Re: Reuseable technology

From: Rand Simberg (simberg_at_interglobal.org)
Date: 07/15/04 

Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004 20:25:52 GMT

Peter Fairbrother wrote:

>Jeff Findley wrote:
>
>
>
>>"Peter Fairbrother" <zenadsl6186@zen.co.uk> wrote in message
>>news:BD1A16E4.54982%zenadsl6186@zen.co.uk...
>>
>>
>>>Jeff Findley wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>That was my thought as well. Even ignoring launch, reentry, and launch
>>>>prep, rendezvous and docking isn't something that's typically done this
>>>>quickly. Given enough fuel, some portions of the rendezvous part could
>>>>
>>>>
>>be
>>
>>
>>>>sped up, but the close proximity operations and docking likely can't be
>>>>
>>>>
>>sped
>>
>>
>>>>up too much, or else you're risking the vehicle and station if something
>>>>goes wrong.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>You can only get about 6 flights a day from a SSTO, eight if you go
>>>fulltime. You have to go round at least once, taking ~90 minutes. Then you
>>>have to wait for the next launch window, after two orbits of the station.
>>>
>>>
>>You are making (implicit) assumptions about orbital dynamics, including the
>>more specific relm of rendezvous and docking, this doesn't seem possible.
>>It may be possible by expending, *a lot* of fuel, but you are seriously
>>underestimating the amount of fuel necessary to do a "worst case" "catch up"
>>to ISS within one orbit.
>>
>>
>
>I am making no such assumptions. There is no "catching up" involved.
>
>Take-offs are 180 minutes, or two orbit periods apart.
>
>You take off, and after fifteen minutes you are at the station. You stay
>there until you get near your starting point. You then reenter and land,
>about 110 minutes after takeoff. If you takeoff again 70 minutes later, when
>you get to orbit the station will be pretty near where you are.
>
Not unless you're going to an equatorial station. Otherwise you have
both launch and deorbit windows.

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