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Old 03-02-2017, 06:30 PM
luke strawwalker's Avatar
luke strawwalker luke strawwalker is offline
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Default STUDY SUMMARY: Extended Duration Lunar Lander

Here's a study that went hand-in-glove with the FLO studies under the SEI program back in the early 90's. It's a breakdown of the systems and functioning of the Extended Duration Lunar Lander planned to be used as part of the First Lunar Outpost mission. It's basically a revival of the old pre-LOR "lunar direct ascent" method advocated by Von Braun and MSFC before Houbolt's "lunar orbit rendezvous" flight plan got traction and was finally adopted after Von Braun threw MSFC's weight behind it (despite JSC's objections, BTW).

This time imagine a skeletal gigantic lunar lander powered by four methane-burning RL-10's descending to land on the Moon, within walking distance of an ISS (then SSF) module landed atop a similar lander robotically a short distance away to serve as a reusable hab module for a 45 day stay on the lunar surface (2 lunar days and 1 lunar night). The descent stage's tanks supply fuel to the RL-10's which are actually connected to the ascent stage in the center of the landing stage, with their own (still sealed off) propellant tanks for lunar ascent and return to Earth. The central ascent stage, containing the landing and ascent engines and their own propellant tanks, is topped by a 6 meter diameter, 6 meter high "Super size Apollo" for four crew to land on the Moon and return to Earth (even a half-meter bigger than Orion!). The crew module would have two decks-- an upper command deck for liftoff from earth and TLI, a lower "hab deck" to live in on the way to and from the Moon, and after landing on the Moon (for up to 10 days on the surface if necessary, say if the hab crashed or wasn't launched or something). It was equipped with an airlock to eliminate the need to totally decompress the entire vehicle for entry/egress on all EVA's.

If the crew landed successfully near the ready hab module, they'd put their lander in a 'standby' state and then unload the cargo they brought with them and transfer it over to the Hab module lander for their 45 day stay on the Moon's surface. As the time to end the mission approached, they'd put the hab in standby mode, transfer back to their lander, and prepare it for takeoff. At liftoff, the inner ascent stage would take off from the lower descent/landing stage using the RL-10 engines used for landing, and propel itself back through TEI towards Earth, separating from the ascent stage a short time before reentry and landing back on land in the USA.

Of course the entire plan was predicated, just as it was in Von Braun's original "lunar direct" plan, on a Super-Heavy launch vehicle (Nova C-8 in Von Braun's original plans). FLO and EDLL would require a super HLLV rocket to achieve the flights, as discussed in other studies. This study did point out the advantages of using RL-10 engines adapted to burn methane instead of liquid hydrogen, as boiloff of hydrogen would be too high on a mission of that length, and methane was a preferred propellant for Mars missions (again, due to boiloff issues, and methane can be created on Mars from reacting Martian CO2 from the atmosphere with hydrogen brought from Earth in a Sabatier process reactor, or even from Martian-derived hydrogen electrolyzed from Martian water, if it is available).

Anyway, here's the summary and the pics... Enjoy!

OL J R
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Old 03-02-2017, 06:33 PM
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First pics...
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Old 03-02-2017, 06:36 PM
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Last pics... enjoy! OL J R
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Old 05-19-2017, 05:19 PM
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Luke,
thanks for posting these studies..always fascinating. Hard to believe the ol RL-10 is still in production....must be the Huey helicopter of rocket engines.
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Old 05-20-2017, 02:58 PM
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Yeah I read somewhere one time that the RL-10 is actually about as cheap as a helicopter engine if they're mass produced at full production capability...

Good to see you again... Been awhile!

Later! OL J R
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Old 05-21-2017, 06:08 AM
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sorry I have been a stranger...lots going on over here...primarily involving my daughter's wedding which is in less than 2 weeks...GULP!
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