 said:

Is there ANY way SLS could be reusable? I know people constantly ask if it is reusable, but I want to know if it could.

They could probably find to refurbish the boosters like in the shuttle but would lead to the usual NASA delay's, core booster is hopeless as it's just not designed for reuse, same goes for upper stage and literally everything but the Orion capsule which I think can go more than once.

This had better work, say what you will about the rocket but if this fails the entire US moon program is ruined overnight.

Sweating Towel Guy | Know Your Meme

It's time lads'

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Rutabaga22 said:

Is there ANY way SLS could be reusable? I know people constantly ask if it is reusable, but I want to know if it could.

I mean, if they were smart enough to at least reuse those expensive engines, it would be partially reusable. ULA is already going to try it with Vulcan Centaur.

If Vulcan Centaur is successful with its trick, SLS might be reworked to add that feature. You know, since each rocket does cost 4 billion dollars and all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, Rutabaga22 said:

Is there ANY way SLS could be reusable? I know people constantly ask if it is reusable, but I want to know if it could.

No, unless you count the core sinking someplace where sea creatures can inhabit it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, Rutabaga22 said:

Is there ANY way SLS could be reusable? I know people constantly ask if it is reusable, but I want to know if it could.

You could commission diving teams to go and dredge up the remains of the SRBs from the Atlantic Ocean and dredge up the remains of the core from the Indian Ocean and melt down all the tangled fragments and use a refinery to separate the raw metals and re-forge them into parts of a new rocket, sure.

Recovery and reconstruction of the SRBs isn’t THAT hard. They did that with the Space Shuttle program, after all. But you aren’t really reusing the same SRBs. You’re recovering the smouldering metal cylinders and then cutting them apart and cleaning them and filling the rings up with new propellant and putting them back together, usually in a different order. The cost of recovery is higher than the cost of just sourcing new metal.

The core is traveling MUCH too fast to recover. It’s technically in orbit. It would need something like SMART reuse with a separate expandable heat shield and mid-air recovery, or something. And the engines on SLS are almost certainly too heavy for mid-air recovery. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, intelliCom said:

I mean, if they were smart enough to at least reuse those expensive engines, it would be partially reusable. ULA is already going to try it with Vulcan Centaur.

If Vulcan Centaur is successful with its trick, SLS might be reworked to add that feature. You know, since each rocket does cost 4 billion dollars and all.

Vulcan stages at below orbital velocity, but still pretty fast, >5 km/s I think(?). Even with SLS Block 1B flying to a circularized parking orbit (vs the eccentric orbit it has to use for Block 1), it will be moving pretty fast. SMART might well be able to be scaled up for that, but the mass penalty would be a concern given that SLS can barely get Orion to even a distant lunar orbit. Also, 4 RS-25s is ~12t, not including the fact you'd need the whole thrust structure, plus the ballute... probably north of 25t? 30?

1 minute ago, sevenperforce said:

The core is traveling MUCH too fast to recover. It’s technically in orbit. It would need something like SMART reuse with a separate expandable heat shield and mid-air recovery, or something. And the engines on SLS are almost certainly too heavy for mid-air recovery. 

Yeah, should have added that above with the 25+t estimate. No way to actually capture it once floating down.

Not to mention such a plan would take the SLS people another 10 years, and might change the GSE (and need a new ML, lol).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, intelliCom said:

I mean, if they were smart enough to at least reuse those expensive engines, it would be partially reusable. ULA is already going to try it with Vulcan Centaur.

If Vulcan Centaur is successful with its trick, SLS might be reworked to add that feature. You know, since each rocket does cost 4 billion dollars and all.

The four engines on SLS weigh six times as much as the two engines on Vulcan.

You’re gonna need a gigantic heli. Bigger than the largest heavy-lift Sikorsky helicopter in existence. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, sevenperforce said:

You’re gonna need a gigantic heli. Bigger than the largest heavy-lift Sikorsky helicopter in existence. 

Yeah, a CH-53 lift load is 36,000lbs, ~16 metric tons—and that is not the same as a catch from a load standpoint. So they'd also need to develop a new helicopter.

More jobs in more districts!

Edited by tater
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, sevenperforce said:

Recovery and reconstruction of the SRBs isn’t THAT hard. They did that with the Space Shuttle program, after all. But you aren’t really reusing the same SRBs. You’re recovering the smouldering metal cylinders and then cutting them apart and cleaning them and filling the rings up with new propellant and putting them back together, usually in a different order. The cost of recovery is higher than the cost of just sourcing new metal.

 

will be even harder when BOLE comes online.

also I dont think anyones mentioned, weather is back up to 90% PGO

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Gargamel said:

Am i hearing chatter of another Hydrogen leak?   I missed the lead on the subject as I jump in and out of the NASAspaceflight stream.

Somewhere on the upper stage I think. I'm also jumping in and out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...