Constellation: Apollo on steroids or Big Gemini

[moonmadness]

Big Gemini<br />From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<br />Jump to: navigation, search<br />Big G redirects here. Big G is also often used to refer to G, the gravitational constant <br /> <br />Big Gemini spacecraft concept, August, 1969. (NASA)Big Gemini (or "Big G") was proposed to NASA by McDonnell Douglas in August, 1969, as an advanced version of the Gemini spacecraft system. It was intended to provide large-capacity, all-purpose access to space, including missions that ultimately used Apollo or the Space Shuttle.<br /><br />The study was performed to generate a preliminary definition of a logistic spacecraft derived from Gemini that would be used to resupply an orbiting space station. Land-landing at a preselected site and refurbishment and reuse were design requirements. Two baseline spacecraft were defined: a nine-man minimum modification version of the Gemini B called Min-Mod Big G and a 12-man advanced concept, having the same exterior geometry but with new, state-of-the-art subsystems, called Advanced Big G. Three launch vehicles-Saturn IB, Titan IIIM, and S-IC/S- IVB-were investigated for use with the spacecraft. The Saturn IB was discarded late in the study.<br /><br />The spacecraft consisted of a crew module designed by extending the Gemini B exterior cone to a 419-cm-diameter heat shield and a cargo propulsion module. Recovery of the crew module would be effected by means of a gliding parachute (parawing). The parametric analyses and point design of the parawing were accomplished by Northrop- Ventura Company under a subcontract, and the contents of their final report were incorporated into the document. The landing attenuation of the spacecraft would be accomplished by a skid landing gear extended from the bottom of the crew module, allowing the crew to land in an upright position. The propulsion functions of transfer, rendezvous, attitude control, and retrograde would be performed by a single liquid propellant system, and launch escape would be provided by a <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>I'm not a rocket scientist, but I do play one on the TV in my mind.</p> </div>

 

[moonmadness]

Land-landing at a preselected site<br /><br />would be used to resupply an orbiting space station.<br /><br />Crew size: 9 to 12 <br /><br />sounds familiar <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>I'm not a rocket scientist, but I do play one on the TV in my mind.</p> </div>

 

[christine16]

Big Gemini never existed

 

[Boris_Badenov]

The Big G could not go to the Moon or Mars, the Constellation program ships will. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#993300"><span class="body"><font size="2" color="#3366ff"><div align="center">. </div><div align="center">Never roll in the mud with a pig. You'll both get dirty & the pig likes it.</div></font></span></font> </div>