Mercury on Molniya. Around the Moon in 1961.

[syndroma]

What you think?<br /><br />(image by Anton Dechev)

 

[CalliArcale]

The biggest problem I can see is that Mercury isn't built for missions of any real duration. Electrical power was provided entirely by batteries, for instance. Gemini would be a better choice, but can Molniya (or any of the other R-7 variants) loft that to the Moon? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[vogon13]

In that time frame, the Soviets had not yet perfected the upper stage depicted on the right. (wish I had my book on it handy)<br /><br />They regularly failed. Sadly many unannounced exciting lunar and planetary missions were lost on that balky upper stage.<br /><br />Maybe a little closer space race had the upper stage worked from the start.<br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[tap_sa]

reentry would have been very rough since Mercury was purely ballistic capsule.

 

[davf]

It wouldn't have had the guidance, the heat sheild protection for a lunar velocity reentry, nor the ability to make corrections to the flight path.<br /><br />Sign me up!

 

[ve7rkt]

> Gemini would be a better choice, but can Molniya (or any of the other R-7 variants) loft that to the Moon? <<br /><br />There was a Molniya variant, 8K78L, designed to throw a 5000kg manned capsule around the Moon, but it was never actually built.<br /><br />A Gemini capsule, complete with equipment modules so it retains its maneuvering ability, weighs less than 4000kg...

 

[publiusr]

Nice artwork anyway. Perhaps a good Inter-Planetary Ballistic Missile! IPBM

 

[ace5]

nonsense