blk@sytek.UUCP (Brian L. Kahn) (12/13/83)
National Public Radio has been playing a short piece about a plan for small, cheap excursion vehicles. The idea is that a space runabout could be lightly built (not having to take off/re-enter), might use off-the-shelf, inexpensive, proven components, and carry suited astronauts all over; out to a half dozen satellites for a little maintenance (or to pick up top secret data), maybe carry something up to a high orbit, perhaps even off to the moon with an oversize gas tank. What do the wise and wonderful net readers think of this idea? The man claims the buggies would only take up 10% of the cargo area! Hey, take two or three! And while you're out, grab me a beer, ok? B<
giles@ucf-cs.UUCP (Bruce Giles) (12/22/83)
[warning -- the first 30 lines are heavy satire, followed ]
[by a reasonable proposition. So don't hit 'q' too fast. ]
I have a couple questions for the folks at NPR:
1: How do the astronauts know where they are?
Do they by roadmaps at the 267 km alt. Shell Station?
2: Speaking of Shell Stations, what do they do when nature
calls? After all, these are not short interorbital hops
(if they where, why not move the entire shuttle?)
3: How do they communicate with the Shuttle? A Radio-Shack
walkie-talkie?
4: Will the space moped have an air-conditioner? heater?
5: What happens if they have a flat? (O.K. -- my sarcasm is
getting too severe, I will get somewhat more serious.)
6: Who do they change direction? Tilt the thing (of course,
with gyroscopes ...)
7: Are there rest stations out there, so the astronauts can
get off and stretch?
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Now that that is out of my system, time for a rational comment:
Unless they want to send crews out with very little life-support
equipment, it seems that any 'moped' is still going to be *very*
large. As a quick estimate, I would say at least the size of a
Gemini capsule. Now I know that the equipment size has shrunk,
but human nature is to put more stuff into the newly opened space,
resulting in no net change. Since Gemini was before my time, I
don't have a good handle on how many you can fit into a shuttle
cargo bay, but it can't be that many.
Of course, once a *permament* space station is up, then I think
several such 'mopeds' moored to the station is an excellent idea.
One possibility would be to build a few more shuttles, leave off
the tiles and wings, put in a long rod (for the control jets that
are on the ends of the wings), or possibily replace the wings (in
space) with a wire mesh platform, and upgrade it so that it can
handle longer duration missions. Launch it, remove the main
engines for use in launching the next 'moped', and trim the thing.
Wa La (sp?) -- a proved, spaceworthy, somewhat economical 'space
moped'.
Or, for that proposed lunar base, retain the main engines and ET.
I recall seeing (somewhere) that the energy required for LEO to
Lunar orbit is approximately the same. (or was that to Mars?)
Anyway, we once again have a deep-space manned vehicle which is
derived from the shuttle, and hence somewhat economical & proven.
Finally, we would have the shuttle and the station/'mopeds'
complimenting each other. For higher orbit satellites, the
shuttle takes the satellite to the station, sticks it on the
'loading dock', the 'moped' loads it up, and deposits it in the
correct orbit. (say, up to geosync). Then we wouldn't have
successful operations/dead patients like the TDRSS/Booster
combination. (Remember the beautiful launch on Overnight?).
Either way, it would certainly not be a very small vehicle if
it is to have man-rating.
Bruce Giles
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---------------------------------------------blk@sytek.UUCP (Brian L. Kahn) (01/10/84)
I see no reason a space moped needs to be any larger than a very small car. The astronaut wears his suit, of course! We may want to carry extra oxygen, and often some cargo and tools, but this is your basic EVA taken another step, NOT commuter traffic. The purpose is dash off to service a few satellites, where 'service' means anything from repair to exchanging raw materials for finished goods. Since they only need to search and locate, all they really need for navigation is telemetry signals from the mother ship. If there is a concern for safety, the astronauts can go out in pairs, like motorcycle cops. And once they are up there, they can be parked for future use! Just take the keys, so the russians don't go hot-rodding around, using up all our gas. As for radiation problems - how about shielding the bottom of the craft but leaving the top open? In case of trouble, put the sun 'underneath' you! B<