Project Orbiter on the Moon by 2029 ? Or sooner !

[gattispilot]

Is that 2010 or 2016?

 

[barrygolden]

Great idea guys. I would love to share ideas with you guys. Some of the stuff is already done in Orbiter but lots of work still to be done. A new reusable lander was rolled out few weeks ago and if you look the crew compartment is a modified Orion. With some vision might be able to remove the crew compartment and replace it with the cargo like the LER and Hab. The SLS would need to be able to not only carry the Orion but a cargo carrier and extra fuel tanks to refill the Lander at the gate way.

 

[Interceptor]

Gotta say Don,project jason is still one of my favorite addons for orbiter 2010,maybe with the vessel builder it will also work in 2016,keeping fingers crossed.

 

[gattispilot]

Gotta say Don,project jason is still one of my favorite addons for orbiter 2010,maybe with the vessel builder it will also work in 2016,keeping fingers crossed.

Maybe thru Ground/General Veesel it could be made to drive.

 

[Urwumpe]

The SLS would need to be able to not only carry the Orion but a cargo carrier and extra fuel tanks to refill the Lander at the gate way.

Unless the SLS is not supposed to be used for "logistics".

 

[barrygolden]

It looks like the unmanned cargo flights would be carried out by a Vulcan or Atlas 5/centaur but NASA did look at a Skylab Extension using Saturn S1B's and unmanned cargo supported by Apollo/Saturn S1B flights with cargo containers similar to the docking module used by the ASTP mission. Early Lunar flights would need lander fuel brought from the Earth.

Space X has thought alot about a total reusable system where the dragons would be replaced by a smaller version Starship on top of a Falcon 9. That way both the second stage and cargo/crew module would return to be reused for ISS flights.
I submitted a proposal where the X 33 not the Venture Star would be used to support the original Gateway first seen in the 2000's. It would be mounted on top of a launch vehicle and have a B 1 type escape capsule for crew and or cargo in the payload bay and the main fuel tanks to be used to take fuel for a reusable lander

 

[Donamy]

Seems the new administration, is more ambitious than I.

 

[Urwumpe]

Seems the new administration, is more ambitious than I.

You might still be first. :lol:

 

[Donamy]

A Lunar Dragon concept.
Launch config on the left. Launched unmanned atop FH. Docked to Crew Dragon in LEO. Second stage boost to TLI. Service module can also be used with cargo variant, with a shroud.

 

[francisdrake]

A Lunar Dragon concept.

Could a Dragon really go down and up to / from the moon?
Looking at NASA's plan to land on the moon I would imagine a more bulky landing stage, while the Dragon could be the ascent vehicle.

This also had the advantage that the astronauts would have a kind of 'front porch' when they open the hatch and step out of the Dragon. From here they could then climb down a ladder at the side of the descent stage.

 

[Donamy]

If you eliminate the heatshield and parachutes, load up the trunk with fuel and four modified super dracos. Then I think it would be able to land and launch.

 

[Urwumpe]

If you eliminate the heatshield and parachutes, load up the trunk with fuel and four modified super dracos. Then I think it would be able to land and launch.

Why not just use the pressure vessel covered in MLI then? You could save a lot more mass then, if you launch it inside a expendable fairing...

Also, with a small fuel factory on the surface, it might be possible to refuel the lander, though that would be a major redesign of the propulsion system.

 

[Donamy]

Or you land some fuel in a prier lander.

Also thinking, you might want some MMD protection, if your gonna be there a while. Plus it looks cool.

 

[Donamy]

Lunar Dragon with sacrificial tanker to lower the lander near to the surface. then crashed. For manned landings, until refuel is available on the surface.

 

[Donamy]

A Crew Dragon with a Service Module kit attached. For the return trip.

 

[barrygolden]

Don your pretty spot on. Space X has looked into some of what your talking about.

---------- Post added at 08:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:40 PM ----------

lets not over look these ideas

[/IMG]

---------- Post added at 08:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:50 PM ----------

 

[Urwumpe]

Donamy, could this article be interesting for you? This is about the first prototype of a lunar base module being developed in Bremen, Germany (Project: Moon and Mars Base Analog, MaMBA), in relation to the Lunar Village concept. The plan is to use 5m diameter modules there (5-7 m length, a bit larger than the ISS modules) as building blocks.

According to the article, they plan to do ergonomy tests in the middle of the year, to further refine the module design.

https://www.bdli.de/innovation-der-...rrCAPRV7MC_t_hxdtgSrSMduE2SHzQWn-rvLbyqTsGTmE

https://www.zarm.uni-bremen.de/de/forschung/unabhaengige-gruppen/extraterrestrial-habitation.html

https://www.zarm.uni-bremen.de/de/p...g-space-for-future-moon-or-mars-missions.html



You can also find the contact information of the project lead, Birgit Kinkeldey, there - maybe you can get some more information from there, if you are interested?

 

[Donamy]

I like the first site pic, but the other two, Mozilla is giving me security warnings. Are they safe ?

 

[Urwumpe]

I like the first site pic, but the other two, Mozilla is giving me security warnings. Are they safe ?

They should be, the ZARM is the famous microgravity research center in Bremen, with the huge free fall tower.


My firefox does not show any warning there, maybe yours has an issue with a certificate issued by the German Research Network? Thats the only noteworthy thing with the website I can find (certificate is valid, properly created, site uses TLS 1.2)

 

[Donamy]

What would each module weigh ? And how to get it there ?