Re: Plutonium on Next Atlas V - Bad Idea?

In article <i744g11g8oha18kf4euqc0c9nehlv5d8rq@xxxxxxx>,
Cardman <do-not@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>A total of two launch vehicle models have used it:
>>Atlas III, and Atlas V.
>
>To explain my point, then the Russians do not work this way in
>building an engine from scratch. Their RD-180 engine is a cut down
>version of the larger RD-170.

Only in a loose sense: although the chambers and nozzles are much the
same, the turbomachinery is new. Yes, there's a lot of general design
heritage, but that's not quite the same as the RD-180 being a heavily-used
engine.

The details unfortunately matter, and the next one in the family after a
conspicuous success can be a clunker, because the details changed just
enough to mess things up. Witness Delta II and Delta III.

The RD-180 comes from good people and looks good so far, but its track
record is short.
--
No, the devil isn't in the details. | Henry Spencer
The devil is in the *assumptions*. | henry@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
.

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