/sci/ - Science & Math

>>4057103
Then how come REL's estimated performance numbers are no better than existing hydrogen-fuelled rockets? Energia achieves essentially the same payload fraction, and it launches with four heavy kerosene-fuelled boosters strapped on, FFS.

>>3824447

>(P.S. pic was Energia's idea of how to recover their Zenit boosters for Buran launches.)

Fold-out wings? Oh you Russians!

There appears to be nothing we can do to prevent the occasional transmutation of atoms into other elements. Fly far enough with your engines burning at full throttle, and your ship will turn slowly into gold, plus lithium arsenic, chlorine, and a lot of other elements that were not aboard when you left. These new substances will be concentrated around the antimatter reaction zone, and it is important to note that advanced composite materials already coming into existence dictate that our Valkyrie, even at this early design stage, will be built mostly from organic and ceramic materials, rather than from metals. It is conceivable that expanding knowledge of composites can be taken into account by the time relativistic flight becomes a reality, so that the ship actually incorporates the transmuted elements into its filaments in a manner that ultimately results in structural improvements for a ship designed to essentially rebuild itself as it flies. Exploiting what at first glance seems to be a disadvantage (transmutation) is simply a matter of anticipating the "disadvantage" before you begin to build. It's the disadvantages unforeseen or unaddressed that will get you in the end.

And the heavy lifter to take us there.

Behold the model Russian rocket, and feel hair exploding through your chest.

THIS is what i'd replace constellation with. swallow your national pride and buy the superior, already tested solution form russia.
just replace the polyus with a cargo capsule.
and send astronauts up on a separate rocket, possibly falcon 9/dragon, with a soyuz TMA ready as a backup.