I found a cool scale picture

[KASASpace]

Albert, the Delta V Heavy is not in that picture.

What's really laughable is that the Delta V Heavy is one and a half times the size of the Falcon 9 Heavy and yet it has only 70% the payload capacity of the F9 heavy. SpaceX FTW.

What's the Delta V Heavy? Are you confusing the Delta IV with the Atlas V? Or is this something far more sinister?

[Bioman222]

This is:

[Giggleplex777]

I love how the smallest rocket on that picture is from poland...

http://tanasinn.info/images/6/66/POLAND_-_CANNOT_INTO_SPACE.gif

Apparently, it's this:

[astropapi1]

As Badass as it gets.

AFAIK, this is the world's largest rocket in use.

EDIT:

Apparently, it's this:

http://www.dars.org/gallery/naram44/8/p8080543.jpg

Edited February 7, 2014 by astropapi1

[SFJackBauer]

Delta V does not exists (at least yet). The above pictures are from Delta IV Heavy.

(Well, delta-V we all know it exists, but as in a rocket name, no.)

[metaphor]

THis looks to me to be of the wrong scale. For one thing, the Mercury capsule is not one fifteenth the length of the shuttle, and Soyuz is much smaller.

The Mercury spacecraft was 3.3 meters long. The Space Shuttle orbiter was 37 meters long. The Soyuz is about 7.5 meters long.

[KASASpace]

The Mercury spacecraft was 3.3 meters long. The Space Shuttle orbiter was 37 meters long. The Soyuz is about 7.5 meters long.

Any CREDIBLE sources?

[KASASpace]

Air Force X-37b

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2011/07/18/X37%20ALTV%20Vegas.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Boeing_X-37B_after_ground_tests_at_Vandenberg_AFB,_October_2007.jpg

I would call the X-37b a "rebirth" of the X-20.

[metaphor]

Any CREDIBLE sources?

I would say Wikipedia is a more credible source than "it looks wrong".

Here are some more "official" sources. 1 2 3

[DisarmingBaton5]

Wow. Skylon is HUGE.

[metaphor]

Wow. Skylon is HUGE.

It's about the same size as a Falcon 9. You have to remember Skylon is a launch vehicle (the vast majority of its mass and volume is fuel) while all the other things shown on that diagram are just spacecraft. The actual payload of a Skylon would be something about the size of the Soyuz.

Edited February 8, 2014 by metaphor

[KASASpace]

I would say Wikipedia is a more credible source than "it looks wrong".

Here are some more "official" sources. 1 2 3

In those sources it countermands what you said.

For instance, Mercury, according to you source, is 2 meters long, rather than 3.3. And Soyuz is 7.2 meters, rather than 7.5.

[KASASpace]

Ah Gemini.

She was beautiful.

It was like a plane cockpit.

You could do anything in that craft.

Dock, rendezvous, and even (by Gordo himself) ghost rendezvous.

Farewell.

The.......

best spacecraft

EVER.

[astropapi1]

Ah Gemini.

She was beautiful.

It was like a plane cockpit.

You could do anything in that craft.

Dock, rendezvous, and even (by Gordo himself) ghost rendezvous.

Farewell.

The.......

best spacecraft

EVER.

Amen. I love that ship.

[KASASpace]

Amen. I love that ship.

I wish there were good ways to replicate it in KSP.

[astropapi1]

I wish there were good ways to replicate it in KSP.

Well, there's FASA.

[KASASpace]

Well, there's FASA.

Yes, but I try my best to keep it vanilla.......

shame, it was the best spacecraft, better than all. It could have GONE TO THE MOON!

But thanks anyways.

[Camacha]

It must have been so cramped in the command module during the trip to and from the moon. 8 days is a lot of time to spend in that small area, especially with three other people.

It is actually okay, especially compared to Mercury and Gemini. Sure, it is not spacious (heh) in any way, but quite doable. The poor souls on Gemini 7 had a harder time, stuck shoulder to shoulder in a tiny two man pod for 14 days, eating, sleeping, pooping and (not) washing together. A space walk was simply done by opening the door, instead of the more modern approach of using an airlock. I was wondering whether they lived in their suits the whole time and found this:

During the mission, Lovell was the first person to take his pressure suit off, which was achieved with great difficulty due to his size. Borman later was able to get his suit off, and biomedical data collected during the flight confirmed that astronauts would be more comfortable during Apollo lunar flights in a shirt-sleeve environment, wearing flight suits during "non-critical" phases of the mission. This led to the wearing of such flight suits from Apollo 7 to the present day.

The Apollo pod had the advantage of a movable crew couch, creating more empty space after lift off for the astronauts to live in.

[Camacha]

shame, it was the best spacecraft, better than all.

It has played its important role, but let's not forget the burden it placed on the astronauts by being extremely cramped, hot and quite a bit uncomfortable. There were also quite a number of significant but non-critical failures. Great craft, but really the step it was supposed to be.

[KASASpace]

It has played its important role, but let's not forget the burden it placed on the astronauts by being extremely cramped, hot and quite a bit uncomfortable. There were also quite a number of significant but non-critical failures. Great craft, but really the step it was supposed to be.

Yes but by Gemini 12, it was better than Apollo.

All the bugs ironed out, save it's comfort problems.

It was light, too. Weighing at most about 4 tons. FOUR TONS.

It was the exact diamter of a Centaur, so you strap one on the back and go for a ride, heh heh.

[astropapi1]

Shame, it was the best spacecraft, better than all. It could have GONE TO THE MOON!

I don't think so... That's Gemini's only problem, space. You wouldn't go on a three-day trip to the moon sitting on the same chair, would you? For anything up to LKO service, Gemini was perfect. From then on, it would be pretty much useless without an extra module, like the Soyuz's orbital module.

However, an expanded version of Gemini (Big G-like) would be awesome.

[Dooz]

How is skylon gonna dock without breaking things??? .

[Klingon Admiral]

How is skylon gonna dock without breaking things??? .

With great care, like any other spacecraft does. And even if Skylon will become reality, the ISS will not be it's primary destination, even if Skylon is ready in the early 20s, the ISS will rapidly approach the end of it's lifespan by that date.

If Skylon proves feasible, the next space station(s) will be designed with it in mind.

[Camacha]

Yes but by Gemini 12, it was better than Apollo.

All the bugs ironed out, save it's comfort problems.

How do you figure that? It was the final Gemini flight, and the radar failed (causing a manual rendezvous) and there was a problem with the Agena.

I don't think so... That's Gemini's only problem, space. You wouldn't go on a three-day trip to the moon sitting on the same chair, would you?

Did you read the posts above? Gemini 7 was a (near) 14 day mission, a lot more than the Apollo 11 mission of a little over a week. That was all done in the same cramped seat, eating, sleeping, pooping, you name it. Imagine living in the driver's seat of a sportscar car for two weeks, with another guy right next to you...

[NovaSilisko]

re: Delta IV Heavy vs Falcon Heavy

For what it's worth, DIVH has flown several times, while Falcon Heavy has yet to have any hardware shown (modified F9 cores for boosters, decoupling mechanisms, etc). That and the full 53 mt version won't debut until later - the initial version will have similar capability to the DIVH (at much lower prices I should add though).

re: Gemini

It would've been grand to see Gemini one day expanded into BIG G http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Gemini

All the bugs ironed out

That state does not exist, especially in spaceflight. To think otherwise is to invite disaster.

Edited February 9, 2014 by NovaSilisko