(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Reusable NewSpace: Reentry Vehicle, Part II [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-14 TABLE OF CONTENTS =<<>>= CARGO HOLD Image 1: VentureStar Cargo Hold Dimensions The VentureStar Cargo Hold is similar to all cargo holds from sailing ships to airliners. The dimensions of the hold take advantage of the design of the spaceliner (Image 1). The VentureStar was once derided for its internal volume inefficiency. Those inefficiencies are now tuned to our advantage by having the equivalent of two cargo holds. =<<>>= CARGO CONTAINERS Miscellaneous cargo can be fitted into one of three different sizes of containers for easy transport into space. The Cargo Containers will be used to complement other cargo loads going into Standard Earth Orbit. Small Capacity Cargo Container = Capacity + Tare = 5775 + 1209 = 6,984 kg Medium Capacity Cargo Container = Capacity + Tare = 11497 + 2539 = 14,036 kg Large Capacity Cargo Container = Capacity + Tare = 17013 + 3990 = 21,003 kg Rails are attached to the port and starboard sides of the containers to mechanically attach them to the Cargo Hold. All cargo is loaded as far forward as possible for balance purposes (Image B). Each container will be able to transport virtually any size and shape, up to 21,003 kg. =<<>>= COMMAND AND CONTROL The RV spaceliner will be controlled remotely in the same way Un–crewed Aerial Vehicles (UAV) drone aircraft are operated remotely. Command and Control will look no different than the trenches at Mission Control Center at NASA. There will, however, be one glaring difference: the existence of what look to be a number of static (no motion) simulator VentureStar cockpits. The simulator layout has two pilots side–by–side, with a glass cockpit and and what look like high definition monitors in the place of windows in front and on the sides of the pilots. It will look and feel like a static flight simulator. This particular flight simulator, however, is electronically tied to a real spacecraft. The crew operates the spaceliner remotely, from takeoff to orbit to reentry to glide landing to full–stop. The simulated world on the HD monitors will be replaced by the real world when the landing gear is deployed. Small cameras located in the nosewheel and the two main gears will be pointed outward. The nose gear will point forward, while the port main gear points at the 270o mark and the starboard main gear camera points at the 90o mark. =<<>>= FERRY MODE Our spaceliner will remotely land back at its point of origin, that is, back at Spaceport America. Since our shuttle is acting more like a spaceliner, then then the same question must be asked: what happens if and when the the landing has to be diverted? The alternate landing site locations have been previously discussed. A safe landing can be conducted relatively easy at these locations. So how do we get the VentureStar spaceliner back home to Spaceport America? Image 2: VentureStar with jet engines attached It is way too large to transport piggyback style the way the US Space Shuttle had been ferried. The spaceliner cannot fly back because there are no engines and jet fuel tanks. The obvious solution is to attach a set of jet engines, the jet fuel tanks, and all of the assorted hardware and plumbing needed for atmospheric flight. The spaceliner will have one jet engine bolted underneath each wing (Image 2). A large tank will be bolted to the bottom of the VentureStar airframe, and filled with JP–5 jet fuel. =<<>>= FERRY SUPPORT AIRCRAFT Our RV spaceliner will be flown remotely by strapping on a couple of jet engines, a fuel tank, the fuel lines, electrical, APU, etc. But if our spaceliner has Bingoed to another airport, how do we get all of the ferry hardware there? Image 3: The mighty C-5 Galaxy cargo aircraft We will need a cargo aircraft that is capable of carrying such a load. Military cargo aircraft would be the best since they are easier to offload/on–load cargo. Military aircraft are generally not for sale, so we will concentrate our efforts instead on acquiring retired military aircraft. There are many aircraft available from the Aerospace Maintenance and Regenerative Center (AMARC) located in Tucson, AZ to choose from. We will purchase eight Lockheed C–5A Galaxy aircraft (Image 3). As of this writing, there are 57 units available in this preservative dry environment. We are additionally most fortunate that Tucson is located relatively next door to Spaceport America. This will become handy when it is time to fly the eight units out of there. The Prime Flightcrew will include: Pilot in Command (PIC) Copilot Flight Engineer 1 Flight Engineer 2 Loadmaster Total flightcrew aboard: 5 The Cargo Master will occupy the space in the cockpit usually reserved for the Navigator. Additionally, we want to duplicate the Cargo Master's panel from the C–17. When in Ferry Mode, five additional personnel will be added. VentureStar PIC VentureStar Pilot (3) VentureStar Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) Mechanics Total ferry crew aboard: 5 Total crew aboard in ferry mode: 10 Image 4: Updated Interior View of the C-5A Galaxy Aircraft The aircraft has an upper deck and a lower deck, with the upper deck split in two. The lower deck is all cargo, with cargo doors installed in the forward and aft sections (the nose of the aircraft raises up to expose the cargo hold). The forward upper deck houses the cockpit, and the aft upper deck is for passengers. Our idea is to hire an interior decorator to redo the upper sections of the aircraft so that the crew can live inside the aircraft during their time away (Image 4). The aft upper deck should only contain 5 mini apartments. Each apartment will include a buck bed, with the bottom bunk a desk and chair. Each room will include a 3/4–bathroom (shower, toilet, and sink). The aft section will house the galley with a picnic–style table. A Movie area is included in the rear of the upper deck. The forward upper deck should have a commons area that includes a lounge with couches and chairs. A Ready Room will be located at the rear of the forward upper deck. :: During Ferry Mode, the Cargo Hold of the aircraft will carry ground equipment and vehicles to the Bingo site. The loaded cargo will include: (2) Van–style automobiles that can seat eight (4) Four–Wheeler ground vehicles (3) CF6 Turbofan Engines (2) Jet Fuel External Tanks (1) Towbar–less aircraft tug (2) Portable electric power generators (1) Portable Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) (1) Hydraulic lifter (1) Portable VentureStar Cockpit Simulator :: A portable flight simulator will be loaded in the forward section of the C–5A aircraft. The VentureStar pilots will ferry the spacecraft home whilst flying in drone mode from within the C–5A aircraft itself. Two military–grade portable power generators will be used to supply electric power for overnight stays at the Bingo site. Image 5: The CF6 turbofan engine attached to the C-5A Galaxy aircraft A towbar–less aircraft tug will help to move the VentureStar around. The four–wheelers will be used by the VentureStar A&Ps to wing–walk during ground transportation. Finally, we will carry three CF6-80C2K1F turbofan jet engines (Image 5), which are the powerplants of the C–5A Galaxy. We will acquire the engines through the AMARC. These engines will be attached to the VentureStar spacecraft while in Ferry Mode. The C–5A Galaxy allows us to fetch a wayward VentureStar that has landed in another part of the planet. The airplanes will be primarily used to carry cargo from the far reaches of the globe when not ferrying spaceliners. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/14/2243427/-Reusable-NewSpace-Reentry-Vehicle-Part-II?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/