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Realistic Solar System Crafts - MEGATHREAD

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avi

avi

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I guess I lied when I said I was done with heavy lifters, I have one more.

I wanted to try lifting 240T to orbit without SRB's. As much as I like my SLS Block III, rockets with RP1/LOX lower stages can be more fun to fly. As such, I created by own Nova rocket. In the 1960s, NASA was seeking designs for extremely heavy lifters, in order to launch a mission to Mars. These lifters were submitted under the Nova program. The following is my submission. The bottom stages are 12.2m wide and the top stage is 8.4m wide. The bottom stage is powered by 9 F-1 engines. The second stage is powered by 2 M-1 engines. The third stage is powered by 2 J-2x engines; it is the same as the second stage that was planned for the SLS Block II. The bottom stage hauls ass, so it might be a good idea to disable throttle down near engine cutoff, otherwise you'll be going near 5 Gs towards the end.

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Fenisse

Fenisse

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Really, flying with 60s-70s technology is making this game much more fun. Good job yet again, avi, you are making really me feel like I need a bigger launcher... Oh wait I had one, was it last year? I even put it upside down :D This might be a little old, but it made GusTurbo laugh (as he stated when giving me rep). Again, FEAR MY HEAVY LIFTER YA SCRUBS!

6UkQsTN.png

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Fenisse

Fenisse

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I think it was able to carry that 35t CSM with more than enough fuel in the upper stage on a Trans-Ma-- erm, on a trip to the center of the Earth!

That's a two stage to Mar-- erm the ground?

(I should stop saying erm all those times in a row)

Edit, now that I look at it better, that was the Lunar Base Habitation Mission to crew my Lunar Base I launched on my heavily modified Saturn V. In this config it has a lander inside the fairing and a smaller upper stage.

Edited by Fenisse
I noticed something
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Fenisse

Fenisse

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Then I'd estimate you probably had close to 100 Tons to very, very, very low earth orbit.

Actually, in the normal Mars version it could carry 50+ tons to Mars, as my missions are usually divided in smaller modules, then there was the Munar Version which could carry 55 tons to the Moon (the CSM was under 25 tons in that mission + a 30 tons lander, and I don't even know how I managed to do that, I believe I used the Cryogenic Orion with the modded tanks) and the Super Heavy Lifter version, with bigger diameter upper stage, a larger first stage with more SSMEs, 2 Pyrios boosters and two SSSRBS to lift it off the ground. That could carry a BIG payload to Mars, probably more than 120 tons, with the enlarged second stage, I'd better not speak of when I attached a nuclear third stage to it... It could do Jupiter and back with the Cryogenic Orion, if you used the modded Cryo Tanks.

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Fenisse

Fenisse

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God damn, how did you make that? I don't think my Nova-A could get much more than 100T to Mars. Maybe it could do 120, but I'd be a bit surprised.

Those are the mysteries of my old saves... I believe that is doable with Cryogenic propellants... if only I had that craft file I could give you the specs, but wouldn't reccomend flying it either, it was wobbly as hell.

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avi

avi

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Oh, well that's no fun. My Egregiously Heavy Launch Vehicle (I am just now realizing I should have called it the Ludicrously Heavy Launch Vehicle) could fly, but it made the framerates sluggish as hell.

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Pwnstarr

Pwnstarr

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Does ~630t of vehicle sound outrageous for getting a 30t payload to 380km orbit? I'm new to realism, my mind is exploding seeing your 100-200 ton payloads.... any suggested optimizations I could do here without breaking out the slide rule?

Lifter stage (one 4-nozzle RD-181 (?) and four Saturn 5m tanks :P):

Los5gcQ.png

Not shown: intermediate RP-1/LOX stage, the fuel tank is right behind the front fairing and engine is in the striped cone.

Payload (small MMH/NTO stage) :

N827OFC.png

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Kibble

Kibble

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Has a high resemblance to the never-produced Galaxy Express...

Hey I never heard of that. Looks pretty, but I can see why it never became operational - its role is already fulfilled by Delta II. His rocket does look pretty similar, except for no RD-180, and same diameter upper stage.

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Pwnstarr

Pwnstarr

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It's a better mass ratio than most launch vehicles in the same payload class. Nice rocket!

Thanks. A quick survey I did of various real life mass : payload ratios in many rockets seems to show the initial ratios generally in the 30s - low 40s? Pretty interesting. Granted, this is fiction.

Hey I never heard of that. Looks pretty, but I can see why it never became operational - its role is already fulfilled by Delta II. His rocket does look pretty similar, except for no RD-180, and same diameter upper stage.

That makes sense... good eye too.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Sparker

Sparker

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I've finished my Mars journey:

The only real problem i had was with the Mars-Earth transfer, the ship needed 200 more m/s Delta-V. But who would stop the show because of that, right? :rolleyes:

Also, immelman asked half a month ago:

Nice, how much was the total mission mass compared to what you landed?

Sorry to answer that so late. The three small modules were 100-ton at LEO and about 12 tons on Mars surface. The Mars Ascent Vehicle was about 230 tons on LEO. The car on the surface was about 5 tons. The mass of the big crew transfer rocket was ~400 tons on LEO.

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avi

avi

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Given my previous contributions to the thread, this rocket will seem relatively light. It lifts 70T into orbit, weighing 1700T on the pad with payload. The first stage has 3 F-1 engines, and the second stage has two J-2 engines. It gets into orbit pretty quickly, exhausting its fuel supply in around 7 minutes. It's 6.6m wide, so if you wanted to replace the upper stage with the S-IVb you'd get similar performance, but it'd be very slow.

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I like this rocket. 70T is a pretty good amount, and being of a simple design it's smaller, easier to fly, and less expensive than the SLS block I, which has similar lift capabilities. You can do a lot with 70T to orbit, including launch a probe to anywhere without gravity assists.

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