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From: JoSH@RUTGERS.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Truax
Message-ID: <13695@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 22-Nov-83 01:02:49 EST
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.13695
Posted: Tue Nov 22 01:02:49 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 17-Nov-83 07:22:11 EST
Lines: 25

From:  JoSH <JoSH@RUTGERS.ARPA>

I'm wondering if anyone knows any more about the following project.
This is a condensation of an article that appeared in Commercial
Space Report and in Claustrophobia:

The subject is a launch vehicle called Seadragon (and the 20-year
development program Truax plans to culminate in it).  The basic
idea is to make it super huge, 40 million pounds, so that the
efficiencies of scale allow it to be built with ordinary 
(shipbuilding) construction techniques and materials.  

The design is unconventional.  Liquid fuel, low pressure, single
engine rockets.  First stage LOX and RP-1 (what's RP-1?) operating
at 300 psi (!), second stage LOX/LH 60 psi (!!).  The second stage
has a large umbrella-like extension for the nozzle which is wrapped
around the first stage before separation.

Sea-launched.  Both stages sea-recovered.  Payload to LEO of 1.5
million pounds.  They are shooting for $20/lb.

Sounds intriguing.

--JoSH
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