MP satellites

[nduffy]

Well, this came up in my feed today,, a drone that launches a rocket that boost satellites into low earth orbits,,, I can see this as an alternative. The satellite comes prepackaged and the launch vehicle is fairly autonomous. You could in theory launch several satellites a day.
https://theaviationist.com/2020/12/0...ht-satellites/

[nduffy]

Anyone familiar with Rocket Lab? They are using smaller rockets to boost smaller satellites into low earth orbits and are doing so successfully. These could be stored in old revamped silos and launched PA if and when needed. Just fuel for thought and game ideas.

[mmartin798]

Originally Posted by nduffy

Anyone familiar with Rocket Lab? They are using smaller rockets to boost smaller satellites into low earth orbits and are doing so successfully. These could be stored in old revamped silos and launched PA if and when needed. Just fuel for thought and game ideas.

I mentioned their Electron rocket above. It is an attractive solution if mini- and micro-satellites can do the job.

[nduffy]

Originally Posted by mmartin798

I mentioned their Electron rocket above. It is an attractive solution if mini- and micro-satellites can do the job.

I totally missed that,, Sorry, blonde moment...

[mmartin798]

Originally Posted by nduffy

Well, this came up in my feed today,, a drone that launches a rocket that boost satellites into low earth orbits,,, I can see this as an alternative. The satellite comes prepackaged and the launch vehicle is fairly autonomous. You could in theory launch several satellites a day.
https://theaviationist.com/2020/12/0...ht-satellites/

Did a little reading on my break. An interesting concept using a drone as the first stage. I do like the fact they do call the drone the first stage since the rocket can fire very quickly after separation rather than coasting like other airborne launch platforms. The use of Jet-A as fuel for both the drone and the rocket, the rocket also carrying LOX, does simplify things.

If such a system were used by MP, it would likely have to be a specialized base. You need a one-mile runway for takeoff and landing and a supply of Jet-A. LOX can be generated on site. I am imagining a desert location, since making a usable one-mile runway would be pretty simple there.

[nduffy]

A desert base would make a great large airfield option. You could do a lot there and not have "local" attention. Take the conspiracy route,, what if Grooms Lake was an MP project. A few MP companies do research for the government and use Grooms Lake as a development facility for cryosleep and other projects as space projects, gives them the perfect place to R&D and build tech. The side job is tech for the government to pay bills...... Also given its location in proximity to PB, would make a great cover.... Just a conspiracy theory of course..

[Slar]

3rd Edition TMP page 28 has a 1 megaton fusion charge. This is a pure fusion weapon.

"Pure fusion weapons offer the possibility of generating arbitrarily small nuclear yields because no critical mass of fissile fuel need be assembled for detonation, as with a conventional fission primary needed to spark a fusion explosion. There is also the advantage of reduced collateral damage stemming from fallout because these weapons would not create the highly radioactive byproducts associated with fission-type weapons... ...A potentially useful feature of a fissionless weapon would be that no electromagnetic pulse would be produced, because this originates from the gamma rays released by fissioning nuclei."

So, we have a very clean 1 megaton or less explosion.

And we have this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Projec...ear_propulsion)

What I propose is the Morrow Project using the Project Orion nuclear pulse system with their pure fusion charges to lift a large payload into orbit, which would then be capable of dispersing the needed satellites.

5 years after the war, there really wouldn't be anyone in a position to object.

[mmartin798]

Originally Posted by Slar

3rd Edition TMP page 28 has a 1 megaton fusion charge. This is a pure fusion weapon.

The numbers just don't add up. The description states that it is the same as the fusion pack, only it uses all its fuel to make an explosion. The fusion pack only outputs 20,000kw for 18 months. Being generous and saying each month is 31 days, that only gets us to 9.65X10^8 MJ, which equates to only 0.23 megaton. Even if we allow for an inefficient fusion power pack, the discrepancy just feels too large. So there may be some additional nuclear catalyst involved, such as lithium that may make it less than pure fusion.

[Slar]

But is it? The fusion pack is designed for power output. Which means it has to regulate output, has to have power receptacles, has to have operator controls for that power, etc. All of that adds weight. The Fusion charge has none of that, just a timer and a radio receiver linked to the detonator. But both have the same weight. My impression was always that the reason there is no difference in weight is that the fusion charge has more fuel than the pack.

But even without the fusion charge described, the Project has the ability to make a fusion generator. They should be able to generate a fusion blast without a fission starter. If it weighs more than 15 kilos, that still leaves them with the ability to blast an Orion-style vehicle into space.

And it is a lot simpler than trying to figure out how and where to store fuel, etc.