Space Shuttle to Mars

Wolfer

Wolfer

Miniature Giant Space Hamster
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After reading this tread http://orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?t=10107, I figured I could probably take a space shuttle to Mars without busting my DV budget. So I velcroed 3 Saturn V first stages and 4 ASRBs and decided to see how it would work. Surprisingly, all went almost perfectly.

First I launched at the next launch window (dec 2009) so I could minimize the DV needed. Then I used IMFD to get to mars. Once there, I did an aerocapture and then, after going about a quarter orbit, another reentry. The landing was quite fast, about 750 m/s. Also I busted the landing gear (and everyone's back I'm pretty sure), but that's just bad piloting.

Here are a few screens to illustrate.

shuttlemars02.png

Launch Vehicule

shuttlemars5.png

Mars arrival

shuttlemars11.png

Second reentry

shuttlemars14.png

Landing
 
Nice. Now take it to Titan :P
 
Amusingly enough, I pondered this idea for quite some time. :lol:
However, I think I would need much more more powefull stages.
 
Wolfer said:
Also I busted the landing gear (and everyone's back I'm pretty sure), but that's just bad piloting.
Click to expand...
Not bad piloting, it's that the atmosphere on Mars is much, much thinner. In reality, the shuttle wouldn't be able to make a survivable landing on Mars.
 
Kaito said:
Nice. Now take it to Titan :P
Click to expand...
If you can make it to Mars then with time you can probably make it to Titan, or any place in the solar system, or even leave entire solar system for that matter because you now have entered the realm of interplanetary slingshots.
 
flytandem said:
If you can make it to Mars then with time you can probably make it to Titan, or any place in the solar system, or even leave entire solar system for that matter because you now have entered the realm of interplanetary slingshots.
Click to expand...

Ah yes, I hadn't tought of using slingshots to get to my destination. Maybe I'll go to Triton next :P
 
how did you manage to retain the ET?

In reality the propellant in the ET would boil off as well.
 
I just didn't press the "j" key.

I know that the fuel would have boiled off, but this mission was mainly for fun, not for realism. Everyone on the orbiter would have probably become quite sick due to radiation poisoning, life support wouldn't last 6 months, the orbiter would surely have burned up on reentry...
 
That's not liquid hydrogen in his ET. It's liquid imaginum. It doesn't boil off when heated, and actually burns more efficiently as the pressure in the tank decreases (this can be simiulated in Orbiter as needed by increasing the propellant level using the scenario editor).
 
n122vu said:
That's not liquid hydrogen in his ET. It's liquid imaginum. It doesn't boil off when heated, and actually burns more efficiently as the pressure in the tank decreases (this can be simiulated in Orbiter as needed by increasing the propellant level using the scenario editor).
Click to expand...
I thought it was fuelled by liquid Schwartz?
 
Wolfer said:
I know that the fuel would have boiled off, but this mission was mainly for fun, not for realism. Everyone on the orbiter would have probably become quite sick due to radiation poisoning, life support wouldn't last 6 months, the orbiter would surely have burned up on reentry...
Click to expand...
Not to mention what max Q must have looked like with 15 F-1 engines, 4 SRBs, and 3 SSMEs burning... ;)
I'm sure it was a fun trip though, thanks for sharing.

---------- Post added at 12:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:33 PM ----------

Hielor said:
Not bad piloting, it's that the atmosphere on Mars is much, much thinner. In reality, the shuttle wouldn't be able to make a survivable landing on Mars.
Click to expand...
No joke, to make a soft landing on mars with the DG-EX (don't ask how I got it there) I had to use the main engines as if they were hover engines and put it down almost vertically, using the hovers as retro and RCS to rotate the nose down somewhat gently.
 
In response to TCR:

Wolfer said:
I know that the fuel would have boiled off, but this mission was mainly for fun, not for realism. Everyone on the orbiter would have probably become quite sick due to radiation poisoning, life support wouldn't last 6 months, the orbiter would surely have burned up on reentry...
Click to expand...
 
Messierhunter said:
Not to mention what max Q must have looked like with 15 F-1 engines, 4 SRBs, and 3 SSMEs burning... ;)
I'm sure it was a fun trip though, thanks for sharing.
Click to expand...

I forgot to mention that the peak acceleration was about 14 Gs. Astronaut pancakes anyone?:lol:

TCR_500 said:
That's a nice trip, but how are you going to get back to Earth?
Click to expand...

Nobody gets back. It's a sucide mission, altought a quite enjoyable sucide mission when compared to other ones.

Ark said:
I see what you referenced there. :P
Click to expand...

Me too!:P
 
HEy, do you still have the origional scenario, and if so, can you post it?
 
weepleman said:
HEy, do you still have the origional scenario, and if so, can you post it?
Click to expand...

Sure here it is
BEGIN_DESC
Contains the latest simulation state.
END_DESC

BEGIN_ENVIRONMENT
System Sol
Date MJD 55168.7580848032
END_ENVIRONMENT

BEGIN_FOCUS
Ship STS-101
END_FOCUS

BEGIN_CAMERA
TARGET STS-101
MODE Extern
POS 9.31 -1.14 -95.43
TRACKMODE TargetRelative
FOV 40.00
END_CAMERA

BEGIN_HUD
TYPE Surface
END_HUD

BEGIN_MFD Left
TYPE Surface
SPDMODE 1
END_MFD

BEGIN_MFD Right
TYPE Orbit
PROJ Ship
FRAME Ecliptic
REF Earth
END_MFD


BEGIN_SHIPS
S1C:Velcro/S1C
STATUS Landed Earth
POS -80.6720000 28.5280000
HEADING 0.00
PRPLEVEL 0:1.000
NAVFREQ 0 0
CONFIGURATION 0
PRIMEBOOSTER 1
CENTERTHRUST 1
PADBIAS 1.000
TGT_HEADING 90.000
PARALLELBURN 0 STS-101 0.0000 -3.3000 -19.0000 0.0000 0.0000 -1.0000 0.0000 -1.0000 0.0000
PAYLOAD S1CShuttleInt Velcro/Parts/S1CShuttleInt Velcro/Parts/S1CShuttleInt 0.00 0.00 19.75 2500.00 0.00 1.00
END
Booster1:Velcro/s1c
STATUS Orbiting Earth
RPOS -489396.82 5010403.81 -3904660.00
RVEL 406.764 12.629 -31.514
AROT 127.93 4.41 -2.40
NAVFREQ 21 50
CONFIGURATION 0
PRIMEBOOSTER 1
CENTERTHRUST 1
PADBIAS 1.00
TGT_HEADING 90.00
PARALLELBURN 1 STS-101 5.3000 -3.0000 -40.0000 0.0000 0.0000 -1.0000 1.0000 0.0000 0.0000
PAYLOAD S1CHat1 Velcro/Parts/S1CHat Velcro/Parts/S1CHat 0.00 0.00 19.75 3500.00 0.00 1.00
END
Booster2:Velcro/s1c
STATUS Orbiting Earth
RPOS -489375.81 5010404.54 -3904661.70
RVEL 406.764 12.628 -31.513
AROT 127.93 4.41 177.60
NAVFREQ 21 50
CONFIGURATION 0
PRIMEBOOSTER 0
CENTERTHRUST 1
PADBIAS 1.00
TGT_HEADING 90.00
PARALLELBURN 1 STS-101 -5.3000 -3.0000 -40.0000 0.0000 0.0000 -1.0000 -1.0000 0.0000 0.0000
PAYLOAD S1CHat1 Velcro/Parts/S1CHat Velcro/Parts/S1CHat 0.00 0.00 19.75 3500.00 0.00 1.00
END
Booster3:Velcro/ASRM
STATUS Orbiting Earth
RPOS -489389.45 5010399.76 -3904666.12
RVEL 406.764 12.629 -31.513
AROT 127.93 4.41 177.60
NAVFREQ 21 50
CONFIGURATION 0
PRIMEBOOSTER 1
CENTERTHRUST 1
PADBIAS 1.00
TGT_HEADING 90.00
PARALLELBURN 1 STS-101 0.9000 -10.0000 -40.0000 0.0000 0.0000 -1.0000 1.0000 0.0000 0.0000
END
Booster4:Velcro/ASRM
STATUS Orbiting Earth
RPOS -489383.77 5010399.96 -3904666.58
RVEL 406.764 12.628 -31.513
AROT 127.93 4.41 -2.40
NAVFREQ 21 50
CONFIGURATION 0
PRIMEBOOSTER 1
CENTERTHRUST 1
PADBIAS 1.00
TGT_HEADING 90.00
PARALLELBURN 1 STS-101 -0.9000 -10.0000 -40.0000 0.0000 0.0000 -1.0000 -1.0000 0.0000 0.0000
END
Booster5:Velcro/ASRM
STATUS Orbiting Earth
RPOS -489393.13 5010424.95 -3904665.97
RVEL 406.766 12.629 -31.515
AROT 127.93 4.41 177.60
NAVFREQ 21 50
CONFIGURATION 0
PRIMEBOOSTER 1
CENTERTHRUST 1
PADBIAS 1.00
TGT_HEADING 90.00
PARALLELBURN 1 STS-101 3.7000 5.5000 -20.0000 0.0000 0.0000 -1.0000 1.0000 0.0000 0.0000
END
Booster6:Velcro/ASRM
STATUS Orbiting Earth
RPOS -489381.87 5010425.34 -3904666.88
RVEL 406.766 12.628 -31.514
AROT 127.93 4.41 -2.40
NAVFREQ 21 50
CONFIGURATION 0
PRIMEBOOSTER 0
CENTERTHRUST 1
PADBIAS 1.00
TGT_HEADING 90.00
PARALLELBURN 1 STS-101 -3.7000 5.5000 -20.0000 0.0000 0.0000 -1.0000 -1.0000 0.0000 0.0000
END
STS-101:Atlantis
STATUS Orbiting Earth
RPOS -489389.26 5010437.48 -3904683.01
RVEL 406.614 14.200 -32.741
AROT 127.93 4.41 177.60
ATTACHED 0:0,S1C
PRPLEVEL 0:1.000 1:1.000 2:1.000 3:1.000 4:1.000 5:1.000 6:1.000 7:1.000
NAVFREQ 0 0
CONFIGURATION 2
GEAR 0 0.0000
ARM_STATUS 0.5000 0.0000 0.0000 0.5000 0.5000 0.5000
SAT_OFS_X 0.000
SAT_OFS_Y 0.000
SAT_OFS_Z 0.000
END
END_SHIPS

BEGIN_ExtMFD
END
Click to expand...
 
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