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barrykirk
Guest
I"ve got a lot of questions about the new NASA moon plans. What I'm trying to figure out is there another configuration that might be cheaper.<br /><br /><br />I'll start with the Heavy lift cargo launch vehicle.<br /><br />2 SRB extended from 4 sections to 5 sections.<br />5 SSME on an extended shuttle fuel tank.<br /><br />My questions:<br /><br />1) Are the SRB boosters re-usable like the shuttle SRBs? Or to put it another way, do they seperate at about the same velocity and altitude as the shuttle SRBs?<br /><br />2) Looks to me like the 5 SSME with extended shuttle fuel tank goes all the way to LEO. On the old shuttle the fuel tank was disposible, but we got the 3 SSME back. With this system do we lose 5 SSME for every launch?<br /><br />3) How expensive are SSMEs?<br /><br />4) If the SSME is very expensive, would it be possible to build a heat shield/re-entry section just for the SSME and not the tank? How much payload would we lose by doing that?<br /><br />5) Does it make any sense to go to 4 SRB instead of 2? How much would that increase the payload? Would it increase the velocity / altitude of SRB seperation to the point where they are no longer re-usuable?<br /><br />6) How much cheaper would the core engines be if they burned LOX/RP1 instead of LOX/LH2? In other words, Saturn V first stage style engines? Would that drop the payload? Could that be compensated by going to 4 SRBs?<br /><br /><br />And for the Crew Launch Vehicle.<br /><br />1 SRB and 1 SSME<br /><br />1) So, it looks like we lose another SSME for each launch?<br /><br />Hey, I just thought of a use for an actual lifting body shuttle. Would it be possible to gather up all of these SSME engines from multiple launches and return them to earth in the cargo bay of an old style shuttle? Just a thought.