A partnership like that might well make a good origin. They mention the idea in conversation, having seen Stellvia's old section out the window. The Soviet plans appear soon after. A group of shuttle operators will probably chip in their own resources in exchange for access to the design as a consortium.
Who builds them, and where? Who uses them, and for what?
Four boosters strapped to a fully equipped space-station inside a modified Energia tank-structure (like Skylab). The downside is expensive vertical launches, the upside is, you've just set the record for the largest vertically launched commercial payload. The booster's main job is to just get the payload moving, since the shuttle's own engines are incapable of lifting it vertical. They can then either be jettisoned to their own destruction, or dragged along to be refueled in orbit somewhere. Over 200t in the top of tank, fuel for the tank-bottom engines beneath that and then about 30t of 'stuff' and up to ten crew in the orbiter.
Drive-type.... each booster is easily going to be as powerful as the orbiter strapped to it. Stellvia's big involvement could be the largest set of WFC-derived drives, some sort of hardtech heavy-thrust engine that gives a lot of punch going up off the ground, sort of like a massive V8. Would such a thing exist?
The tank itself is available either purely unwaved (for scientific reasons), rigged for pure cargo.... or fitted out as a ready-built space-hab complete with life-support, station keeping engines and a couple of hundred man-days of supplies. It's also possible after launch to refit the wet areas of the tank into further living space, or as required. The tank-station can then either be kept resupplied on location, left behind as an unmanned waystation with supplies for any unfortunate who has a breakdown, or tugged how and re-used elsewhere.
The Shuttle in this case acts as a command and control vehicle, and as the launch escape system for the crew in case of failure. Melchizedek was selected to make the first-flight, as modified OMS engines gave her some extra propulsion to get clear of a destructing stack quickly. The first flight of the Vulkan system will be on a mission to the Sirius flown by Melchizedek, along with Discovery, leaving behind the laboratory for a 100-day stay. Mel is naturally excited to have the chance to launch from 39-A....
The shuttle alone is capable of driving the tank, at severely limited velocities. Therefore, boosters are generally only separated in case of failure, and are refuelled once orbit is reached.
Currently the tanks are incapable of surviving reentry, however work is progressing on a Vulkan-2 system, based on the Uragan/Energia-II design, which would be capable of landing a fully complete base on a planet. Multiple tank modules could make for a start of a colony, especially if the makings of a dome where included with them.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
Who builds them, and where? Who uses them, and for what?
Four boosters strapped to a fully equipped space-station inside a modified Energia tank-structure (like Skylab). The downside is expensive vertical launches, the upside is, you've just set the record for the largest vertically launched commercial payload. The booster's main job is to just get the payload moving, since the shuttle's own engines are incapable of lifting it vertical. They can then either be jettisoned to their own destruction, or dragged along to be refueled in orbit somewhere. Over 200t in the top of tank, fuel for the tank-bottom engines beneath that and then about 30t of 'stuff' and up to ten crew in the orbiter.
Drive-type.... each booster is easily going to be as powerful as the orbiter strapped to it. Stellvia's big involvement could be the largest set of WFC-derived drives, some sort of hardtech heavy-thrust engine that gives a lot of punch going up off the ground, sort of like a massive V8. Would such a thing exist?
The tank itself is available either purely unwaved (for scientific reasons), rigged for pure cargo.... or fitted out as a ready-built space-hab complete with life-support, station keeping engines and a couple of hundred man-days of supplies. It's also possible after launch to refit the wet areas of the tank into further living space, or as required. The tank-station can then either be kept resupplied on location, left behind as an unmanned waystation with supplies for any unfortunate who has a breakdown, or tugged how and re-used elsewhere.
The Shuttle in this case acts as a command and control vehicle, and as the launch escape system for the crew in case of failure. Melchizedek was selected to make the first-flight, as modified OMS engines gave her some extra propulsion to get clear of a destructing stack quickly. The first flight of the Vulkan system will be on a mission to the Sirius flown by Melchizedek, along with Discovery, leaving behind the laboratory for a 100-day stay. Mel is naturally excited to have the chance to launch from 39-A....
The shuttle alone is capable of driving the tank, at severely limited velocities. Therefore, boosters are generally only separated in case of failure, and are refuelled once orbit is reached.
Currently the tanks are incapable of surviving reentry, however work is progressing on a Vulkan-2 system, based on the Uragan/Energia-II design, which would be capable of landing a fully complete base on a planet. Multiple tank modules could make for a start of a colony, especially if the makings of a dome where included with them.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?