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Reusable NewSpace: Propellant Module [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2024-06-21  

“Nobody kicks ass without tanker gas.”

– Old USAF Boomer Operator Proverb

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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PM ARCHITECTURE

Image 1; a 1970s era Liquid Hydrogen Fuel Depot in Earth orbit

The Propellant Module (PM) is an important vehicle in order to achieve the reuse portion of reuse and commonality.

In the past, NASA had envisioned a propellant depot in Earth orbit (Image 1).

Our vision is slightly different in that we need LO 2 as well as LH 2 . So a propellant depot in orbit is not feasible.

Instead, our plan is to refill a propellant module (PM) and bring it up to orbit. Once emptied, the PM returns to Earth for refurbishment, refill, and relaunch.

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Image 2: The PM internal view

PM AIRFRAME

The Propellant Module (PM) will be a variant of the OV, where the rocket engine is replaced by a cryogenic replenishment system.

Image 2 displays the internal structure and Image 3 displays the external structure.

The inert mass of the PM is summarized in the Table below.

Top Docking Collar 48 kg OV Propellant Tank Structure 1,178 kg Core Orbital Unit 749 kg Propellant Refill Adapter 769 kg Extra Refill Propellant 113 kg Propellant Output Docking Collar 91 kg Total PM Inert Mass 2,948 kg Stage Mass = Inert Mass + Propellant Mass = 2948 + 18053 = 21,001 kg

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PM COMMAND AND CONTROL

Image 3: The PM external view

The Propellant Module (PM) will be controlled remotely like any other drone aircraft. 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 looks to be a static simulator of the PM cockpit.

The layout has one pilot, with a glass cockpit and what looks like large screen TVs in the place of windows in front and on the sides of the pilots. The crew operates the PM spacecraft remotely, from undock to redocking.

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PM LIFETIME

The Propellant Module will be operated an average of 24 times per year, which equals to 96 sorties in a four–year period of time. The spacecraft will then be replaced, with the old Propellant Module deleted from the fleet.

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PM DISPOSAL

Once the Propellant Module has reached its operational lifetime, it will need to be properly disposed of.

The first few Propellant Modules will be brought down from space and displayed at the Spaceport America Museum that we plan to build in the future. The rest will probably be stripped of valuable material and allowed to burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/21/2243469/-Reusable-NewSpace-Propellant-Module?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

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