(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Reusable NewSpace: Reentry Vehicle, Part III [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-17 TABLE OF CONTENTS =<<>>= PASSENGER MODE As was discussed in an earlier page, the cockpit layout has two pilots side–by–side, with a glass cockpit and what will look like large screen TVs in the place of windows in front and on the sides of the pilots. The crew operates the VentureStar spaceliner remotely, from takeoff to wheels–stop, just like the way the military operates un–crewed (drone) aircraft. There is a major difference, however. When the VentureStar is carrying passengers, the exact same cockpit is placed inside our passenger module. The pilots fly the spacecraft remotely – like a drone – from inside the spacecraft! =<<>>= VENTURESTAR ESCAPE MODULE One of the main criticisms about the design of the US Space Shuttle was its lack of an escape mechanism from the launch pad through the first two minutes of flight. Unlike capsules, the Space Shuttle could not use an escape tower, similar to what Apollo and Soyuz use. If something happens during liftoff, the crew had to ride it out to Solid Rocket Booster separation, where an abort sequence would have been performed by the pilots involving flipping the shuttle 180 degrees around to head back to the launch site while still attached to the External Tank and under power. But either way, the Space Shuttle crew had no chance of escape during the first two minutes of flight. Our VentureStar RV spaceliner will have an escape module loaded into the payload bay like any other ordinary cargo. =<<>>= VEM ARCHITECTURE The VentureStar Escape Module (VEM) will be constructed in two parts. The Pressurized Section houses the astronaut crew. The Escape Section houses all of the hardware to escape from the spacecraft. Image 1: VentureStar Escape Module interior view The Escape Section is similar to the military F–111 ejection capsule. The VEM will be loaded into the Cargo Hold. Thirty–five people ride into space inside the VEM (Image 1), ready to punch out at any sign of catastrophe. The mass of the pressurized section of the VEM is summarized in the Table below. VEM Structure 3,922 kg Unpressurized HDR 48 kg Hatch and Bulkhead 32 kg Electrical Power 288 kg Communications 745 kg Instrumentation 382 kg Misc. Equipment 209 kg Crew Systems 439 kg Total Food Requirement 150 kg EC/LSS 614 kg Contingency 84 kg VEM Pressurized Section 6,913 kg The overall VEM mass is: VEM Mass = PRESSURIZED SECTION + CREW + ESCAPE SECTION = 6913 + 2849 + 11241 = 21,003 kg =<<>>= VEM EJECTION SEQUENCE The ejection envelope will encompass the region from the launch pad to Max Q. After that, the spaceliner must try to continue its climb to outer space, or try to get back to a lower altitude and eject, or land downrange at a designated Bingo site. The spaceliner can eject with a speed of anywhere between zero and 2 Mach and with an altitude of zero to around 80 km AGL. Kindly note: the actual performance specifications are beyond the scope of this paper, and will be left to more knowledgeable people. The ejection sequence should proceed as follows (Image 2): Image 2: VEM Ejection Sequence The two cargo doors are blown clear from the spaceliner. The VEM is mechanically separated from the spaceliner. SRBs fire from the bottom and aft portions of the VEM The VEM continues to increase the distance from the crippled spaceliner The SRB runs out of fuel The Escape Section of the VEM falls away from the Pressurized Section A drogue chute is used to stabilize the Pressurized Section The main parachute(s) deploy to slow the descent rate The covering for the Floatation Collar is jettisoned The Floatation Collar is inflated Once the floatation collar has been inflated, the Pressurized Section should be able to either come down in the water or on land. Once down, two 20–person rafts are deployed. If the VEM lands in the water, the floatation collar keeps the Pressurized section afloat whilst the crew abandons ship into the rafts. If the VEM is bound for solid ground, the floatation collar is used to cushion the impact. The front of the floatation collar will pop open upon impact, allowing air to escape as the VEM settles to the ground. Afterward, the crew abandons ship into the rafts. Once secured in the raft, the crew waits until the world comes to them due to the global nature of the search and rescue efforts that would surely ensue. =<<>>= VENTURESTAR LIFETIME The VentureStar will have a 7–day turnaround time, that is, the RV spaceliner will launch every seven days. It will spend one day in space and six days being refurbished and reloaded for relaunched. The blueprint calls for a launch rate of two every 15 days, or 12 times per quarter (48 per year). It also calls for launching three RVs every day for 8 days out of every 15 (24 flights every 15 days). This requires a total of 12 spaceliners to accommodate this schedule. An additional four RVs will be constructed as well for various non–flyable scenarios: one will be down for scheduled maintenance, one will be down for unscheduled maintenance, one will stay aloft for eight days, and one will account for a loss of vehicle. That is a grand total of 16 RVs in four years, implying a construction rate of 4 spaceliners per year or one every three months (one a season). After four years of service, the spaceliner will then be replaced, with the old spaceliner deleted from the fleet. With a loss of one vehicle approximately every four years, that computes to a "triple–nine" safety rate of 0.999628 (99.96%). =<<>>= VENTURESTAR DISPOSAL Once the VentureStar spaceliner has reached its operational lifetime of 192 launches and recoveries, it will need to be properly disposed of. The first few RVs will be displayed at the Spaceport America Museum that we plan to build in the future. It would be desirable if the other spaceliners wound up in other museums around the world. On their last mission into space, the spaceliner would essentially Bingo to the host city, where they take possession and display it as they see fit. 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