Idea Sea Dragon giant rocket

[Hartmann]

Is a very very big rocket concept launched from the sea . Apolo Saturn V is tiny compared with that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Dragon_(rocket)

http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/searagon.htm

 

[RisingFury]

"Apolo"? I assume you mean Saturn V...

 

[jevans]

That one might be a little difficult to do because of water in Orbiter being somewhat solid...

 

[Urwumpe]

That one might be a little difficult to do because of water in Orbiter being somewhat solid...

And it wouldn't feel like the real thing at all... but yes, it would be a cool piece of nostalgia from a time, when computers did not calculate all.

 

[Mandella]

But couldn't the touchdown points be situated up high to "sink" the rocket halfway down into the surface? Although they would have to be shift-able if you wanted to have the craft towed to position while laying down lengthwise. Slightly at a tangent, I didn't realize that Truax just died this year. Truly a man ahead of his time.

 

[Graham2001]

Or there might be an alternate solution

 

[Carmen A]

Why, that is one huge rocket!

 

[Pyromaniac605]

I'd love to see this, personally I love add-ons for old concepts from the 50s and 60s that never had a chance of seeing the light of day in Orbiter, I'd love to see this. :thumbup:

Edit: I thought I repeated myself. :facepalm:

 

[Carmen A]

For a start we could experiment with a maritime launch platform for an Energia with a super heavy payload. The general shape is more or less similar. Need some support ships for that offshore base, though!

 

[Urwumpe]

For a start we could experiment with a maritime launch platform for an Energia with a super heavy payload. The general shape is more or less similar. Need some support ships for that offshore base, though!

For the start, you can try the SRB retrieval ships, they look like small Anchor Handling Tugs.

---------- Post added at 08:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:05 PM ----------

For anybody who is really willed making a Sea Dragon... here are the NASA documents about it:

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19880069339_1988069339.pdf

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19880069340_1988069340.pdf

A lot of information...especially the start sequence will sure be epic.

The animation of the second stage nozzle will be hard, but you can now, with the 2010 API, implement it easier by making vertex manipulation.

---------- Post added 01-03-11 at 11:17 AM ---------- Previous post was 01-02-11 at 08:36 PM ----------

This homepage has also some old videos of the Sea Dragon... really nice

http://neverworld.net/truax/