Project Atlas A ICBM: America's First

[MJR]

Do you need anything else 4throck?

---------- Post added at 11:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:09 AM ----------

I know that I have finished the Atlas A ICBM, but what else would you guys like to see? I feel like there is something that I can add, but I am not sure what so that is why I need your opinion.

 

[Star Voyager]

Do you know how to do LOX (venring liquid oxygen)?

 

[MJR]

If I compiled it then I could do that. Right now I haven't made it into a DLL.

 

[Star Voyager]

I didn't know it had to be a DLL. Hmm...other than that, I think we're done with this completely.

 

[MJR]

Actually, I can make a particle stream of just gas and put that somewhere around the ship. I just don't know how I would stop it.

 

[Star Voyager]

Perhaps K to activate and de-activate?

 

[MJR]

I know what you are talking about, but I think that is a module. I am kind of confused right now so maybe somebody can clarify this.

BTW, here is a picture of the first historical flight. Target was 100km. I got 99.99 km.

 

[Star Voyager]

Great! That's a nice map you got there, too. I'd give anything to see those early Atlas launches.

 

[MJR]

Me too.

---------- Post added at 11:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:44 AM ----------

Where does the LOX venting occur on the Atlas A?

 

[Star Voyager]

Right here:

 

[MJR]

Thanks.

 

[Urwumpe]

Lox venting:

 

[Star Voyager]

I thought that's where the verniers should be.

 

[Urwumpe]

I thought that's where the verniers should be.

They are - like all cryogenic rocket engines, they are thermal conditioned before ignition, venting pretty remarkable clouds of GOX out of them. All five rocket engines are undergoing such venting before launch, but the 12 hours I have invented into the project in the last 166.5 hours since the project started on my PC did not include them yet. :lol:

Most stuff actually vent in something else, I just added such eye candy if I had been annoyed with the math. It also has the big boil-off valve in the nose, but it is currently not triggered because I don't have the boil-off function right... it is not urgent for me.

Why it all:

 

[Star Voyager]

Oh, I did not know that...

 

[4throck]

Hi,

Here are some very very rough textures for the Atlas A in JPG format. Projection is simple cylindrical for the main rocket body. I used 10A for reference. I have no way of testing them on the mesh, so any placement errors will have to be corrected latter. Enjoy!

 

[Star Voyager]

I have now way of testing them, either. However, I'm sure Mr. MJR might...

 

[Urwumpe]

Oh, I did not know that...

Is important and was one thing which the Germans had found out when they started using liquid oxygen for the V-2. When the metal of the engine plumbing gets in contact with the 89K cold LOX, it shrinks and deforms. If this happens fast and uneven, it is causing valves to jam and pipes to break.

That is why small amounts of LOX are injected into the engines before launch, so the critical parts are cooled to operational temperatures and don't react so extreme when the 100% thrust amounts of LOX start to flow through them. That is why there is so much vapor around the Atlas booster section during countdown.

This is even more important for the Space Shuttle main engines, which has a very tiny temperature box for starting the engines.

But there is a lot of funny stuff on the Atlas, which you will never observe again on modern launchers. Like the rapid injection of inert fluid into the booster engine cooling lines, so the turbines don't over-speed during ignition. Today the engine controller would react fast enough to control the ignition.

 

[Star Voyager]

Yeah, I knew that the engines were cooled, but not the verniers. By the way, my scenarios are still not up on OH!

 

[MJR]

Thanks for the textures. I got them working so I will update it to Orbit Hangar. First I got to convert to bitmap though.