Project Status

[Bloodworth]

well, it's been a while since Ive been on anything remotely resembling regularly. The family and I were homeless for a while and my laptop died (permanently).

What is the current status of Project Prometheus? It appears to have stalled out, but has it died completely?

 

[Columbia42]

I am definitely still interested and I think there are probably others as well. I have also been doing some low-level vessel development but it hasn't yielded much. The other day I did see some Mars landers from NASA's DRM 1.0 that look very promising if we decided not to go with the skycrane concept. I heard that Urwumpe was working on that a while ago but I don't know if he's made any progress.

 

[Urwumpe]

I heard that Urwumpe was working on that a while ago but I don't know if he's made any progress.

Just started some hours ago finishing a report on the biconic skycrane for public release, since there was interest. Otherwise I felt like the project was already dead by lack of interest.

 

[Izack]

Hey Bloodworth,

I think I'll try to revive it this summer. I had planned on working on a few things for it over the last few months, but real life had other ideas. I'm still slowly poking at pieces of code for an NTR propulsion module probably launched by a Quasar unless there's something better. No idea how the rest of it would go, guess that depends on how much enthusiasm there is come mid-June.

For the propulsor, I need a mesh for it and have no skill whatsoever with modeling, and so much of its payload is up in the air that I have almost no specs to go with, just a basic idea of electrical management and propellant boiloff.

Absolute requirements are:
- Mesh for a propulsion stage (bimodal NTR + prop tank + payload adapters)
- Mesh for a Transhab-type module to be fitted on one end to the propulsor, and a LIDS port on the other for the lander, integrated ECLSS + communications paraphernalia.
- Lander. Skycrane, DRA surface module, who knows? What do you guys want? What can we as a team create?
- C++ help a-plenty.

Optional:
- Launch vehicle. Preferably very large and awesome. If not, no big deal, there are plenty of nice LVs already out there.
- Surface equipment. Experiments, rovers, what-have-you. The more the merrier.

This is just a rough outline to give you an idea of what would be very very nice to have someday.

 

[Columbia42]

Last I heard using the NERVA2 was an option but we could also go with Wishbone's NTR stage. When Urwumpe is done with that report on the skycrane we'll have a better idea what that will entail. I have a version of my Ares V that can launch NERVA and droptanks if we want to use that.

 

[River Crab]

Count me in! I've been practising with Wings3D, and I think I can confidently say that I can produce some original meshes.

It would make my life much easier, though, if someone would tell me how to get docking ports and stuff that I can import into Wings, with UV coordinates and textures preserved...

BTW, seeing this project revived made my day. ;w;

 

[fsci123]

Is it possible that i can join in and design some meshes as i have recently mastered my student version of 3ds 2012... And i can produce one hell of a mesh with patience...

 

[River Crab]

Sure, we'll need all the help we can get

Edit: to show I can actually make meshes and aren't bluffing, as I'm sure some may suspect :

Made-from scratch shipwreck, 84 polys (134 triangles), 512x512 texture, intended as base scenery.

SpaceShipFail Mk2 (searching for a better name). :lol:
2706 polys (5160 triangles), no good textures yet.

 

[Columbia42]

Here's some documentation and stuff: View attachment OFMM Documentation.zip

The AresV/NERVA2 included here is not the most recent version but I can upload that one if we decide to go with the AresV as a launch vehicle and the NERVA as an NTR. Before we get ahead of ourselves and start coding stuff without purpose (I'm remembering Urwumpe's five steps to ruining a project which are buried somewhere in the old OFMM threads) we need to decide what the mission architecture is going to be and which existing addons we can use and which ones we will need to make ourselves. Based on the included documentation I propose this list of vessels:


Ares V as a launch vehicle

NERVA 2 or Wishbone's NTR as the propulsion stage

Interplanetary stack (Includes OSHV) assembled by Ares V and propelled by NERVA or NTR (Needs modeling and coding)

Skycrane based on Urwumpe's report or Markup's DRM 1.0 landers for Mars landing vehicles.

