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From: adam@castle.ed.ac.uk (Adam Hamilton)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: best of all worlds
Message-ID: <6689@castle.ed.ac.uk>
Date: 11 Oct 90 23:49:49 GMT
References: <143360@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> <10314.2711c063@pbs.org> <1990Oct10.221645.29969@pmafire.UUCP>
Organization: Edinburgh University Computing Service
Lines: 68

In article <1990Oct10.221645.29969@pmafire.UUCP> ron@pmafire.UUCP (ron clayton) writes:
:In article <10314.2711c063@pbs.org> pstinson@pbs.org writes:
:>Now I make a challenge.  Instead of simply writing this off as a "dumb" idea as
:>some people so readily do in this group, why not see if you can make it better.
:>Some poeple called the Wright brothers idea "dumb".  That is the easy part. 
:>Now come up with something better, if you can that will get us to the moon on a
:>regular basis.
:
:OK!  I'll give this challenge a try.
:
:Instead of a earth-lunar "taxi", lets try a "tugboat/barge" concept. 
:Taxis carry only people, barges can carry materials and supplies.
:
:Let's put some of these tugboats into earth orbit.  How?  Unmanned using
:an expendable.  Let the crew tag along on a normal shuttle mission. 
:After the shuttle has completed its mission, it can rendezvous with the
:tugboat and the crew can board it.  
:
:The barges are lauched into orbit using expendables.  The barge consists
:of a number of payload canisters.  Each canister is in the shape of
:short cylinder.  These canisters are stacked to create a long cylinder
:shaped barge.  The end canister is a special supply canister for the
:tugboat.  In this supply canister is food, air, water, etc.
:Also fuel for the tugboat's rocket engines.
:
:OK, here's the scenario.  Launch a barge into an earth orbit very close
:to the tugboat's orbit.  Launch a crew aboard the shuttle.  Rendezvous
:with the tugboat and board it.  Tugboat then rendezvous with the barge
:and docks with the supply canister.  When docked, a access hatch
:provides access into the supply canister, so that the crew can get
:needed supplies.  Also, fuel lines are connected between the tugboat and
:the supply canister to replenish the tugboat's fuel tanks.  Use the
:tugboat's  rocket engines to blast out of earth orbit and head for the
:moon.  On the way, turn around for lunar insertion.  Blast into lunar
:orbit.  A lunar lander (already stationed at the moon and put there by
:a previous mission) docks with the end payload canister.  The payload
:canister disconnects from the barge and the lunar lander takes it down
:to the lunar surface.  Unload the payload canister and blast up to orbit
:to get the next canister.  Each of the payload canisters can carry fuel
:for the lunar lander so that each time it docks with a payload canister, it
:gets refueled.  Meanwhile, the tugboat and it's supply canister can
:disconnect from the barge and blast out of moon orbit and head back to
:earth.  In earth orbit, the shuttle rendezvous to pickup the crew and
:the supply canister (it can be taken back to earth to be reused).
:
:A space station would be usefull in this scenario.  The tugboats can
:dock with the space station.  The crew can live at the station between
:missions.  Maintenance of the tugboat can be done at the station. etc.
:A small station in lunar orbit might be useful for the same reasons.
:
:Ok, your turn.  Is this a workable idea?  What are the flaws?  Is it
:economical?  I'll let the experts take this idea apart.  Be nice :)
:

	Sounds reasonable.  Now redo it using Energia to put up the
heavy stuff, Soyuz for shifting people around, Mir for the rendezvous
in LEO and Proton for the supply.  Hey, I just saved $5 billion.
Gee, for that I can have tugboat big enough to go to Mars as well.
Not to mention having enough $ left for an inflatable space station
(courtesy of LLL) and enough $ to launch it (on Energia of course).
	No development costs either; better make that $10 billion.
	Of course, its all proven technology (safe).  Better use
trained personnel on this - one advantage is they can read the instruction
manual - guess what language its in!

	Actually, what I REALLY want to know is how far from this
the USSR thinks it is.  Any opinions?
		Adam