Re: Performance needed for planetary visit


chornedsnork...@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

>So... Imagine a Shuttle-like plane which has variable
>intakes, Concorde-style, which can be closed completely
>on hypersonic flight on reentry and launch. What would
>the aerodynamic performance be like?

My WAG? Good enough. Certainly no need to get into the
specifics for story purposes.

>Though this would require landing and takeoff horizontally, using
>runway or perhaps water, as a flying boat...

Speaking of water landing, I was thinking that maybe you
could use a simple steam rocket to launch vertically from
water as many times as you want. Your vehicle is dominated
by a huge strong tank. This can be crammed with compressed
air during horizontal flight to provide a very short
retrorocket impulse to soften waterlanding. At that point,
it provides floatation.

Shortly before launch, you fill the tank partly with water.
Then, you use heat from the reactor to heat it up...boiling
water...building up steam pressure...and then BOOOOSH! At
sufficient pressure you open the retrorocket valves and
boost yourself up into the air!

In seconds, you're up in the air and your tank is empty,
minimizing the difficulty of acheiving horizontal flight.
>>From there, you fly horizontally, cramming compressed air
slowly into your tank. As you reach high altitude, you
have filled your tank with a lot of compressed air (ideally
liquified nitrogen). Then, you use this compressed air
as rocket propellant.

This ship is very self-sufficient. Just give it air and
water, and it'll just keep going and going.

There are a lot of cute details which may give your story
a bit of hard sci-fi atmosphere. For example, the exhaust
of the compressed air retrorockets will be very cold. It
could freeze some of the water spray, causing bits of
"hail" to hit the ship. The viewports would fog up from
the cold. In contrast, the exhaust from the steam rocket
is boiling hot. That'd clear up any fogged up viewports
in a flash.

Isaac Kuo

.

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