Category Archives: Lunar

SpaceX Did It – What It Should Do Next

Posted on Wed, 2015-12-23 by gravityloss

Congratulations to SpaceX who landed the first stage intact. Assuming cost is roughly related to stage mass and engine count, reusing the first stage saves 9/10 of the whole rocket cost. If they can run the stage ten times, that … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Depot, Design, engines, industry, Launchers, Lunar, RLV:s, Spacecraft, SpaceX, Transportation | Leave a comment

Running in lunar gravity

Posted on Tue, 2010-11-02 by gravityloss

You can simulate lunar gravity quite easily on Earth – just suspend a man from his center of gravity and put him on a very inclined plane. Hilarity will ensue. Sigh, embedding broke again for no reason…. I never expected … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Lunar, NASA, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Gravity Assist Competition

Posted on Wed, 2010-10-06 by gravityloss

Or The Space Game, by ESA. This is a nice javascript webpage where a probe is shot from Earth to Jupiter with gravity assists at Venus (twice), Earth and Mars. You try to achieve the lowest propulsive delta vee. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Astronomy, Depot, Design, Energy, ESA, Homebuilt, industry, Launchers, Lunar, Models, Motivation, Science Links, Spacecraft | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Humans Fast, Machines Slow

Posted on Thu, 2010-09-09 by gravityloss

Detach a small capsule with the humans that goes directly to the surface (with only days of life support) and leave the untended craft to do multi-pass aerobraking Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Colonization, Depot, engines, ESA, Global, industry, ISRU, JAXA, Lunar, Models, Motivation, NASA, RLV:s, Science Links, Spacecraft, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Proposed US On-Orbit Propellant Transfer System

Posted on Tue, 2010-04-13 by gravityloss

For the ISS. The shuttle would transfer unused hypergolics to the ISS propulsion module. ATV as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISS_Propulsion_Module It was canceled and instead Progress and ATV are used directly for most boosting. Nevertheless the technology could be useful in developing … Continue reading →

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Far Away, Yet So Close

Posted on Tue, 2010-03-02 by gravityloss

He who controls the [Earth-Moon Lagrange points/Phobos/Deimos/Lunar North Pole], controls the solar system. Why? Because in space, it is not the tyranny of distance that sets the rules – it’s delta vee instead. Since there’s no resistance, traveling large distances … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Colonization, ISRU, Lunar, Motivation, NASA | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

NASA Fails to Renew

Posted on Thu, 2010-01-28 by gravityloss

NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the moon are dead. So are the rockets being designed to take them there — that is, if President Barack Obama gets his way. Sayeth Orlando Sentinel. Haven’t followed NASA’s latest movements. The Augustine … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Demotivation, industry, Lunar, NASA, RLV:s, Spacecraft | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Doug Stanley Backs Depots

Posted on Tue, 2009-12-08 by gravityloss

Doug Stanley, the notorious ESAS leader has said some strange things (this is his option three, one being Ares I and two Ares V): Eliminating Ares 1 and 5 and all shuttle infrastructure could save NASA future costs that could … Continue reading →

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Dual Propellant Expander

Posted on Thu, 2009-11-12 by gravityloss

Or what you are going to call it, an unrealized proposal from Aerojet around 1984. PDF Found on NTRS. The idea was to have two turbopumps (like on SSME), but instead operate on the expander cycle. Two heat exchangers, two … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Depot, engines, industry, ISRU, Lunar, NASA, RLV:s, Spacecraft, Transportation | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Xombie NOW

Posted on Wed, 2009-10-07 by gravityloss

Live stream just went up at http://qik.com/video/312581 they should be flying at 45 past whatever hour it is now in your time zone. Now on the pad loading propellants and helium. EDIT: And they did it! Congratulations! Also great accuracy. … Continue reading →

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