Project HASDA - Reusable Crew Vehicle (lifting-body spaceplane)

[Pipcard]

Side-by-side with [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=5834"]liber's Dream Chaser[/ame]

Also, the delta-v is now 400 m/s (instead of almost 600) in order to have less mass (the Space Shuttle had 300).

 

[Loru]

Side verstabs IMO would need bit tapering (make it thinner at the top).

 

[Pipcard]

I know that they look too thick, but it's too late to change that now, sorry.

I tried to follow the outline of this profile image (see .pdf link in the original post), which is why they are so thick:

They seem to be less thick if you look at it orthographically:

And this is why I cannot taper (the rotational axis relies on that section being semi-circular, and both the top and the bottom parts have to be the same size and shape):

Any attempt to modify the thickness of the bottom will mess up the geometry here (I've tried already)

---------- Post added at 10:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:27 AM ----------

What would be a good name if NASA had an RCV?

You know, for those people who might be "weirded out" by the Miku/Vocaloid theme. (just a reminder that Miku has been associated on a large scale with spaceflight in the past - backed by a JAXA employee, too!)

I was thinking of Euterpe (Greek muse of song/lyric poetry), but I'm looking for other suggestions as well.

 

[Urwumpe]

What would be a good name if NASA had an RCV?

I was thinking of Euterpe (Greek muse of song/lyric poetry), but I'm looking for other suggestions as well.

NASA uses more significant names of known gods (Apollo) or celestial objects (Orion, Saturn) or names out of US culture (like Columbia, Discovery, Endeavour).

As such, the USA would be more likely to name the capsule "Aretha", if forced to a musical theme. Or "Minerva", which is the roman version of "Athena".

Using names of some unknown Greek mythological entity is reserved to ESA.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

How about [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzaiten"]Benzaiten - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

For music?

 

[orbitingpluto]

I think it would be more than assured that the individual craft would get vehicle numbers, like RCV-101(for Reusable Crew Vehicle- Series/Mark 1, number 01), but I'm less sure about what names would be likely. I like Urwumpe's Aretha suggestion, but I can't see it getting past a naming review board; the same thing is the problem with some of the names I've tried to come up with.

If I were in your shoes, I'd consider setting up as part of a paint kit a X-38 or Shuttle inspired livery, complete with a "insert name here" area marked out, simply to side step the issue of a good name and let end users figure that out. I do have the personal tendency to become stymied when I have to name something(naming chararters in video games being a example), so this might just be a problem specific to me than a general one.

 

[ISProgram]

If I'm correct, the Jarvis add-on offers essentially the same option, user-based customization, though only for its fairings (so mission-specific insignia, etc.).

 

[Pipcard]

The Jarvis fairing template is editable in Photoshop or in the free GIMP, so one can add an insignia if they like and then save it as a .dds.

edit: never mind, I thought you said "no mission specific insignia" (I had just woken up at the time)

---------- Post added at 10:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:26 AM ----------

Another suggestion: perhaps "Lyra" (harp)? After the constellation?

NASA uses more significant names of known gods (Apollo) or celestial objects (Orion, Saturn) or names out of US culture (like Columbia, Discovery, Endeavour).

As such, the USA would be more likely to name the capsule "Aretha", if forced to a musical theme. Or "Minerva", which is the roman version of "Athena".

Using names of some unknown Greek mythological entity is reserved to ESA.

Just to let you know, Minerva is already the name of the lander of the Hayabusa asteroid spacecraft. Although JAXA and HASDA do not exist in the same universe, some of their missions are the same. You'll see why if you go to the "in popular culture" section.

Or maybe HASDA named the lander differently, I don't know.

(Japan seems to have a great space culture, because what other country has films revolving around the people who worked on a space probe? Not a manned spacecraft, a space probe.)

 

[Nicholander]

I like the idea of being able to name the spacecraft your self! However, I think there should also still be 3 RCV's which already have a name, for those who are too lazy to put a name on it. (3 because there a 3 RCV colors, blue, pink and yellow)

 

[Pipcard]

The 3 colors are exclusively to represent RCV01 Hatsune, RCV02 Kagamine, and RCV03 Megurine.

Are there any thoughts on "Lyra"?

Also, I've never seen Farscape, but apparently Farscape 1 is also a lifting body with Century Gothic text on it.

 

[Loru]

I kinda like Lyra.

I'd suggest also
- Urania - muse of astronomy,
- Haven - to highlight RCV function as lifeboat and return vehicle (it brings you to safe haven),

 

[Pipcard]

Actually, I have a better name that relates to celestial objects, but is also still related to Miku/music.

But first, a little history. Remember that Fuji-like space capsule I was starting to work on last year, before going into my mass space tourism phase?

I was actually going to call that capsule Saki, named after the Hatsunese version of Mt. Fuji (but in reality, it is sort of based on [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saki_Fujita"]Saki Fujita[/ame] but with different kanji - 先 instead of 咲).

But before that, I was actually going to call it Spica. Because there is a Miku song by that name. But I had to change that because there was going to be a real life Japanese spacecraft called SPICA as well, and since HASDA is inspired by JAXA, that might cause confusion. Also because I didn't want to associate the vehicle with that one song only.

But I think Spica might make a good name for NASA's RCV.

 

[Pipcard]

Hatsunia's first indigenously-launched astronaut, Misora Hoshi (星 美空), flew on RCV Flight 01 on 2007 August 31.

 

[Pipcard]

RCV "Spica"

The meatball-less NASA insignia was obtained by modifying this .svg in Inkscape.