Clever Geek Handbook

How to save the second stage of the rocket?

Elon Musk himself promised this once in a rush for the Falcon 9, but decided not to engage in nonsense ...



In 2015, SpaceX managed for the first time in the history of astronautics to land (without breaking) the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket, which, at the same time, completed the main task - put the satellite into a given orbit. An important stage in the development of space technology became a wonderful reality, and then just a routine, part of the well-organized delivery of spacecraft (SC) into near space, into near-earth orbits.





An extra promise from SpaceX - how and why to save the second stage?

The audience has already forgotten, but after all, SpaceX, personally represented by Elon Musk, for some reason, in September 2011, announced ambitious plans to gently land the second stage of Falcon 9. Yes, this company was going to learn how to save the second stage with time ... Here is the link ...





SpaceX even filmed a video on this topic (they spent money) - there the second stage with legs optimistically entered the atmosphere with a heat shield forward, an engine backward, and then braked at the very surface with this engine. Not a simple engine, but a Merlin 1D Vacuum jet engine with a huge nozzle optimized for vacuum at altitudes of about 100 km ...





, . , «» - , . ( , ), – , .





? , Starship . , . , , , . , , , Falcon 9 .





, Merlin Falcon 9 : () 9 , 1 , 10 . , 5 1. . , , … .





2018 Falcon 9 , , . - SpaceX: https://www.elonx.net/tag/canceled-projects/





( 2017 ) «Can SpaceX reuse a second stage?» - « Space ?» - Everyday Astronaut (« ») : https://youtu.be/4rC2Z5El-8E





, Kerbal Space Program, , … . 3 ( Falcon Heavy) + 1.5 + () ! , ...





?

, , – ( ) ! "", , !





, .





...

5 2020 «-5B» CZ-5B ( , CZ-5B « » - 4 , ) ( ). "" , .





, / ( Falcon 9) « » ( ).





New way of delivering goods by Ali-Express to remote regions of Africa! The recipients are slightly surprised by the free delivery of titanium pipes that they have not ordered, but they will certainly find use for them in their household ...
- ! , ...

12 2020 ( ) -' ( ). 12 (Mahounou), . facebook.





, 5 31 21.6 . (- -), : ?





, 2021 CZ-5B, 29 (. 天和, « ») .





«» , : - ? , ? ( ) ( ), , . , , « , »?





: , () ?





, , Everyday Astronaut, 15 : https://youtu.be/4rC2Z5El-8E?t=921 – ULA Vulcan Centaur.





ULA 2015 ( 27.2 ) Vulcan Centaur ( 2021 ) … . , ( ), , - .





(DCSS Centaur V) / ULA Boeing Lockheed Martin, , (Delta Atlas ). «» . ULA Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage (ACES) - 5.4 , 15-18 , 300 3 (3.14159 * 2.7 * 2.7 = 22.9 *15 = 343 3), 5-9(?) , 4 RL-10-C, . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu72H3jMpuY





ACES ( ) Integrated Vehicle Fluids (IVF). , / , ( ) , . , «» , , (Autogenous pressurization). , . , ( Titan 1968 , Space Shuttle, SLS). , , .





IVF , 10- . , ( ), , , ( ), , . ULA ( ) , .





- ? ?





2010 , ULA ( Atlas Delta IV Heavy) , «» ( , L1 L2 -). , , , .





Saved second stage as a "gas station" with a heat shield in the form of a tapered skirt
""

, -.





«» (Constellation), ( ), . , «» - , NASA - . 2017 ACES , ( Vulcan Centaur ) . , IVF ULA , Vulcan Centaur. , .





, ULA ACES , , L2 L1, .





: ?





— . , , , , , , / …





. , , 250-300 – , «» -.





?





( ) . , , ( : 200 , 36000 ), . , , ( ) .





, ( , , , ) : , ( ), , ( ). - .





: IVF , / , ( ), (, ), ( ). ?





"" Falcon 9

Falcon 9 FT.





, 4 , 107.5 ( ), 3.66 12.6 ( 132.5 3).





