View Single Post
  #1  
Old 04-08-2011, 01:44 AM
luke strawwalker's Avatar
luke strawwalker luke strawwalker is offline
BAR
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Needville and Shiner, TX
Posts: 6,134
Default NASA Study Summary: "SATURN V DERIVATIVES"(1968)

Here's a brief study (more like a white paper) from 1968-- "Saturn V Derivatives". Much of what it discusses has been covered in other studies, such as the INT 20 and 21 vehicles, and the uprated Saturn V with 4 SRM boosters strapped on the first stage... BUT there is ONE concept that I've not seen anywhere else before... The "Saturn S-ID".

This concept vehicle would have taken a standard S-IC Saturn V first stage and totally reworked the thrust structure, to turn it into a 3 or 5 F-1 powered "MEGA-ATLAS" of sorts... The rocket would lift off under the power of all it's F-1 engines (3-5 depending on the payload) and fly normally until 70% of the propellants were gone. The outer 2 or 4 engines would shut down, their fuel valves would close, and then the outer skirt and thrust structure, with the fins and fairings, would jettison. The center engine, attached to a conical thrust structure at the base of the S-ID stage, would keep thrusting and push the entire S-ID stage with it's payload to LEO. The payload capacity would have been 50,000 lbs with the five engine variant. Basically, shuttle size payloads, with no shuttle-- only a single S-ID stage! The outer ring of booster engines could have theoretically been made recoverable (though no discussion was made of this in this study, but it mentioned a Boeing study that fleshed out the concept). The payload would have been even greater had the stage fuel tanks been enlarged.

Another "what if" that never happened but should have...

Here's the summary, and the pics to follow...

More to come! OL JR
Attached Files
File Type: txt NASA STUDY SUMMARY- SATURN V DERIVATIVES.txt (11.1 KB, 358 views)
__________________
The X-87B Cruise Basselope-- THE Ultimate Weapon in the arsenal of Homeland Security and only $52 million per round!
Reply With Quote