Shuttle-C
The Shuttle-C was a NASA proposal to develop an unmanned cargo concept on the basis of the Space Shuttle program. This would the space shuttle external tank and the space shuttle solid rocket booster / Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) use, which combines (the two-leg, etc.) attached to the shuttle Hardpoints and the Space include shuttle main engines with a cargo module, would. Various Shuttle-C concepts were explored between 1984 and 1995.
The Shuttle-C concept would theoretically reduce development costs for a heavy launch vehicle by reusing the technology developed for the Shuttle program. The proposal involved the use of existing components at various times, from space shuttle main engines that had reached their end of life and replacement navigational computers. One proposal even included converting the Columbia , Challenger or Enterprise and the Main Propulsion Test Article (MPTA-098)for single use. Before the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger, NASA had expected about 14 shuttle flights per year. After the Challenger incident, it became clear that this launch rate was not feasible for a variety of reasons. With the Shuttle-C it was assumed that the lower maintenance and safety requirements for the unmanned vehicle would allow a higher airspeed.
Two development phases were planned. The first was to determine the shape and size of the cargo ship. NASA studies showed that a small but functional launch vehicle would be most efficient.
In the early 1990s, NASA engineers planning a manned mission to Mars planned a Shuttle C design to launch six 80-tonne non-reusable segments to put two Mars ships into orbit . After President George W. Bush called for the end of the space shuttle by 2010, these proposed configurations were put aside.
With the Shuttle-Derived Launch Vehicle, NASA has revived the idea of the Shuttle-C concept. A design for a payload of 120 tons, later known as the Ares V , was proposed . The design differed significantly from the Shuttle-C. The Shuttle-C comes in several configurations: one variant has three main Orbiter engines while the other has two. Only one known model of Shuttle-C exists, created by Boeing in 1989 for technical development tests.
Shuttle-Derived Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle is another similar proposal based on the Shuttle-C concept that uses existing space shuttle systems with a new cargo vehicle, but the system would not be reusable.
Web links
- Shuttle-C in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Shuttle-C . GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
- ^ Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident . NASA . June 6, 1986. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
- ^ Shuttle-C, evolution to a heavy lift launch vehicle . NASA / AIAA . July 13, 1989. Archived from the original on September 20, 2009. Retrieved on August 5, 2009.
- ^ Shuttle-C, heavy lift vehicle of the 90's . NASA / AIAA. September 25, 1990. Accessed August 5, 2009. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )