Discussion Mk II

[NARSES2]

Right here's the place to discuss the GB from now onwards

[McColm]

This might be a little bit optimistic but here goes nothing.

[PFJN]

Hi,
If I am understanding correctly, per Rule 2 an entry must be a "what-if" and per the "rules of thumb" in post #3;

• "It was supposed to be used including prototypes or test pieces
• "It's in use"
• "Or it will be used with the relevant backstory."

So, would a completely made up "Moon Rover" vehicle (using a minivan kit as its basis) be an OK build if it is meant to be a as
realistically feasible as my admittedly limited knowledge of space physics allows 
 

[McColm]

Hi,
If I am understanding correctly, per Rule 2 an entry must be a "what-if" and per the "rules of thumb" in post #3;

• "It was supposed to be used including prototypes or test pieces
• "It's in use"
• "Or it will be used with the relevant backstory."

So, would a completely made up "Moon Rover" vehicle (using a minivan kit as its basis) be an OK build if it is meant to be a as
realistically feasible as my admittedly limited knowledge of space physics allows 
 

Yes that's allowed.

[McColm]

This might be a little bit optimistic but here goes nothing.

The stratolauncher looks promising.

Or something similar to the Douglas Model 1240 (from the 1950s) as the Space Shuttle/Buran heavy lifter aircraft.

[Weaver]

Possible projects:

1. Von Braun Retriever Rocket(s).
I have two of these. Not sure what the what-if would be, possibly making them more real-world practical (attitude jets, replace the nose-mounted reactor+shadow-shield with solar panels and radiators, bigger engine bell, put the comms dish on a tower so that half it's arc isn't blocked by the tanks).




2. Willy Ley Space Taxi.
Got one, but it makes so little sense to me that I'm struggling to come up with a scheme for it, and there's WAY less info online about this than there is about the Von Braun projects.




3. Shuttle launching Space Cruiser.
Safe option. I've got several shuttles, and I've got the Freightdog Space Cruiser (a real proposal for a tiny one-man spacecraft), so it'd be relatively easy to have the latter exiting the former via black florist's wire. I'd have to figure out what was in the rest of the cargo bay though. Could always put the shuttle in USAF markings, implying that they got their own space program back from NASA.


4. Safer Shuttle.
Haven't got all the bits for this, nor am I 100% sure how to do it. Basically a shuttle re-engineered for better safety, cost and politics notwithstanding. Liquid-fuel boosters (for on-demand shutdown in an ascent crisis), crew cabin extended 10ft at the expense of the cargo bay (USAF never did fly a Big Bird on one (which drove the cargo bay size) and Hubble could have been launched on a Titan), crew restricted to 6, all of whom sit in ejection seats on the upper deck.


Some previous ideas I'd floated (logical UFO interceptor, logical Space 1999 Eagle, M-48 Bridgelayer-derived Moon crawler) no longer meet the new no sci-fi rule.

[kerick]

I wish I could find the pic on line of the lunar hopper I saved a while ago. It had a single astronaut in a suit piloting a four legged, single engine vehicle. No passengers and apparently no cargo so not sure of the purpose. Perhaps some sort of scout vehicle.

[PFJN]

Hi,
Her is a real rough 1st cut of what I am thinking about.  It's a 1/25th scale Revell VW Vanagon, with the side doors and alot of the windows plated over.  In addition I intend to replace the existing van wheels with over sized "moon buggy wheels" on axles that extend beyond the side of the main frame.  To do this I may also add some structure underneath the donor kit body, as shown below.  Beyond that I hope to add an "airlock" type door at the back end and maybe an emergency escape hatch, a parabolic antenna and maybe some solar panels on the roof of the vehicle. 

Since the roof of the model kit can be made to be removable fairly easily I might try and do some internal outfitting as well, and I may end up altering the scale of the final build to 1/35 instead of the 1/25 that the donor kit is in, to give me extra internal space in the vehicle.  In doing so I'm thinking of leaving the forward windows their current size so that they would appear to be kind of "extra-large" on the resultant "moon-buggy" build.



For reference, here are some links to the type of tires I am considering fitting, and also some images of similar type vehicle concepts to show some of the type of detailing I might consider.

Regards

PF

https://autosphere.ca/tires/2022/10/17/bridgestone-teledyne-lunar-terrain-vehicle-development-team/

https://www.designboom.com/technology/nasa-goodyear-spring-tire/

https://www.bridgestone.com/technology_innovation/moon_tires/

[kerick]

Aha! Found it!

[Weaver]

Aha! Found it!

There were some proposals for minimalist Moon landers along those lines. Basically one man in a space suit, straight down, plant flag, straight back up again.

[McColm]

People have had ideas on how to get to distant planets and explore them, that's what this GB is about.