Falcon 9 Heavy goodies

On 14/08/2011 8:38 AM, Pat Flannery wrote:
Here's some details of what SpaceX is up to with Falcon 9 heavy:
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/gener...hannel=defense

Note that the pad is being built at Vandenberg AFB, which suggests that
this is a military-related program that is intended to put things into
high inclination orbits (shooting things into low inclination orbits
would mean that it would be dropping stages over the continental US, or
that they would be going into retrograde low inclination orbits, badly
cutting into total payload capacity as you wouldn't have Earth's
rotation to use to up payload like you have do when you launch west to
east.)
The Merlin engines are being upped in thrust and lowered in weight,
which will also up payload capacity; it's being designed for a ISP of
310, and a thrust-to-weight ratio of 160:1, both very good performance
figures for a LOX/kerosene engine.
It is also able to throttle between 70-100% thrust, allowing max Q and
G's to be kept under control during ascent, as propellant burn-off
increases the vehicle's acceleration as its total weight drops.
A new staged combustion engine known as Raptor or BFE* may be developed
that generates 150,000 lbs. thrust with a ISP of 470 and uses LOX/LH2 as
propellants.

* "Big Falcon Engine", though I think that isn't the only thing that
abbreviation could be translated as. ;-D

Pat


Things seem to be humming along nicely at SpaceX, but they're just not
launching at the moment!

Here's some details of what SpaceX is up to with Falcon 9 heavy:
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/gener...hannel=defense
Note that the pad is being built at Vandenberg AFB, which suggests that
this is a military-related program that is intended to put things into
high inclination orbits (shooting things into low inclination orbits
would mean that it would be dropping stages over the continental US, or
that they would be going into retrograde low inclination orbits, badly
cutting into total payload capacity as you wouldn't have Earth's
rotation to use to up payload like you have do when you launch west to
east.)
The Merlin engines are being upped in thrust and lowered in weight,
which will also up payload capacity; it's being designed for a ISP of
310, and a thrust-to-weight ratio of 160:1, both very good performance
figures for a LOX/kerosene engine.
It is also able to throttle between 70-100% thrust, allowing max Q and
G's to be kept under control during ascent, as propellant burn-off
increases the vehicle's acceleration as its total weight drops.
A new staged combustion engine known as Raptor or BFE* may be developed
that generates 150,000 lbs. thrust with a ISP of 470 and uses LOX/LH2 as
propellants.

* "Big Falcon Engine", though I think that isn't the only thing that
abbreviation could be translated as. ;-D

Pat

In sci.space.history Pat Flannery wrote:
A new staged combustion engine known as Raptor or BFE* may be
developed that generates 150,000 lbs. thrust with a ISP of 470 and
uses LOX/LH2 as propellants.

Hydrogen for the BFE? Are then courting the Second System Effect
there? Also, the ISP is loads better but the thrust doesn't seem to
be that much greater than Merlin - is that perhaps a new second stage
engine rather than a first stage?

* "Big Falcon Engine", though I think that isn't the only thing that
abbreviation could be translated as. ;-D

Falcon-A-Bubba

rick jones
--
I don't interest myself in "why." I think more often in terms of
"when," sometimes "where;" always "how much." - Joubert
these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway...
feel free to post, OR email to rick.jones2 in hp.com but NOT BOTH...

In sci.space.history Pat Flannery wrote:
On 8/15/2011 10:39 AM, Rick Jones wrote:
Hydrogen for the BFE? Are then courting the Second System Effect
there? Also, the ISP is loads better but the thrust doesn't seem
to be that much greater than Merlin - is that perhaps a new second
stage engine rather than a first stage?

I think that's the idea in the article; it's a upper stage engine that's
to be used for lunar and interplanetary flights.

OK. Still, I thought that the "BFE" moniker was meant for a higher
thrust first stage engine - something closer to, but probably not as
big as the F-1.

rick jones
--
portable adj, code that compiles under more than one compiler
these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway...
feel free to post, OR email to rick.jones2 in hp.com but NOT BOTH...

On 16/08/2011 6:45 AM, Rick Jones wrote:
In sci.space.history Pat wrote:
On 8/15/2011 10:39 AM, Rick Jones wrote:
Hydrogen for the BFE? Are then courting the Second System Effect
there? Also, the ISP is loads better but the thrust doesn't seem
to be that much greater than Merlin - is that perhaps a new second
stage engine rather than a first stage?

I think that's the idea in the article; it's a upper stage engine that's
to be used for lunar and interplanetary flights.

OK. Still, I thought that the "BFE" moniker was meant for a higher
thrust first stage engine - something closer to, but probably not as
big as the F-1.

rick jones

I was thinking along those lines too - that the BFE was for a much more
powerful engine than Merlin.

On 8/15/2011 10:39 AM, Rick Jones wrote:


Hydrogen for the BFE? Are then courting the Second System Effect
there? Also, the ISP is loads better but the thrust doesn't seem to
be that much greater than Merlin - is that perhaps a new second stage
engine rather than a first stage?

I think that's the idea in the article; it's a upper stage engine that's
to be used for lunar and interplanetary flights.

Pat

On 8/15/2011 12:45 PM, Rick Jones wrote:

I think that's the idea in the article; it's a upper stage engine that's
to be used for lunar and interplanetary flights.

OK. Still, I thought that the "BFE" moniker was meant for a higher
thrust first stage engine - something closer to, but probably not as
big as the F-1.

They have some new photos here of the new Dragon being prepared for its
launch to the ISS and the demolition of the old Titan IV launch site at
VAB to make way for the new Falcon 9/Falcon 9 Heavy launch pad:
http://www.onorbit.com/node/3659

Pat