On Oct 20, 9:00 am, wrote:
More information on this hypthetical moonship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_core_reactor_rocket

A gas core nuclear rocket sustainer with chemical rocket boosters for
take off and landing built out of Apollo era hardware, to build and
sustain a moonbase.

600,000 lbs lift-off weight
360,000 lbs propellant
180,000 lbs lox
180,000 lbs lh
30,000 lbs booster
150,000 lbs sustainer

150,000 lbs payload weight
90,000 lbs structural weight
45,000 lbs of this is the gas core nuclear fission engine
900,000 lbs thrust at lift off
(2x 400,000 lbs - lox/lh liquid fuele booster - J2)
(1x 300,000 lbs - lh fueled gas core fission rocket)
(8x 15,000 lbs - lox/lh liquid fueled maneuvering rockets - RL10)

Chemical booster 450 sec Isp
Gas core nuclear susteainer 4,000 sec Isp

Top speed;
Booster: Vf = 450*9.82*LN(600,000/(600000-210000))
=1,910 m/sec (4,256 mph)

Sustainer Vf = 4000*9.82*LN(390,000/(390,000-150,000))
= 19,070 m/sec (45,642 mph)

Combined: 20,980 m/sec (49,898 mph)

The volume of hydrogen is 1,168 cubic meters (41,277 cf)
The volume of oxygen is 68 cubic meter (2,386 cf)

total propellant volume is 1,236 cubic meters (43,663 cf)

This is about the same volume as the S-II second stage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-II

So, one can imagine a reduced oxygen tank size for the SII, and
increasing the hydrogen tank by moving the bulkhead between the two -
which achieves the 405,000 lb mass with the appropriate mass ratios.
Remove the centrally located J2 and add the 45,000 lb weight and
300,000 lb thrust gas core nuclear sustainer in its place. Drop 2 of
the 4 remaining J2 engines, keep 2 J2s at boosters at lift off from
Earth. Add 4 RL10S clusters (8 total) at 2 of the of old J2
locations
for take off landing and meneuvering around the moon.

The SIVB is configured for a moonbase module similar to skylab for for
operations at 1/6 gee instead of zero gee..

To deploy the SIVB modules on the lunar surface equip the SII with a
simple
loading crane to erect on the lunar surface and then to lift the SIVB
out of its position atop the SII and put it in place near the landing
point. Apollo 14 landing next to the Surveyor spacecraft on the moon
shows that even in Apollo days you could land pretty accurately on
the
moon. With a radio transponder the SII-GC version could land at the
same point precisely each time. So, the crane could be erected after
each landing to remove an additional payload bay. After a half dozen
flights a base would be established and the personnel carrier version
of the SIVB large enough to carry a crew of 30 - or 10 plus supplies
- for crew rotations - would maintain the base after it was
completed.

http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/wintu...d=8947&start=1

The Model 979 flyback booster for the Saturn SIC - the first stage,of
the Saturn V - could easily be adapted for the smaller SII second
stage. A
large nose cone with cargo doors would carry the SIVB inside

.

? 600,000 lbs lift-off weight ?

By your own numbers, it seems as though your 600,000 lbs of lift-off
weight or GLOW is in error, especially if including all the realted
fuel, payload and infrastructure or inert mass. Or, is it just my
having missed something obvious?
- Brad Guth -