Sometimes You Have to Pull the Pin and Throw

To quote another very different artist:

[We] used to be the kid[s] that nobody cared about/That's why you have to keep screaming until they hear you out.

This is a lungful.

There will be more coming.

And actions to back it up.

We will be placing rovers on the Moon. We're not waiting for someone else to do it any longer. And after that?

Steam Assisted Rocket Project continued

Steam Assisted Rocket Project continued: "

Rick reports:

The new design I was trying is partly based on the Sugar Shot dual pulse motor design. The motor is filled half full of propellant with a cylindrical core to the top. I then packed paper into the tube on top as a 'delay' grain. I then poured more propellant on top of that again with a cylindrical core. I idea is that the lower propellant is ignited propelling the rocket upwards and then coasts as the paper burns through. Then the second pulse (the propellant first poured) fires.

How this 'should' increase the steam assisted portion of the flight is this: the first pulse launches the rocket and clears an 'open blast tube' in the lower portion of the motor. A small portion of the heat from this process goes into the motor casing (water jacket) since the unburned propellant had been acting as an insulator and the heat didn't get to the motor casing in any large amount until it was burning near the casing and some conduction from the nozzle. When the second pulse fires, the heat from this combustion is always in contact with the motor casing, with the water acting as a heat sink protecting the motor casing and becoming superheated. When the propellant completely burns away it releases the steam through the motor casing picking up more heat, blasting out the residual byproducts of the sugar combustion. Yesterday was a test of just the sugar dual thrust idea without the water jacket.

After successfully testing this idea, while making a drawing of this sequence, I came to the realization that a pure regressive motor would transfer the greatest amount of heat to the motor casing and into the cooling water converting it into super heated water to flash into steam at the conclusion of the propellant burn. See drawing and video.

Since the entire motor casing would be exposed to the propellant burning for the total burning time, the regressive should offer the greatest heat absorption from the combustion. In addition, the greatest thrust would be at the beginning of the burn to lift the rocket off the test stand. A water-cooling jacket protecting the motor casing could absorb enough heat to then flash to steam to assist the motor in propelling the rocket higher. (Water-cooling jacket surrounding motor casing not shown.)

(Drawings and video courtesy Rick Maschek)

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Hallo Test 072005

Die Part-Time Scientists |&| TU Wien Space Team

Die Part-Time Scientists unterstützen das TU Wien Space Team
– PRESSEMITTEILUNG –

Team FREDNET: XPF is Real!

Hello world. Fred's extended travel blog is still in the works, and another one with some thoughts on ITAR. That acronym always gums up the works, doesn't it? This is just a quick entry to let the world know that the X PRIZE Foundation is real! Yes, that's right, we've verified that it really exists, when Fred stopped by for the tour and 'talked space' with Amanda.


Copyright © 2011 tf(x) - Team FREDNET, The Open Space Society Inc. [Team FREDNET, TFX, tf(x)]. All Rights Reserved.

FREDNET ® is a Registered Service Mark, used under an exclusive licensing agreement. The 'Open Space Society', 'X Marks the Spot' and 'Revolution Through Open Collaboration' are marks or registered marks of Team FREDNET. Team FREDNET is an official competitor for the Google Lunar X Prize. Team FREDNET is a Tax Exempt 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Corporation. Check with your financial advisor, as your donations may be tax deductible.

Lander Assembly Time Lapse

Lander Assembly Time Lapse: "

Over the course of the lander assembly, several time lapse sequences were taken. Here is a compilation of some of the work that went into putting the lander together. Some of the processes featured include buffing bulkheads, installing bulkheads, cleaning the lander deck, and installing bulkheads.

"

thx -ice-

Lander Fabrication: Deck Arrives at CMU

Today, the machined aluminum lander deck plate arrived at Carnegie Mellon's

Planetary Robotics High Bay. The frustrum and rover adapter cones also arrived
today. The team will begin assembling the the lander structure. Check back for
frequent updates.

The lander deck being hoisted off the truck with the
gantry crane.



The lander deck is set down in the lander assembly area.



Astrobotic engineer Jason Calaiaro inspects the bolt
patterns on the deck.



The frustrum and rover adapter are set down in
the lander assembly area.

via googlelunarxprize

Barcelona Moon Team |Rover

Rover Prototypes summary:

This video is a summary of the completed rover prototypes of the BMT.

It gathers models and CGI of the BCNRV-04 (a six wheeled rover), the

BCNRV-05a and BCNRV-05b (four wheeled rovers with different solar

panels strategy arrangement), and the BCNRV-06
(a six wheeled rover with its front and rear wheels folding, to reduce its

size when embarked).

Say hello to my friends |JURBAN

Say hello to Isha, Blaze, Corrie, and Ami. They are sending
a robot to the Moon, want to join us?