Orion or Markup's capsule for a reentry vehicle.


This is a very rough list and vessel requirements will definitely change based on flightplan.

 

[fsci123]

http://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/humanexplore/exploration/exlibrary/docs/marsref/addendum/A5.htm#A5.3.2

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20070023306_2007019854.pdf

Even though i dont want to start trying to control this program i would say that LEO re-fuelers could be pretty good as an ad-don....

 

[Columbia42]

With the NERVA 2 and droptanks I really don't see the need for any refueling to happen. The stack has enough fuel to get to Mars orbit and back to Earth. If, however, we decide to go with something other than the NERVA that could definitely work.

 

[Izack]

The thing with the propulsion stage is that I'm going to develop one anyway, and the NERVA-2 isn't properly suited to this purpose. It's nice, but AFAIK it attaches using a CBM docking port, and the RCS is very overpowered to compensate for its inefficiencies. I'd rather have something custom-suited to this mission, and offering more immersion with the electric generator, etc.

 

[Urwumpe]

Did we already decide what is going to be the standard berthing port for OFMM? I just go over the skycrane report, this detail was not yet defined.

There was also AFAIR a standard methane/LOX engine we wanted to use...if not, we could need one...

The baseline Skycrane is pretty much done, I just need to investigate a few propulsion system configurations. If nobody has a suggestion for any of both, I set the specs myself and you have to complain.

Pretty much looks now like a martian DC-X, I just do the first artist impressions.

 

[Izack]

Did we already decide what is going to be the standard berthing port for OFMM? I just go over the skycrane report, this detail was not yet defined.

LIDS, I assume. SSVP would suffice and obviously is more proven, though. It depends on who's funding this endeavour, which looks like the Americans if Constellation hardware will be used. How many docking ports will be involved? Just one?

There was also AFAIR a standard methane/LOX engine we wanted to use...if not, we could need one...

Yes. AFAIK there aren't any preexisting ones to base one off of, though.

 

[Urwumpe]

LIDS, I assume. SSVP would suffice and obviously is more proven, though. It depends on who's funding this endeavour, which looks like the Americans if Constellation hardware will be used. How many docking ports will be involved? Just one?

Well, I need something that can withstand the loads of landing and ascent, though the ascent loads are even a bit lower than the landing loads...around 250 kN of force.

Yes. AFAIK there aren't any preexisting ones to base one off of, though.

There is a RL-10 variant, but that has not enough thrust, I would need in the best case a dozen of them for the Skycrane.

The payload capacity of the Skycrane is still 40 tons down to Mars. I could reduce it, but that would mean the modules would need to be smaller and maybe just partially equipped.

 

[Bloodworth]

excellent I expected the idea to stall at least once, but I am very glad to see that it has not died. Now that I have (more or less) regular internet access I will be able to participate more.

 

[Columbia42]

The payload capacity of the Skycrane is still 40 tons down to Mars. I could reduce it, but that would mean the modules would need to be smaller and maybe just partially equipped.

If the skycrane is delivering the OSHV to the Martian surface and then back to orbit than we simply need to find out how much the OSHV is going to weigh.

Before the development of a custom IDMS system I think we should first figure out how much the MTV+OSHV+skycrane+reentry capsules is going to weigh. Seeing as skycrane mass depends on OSHV mass and OSHV, reentry capsule, and supplies/storage mass depends on crew size, how many crew members did we decide on?

 

[Urwumpe]

I think it had been 8.

The Skycrane is technically unmanned, it will thus scale pretty well with payload mass alone.

 

[Izack]

Looking at the current status of MarkP's Mars Design Reference Mission 1, I'm thinking it would be cool to do an OFSS-III-ish Mars project using that when it releases. No special development, fairly laid-back. Any interested?

 

[Scruce]

Any interested?

I'm not sure how OFMM had passed me back in spring, I sure like the idea and would be interested.

If meshing is ever need, I could do that too.