Image of the second stage of the Falcon 9 from the SpaceX website
Falcon 9 SpaceX

( ACES), 10 , ! Merlin 1D Vacuum + 348 (347) , 5 , .





, , 150-200 . 50 (- ), + IVF 200-300 . 400-550 4000 — 500 .





5500 ( Falcon 9 FT - 5800 , TelKom-4 2018) 4000 . , , ( ).





9500 (4000 ) (5500 ) 8500 (4500 4000 ) (4000 5500 ). 1000 10.5%.





15600 + 4000 () ( , ) 107.5 . (dV) 9.4 /.





5500 + 4000 107.5 , – , , , (dV) 2.5 /. , Falcon 9 .





11.5 % 12.5 ( ).





Falcon 9 : 12.5 + 5.5 + 4 = 22 , : + 5.5 + 4 = 10 ( , 0.5 ). Merlin 1D Vacuum + 348 (347) dV = 2.5 / :





dV1 = I * g * Ln (22 / 10) = 348 * 9.8 /2 * Ln ( 2.2 ) = 348 * 9.8 *  0.7885 / = 2689.1 / = 2.69 / – ( ).





«» 4.5 4 «» : 12.5 + 4.5 + 4 = 21 , : 4.5 + 4 = 8.5 ( ).





, - 1 (10.5%) + , 12.5 , 10-11% 14-15 ( ). : 14 + 4.5 + 4 = 22.5 .





: (12.5 ) (14 ) . dV = 2.5 / :





dV2 = I * g * Ln (21 / 10) = 348 * 9.8 /2 * Ln ( 2.1 ) = 348 * 9.8 * 0.741937 / = 2530.3 / = 2.53 /  - .





dV3 = I * g * Ln (22.5 / 10.5) = 348 * 9.8 /2 * Ln ( 2.143 ) = 348 * 9.8 * 0.7622 / = 2599.4 / = 2.6 /  - ( 2 ).





() 107.5 2 . dVn 4500 2000 ( ) :





dVn = I * g * Ln ( 6500 / 4500 ) = 348 * 9.8 /2 * Ln ( 1.4444 ) = 348 * 9.8 * 0.367694 = 1254 / = 1.25 /





() — dV = 1.6 /. .





( ) «» . . , , , .





() NASA , Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) 5-9 . 10-14 . 15 L1 L2 8 12 , 3-4 — 2 , ( 2600 ) 25 /, 22.9 (82.4 1.979 ), ( 50 ).





?

ULA «» 2-3 ACES . , (- ).





One of the options for connecting the second stage ACES in the standard version with the modified ACES in the form of an enlarged fuel tank without engines.
ACES ACES .

6 , Falcon 9, , ( ):





Scheme of batch assembly of 6 second stages of Falcon 9 into a single cluster for storing fuel / water. End view.
6 Falcon 9 / . .

( ) .





3.66 , 2.1 , Falcon 9 — .. 13 . ( ), , / , ( ).





( ) - ( ) 6 . , . - ( ).





6 ( 4 8 — ) . , -, .





6 Falcon 9 FT 600-700 3, 600 700 ! , , .





""

, , «» -, Mars Base Camp (2017 ) Lockheed Martin.





Water Delivery Vehicle (WDV). 52 42 . http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/space/photo/mbc/MBC_Updates_IAC_2017.pdf (. 8-9)





, .





?





? ?





:





  1. S-IVB - Saturn V, «» ( ), 1970-73  (Skylab =  ), -, 1973 2249 3 3 .





  2. S-IVB - Saturn V, «» «-20», 1970-73 (Skylab B Advanced Skylab) 1975-76 , 1979 ( International Skylab - «»). - NASA. C 1976  Skylab B Orbital Workshop.





, , . , , .





In this article, I examined the problem of saving a spent second stage from the opposite positions: to save not “down”, but “up”. It should be noted that in astronautics there are still many problems and aspects of application, such as elements that have been mastered for a long time, for which a look from an unusual, sometimes absurd point of view can give interesting and promising solutions.





We must clearly realize that space exploration is a step-by-step and complex task of building not only infrastructure on Earth and launching rockets from there, but also of gradually building infrastructure in space using everything that is available now or in the future.







More articles:


All Articles