Re: Re[6]: Are You Prepared?

["Ryan Moore" <baradium@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Welty" <rwelty@domain.elided>
To: "IHdigest" <ihc@domain.elided>
Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2003 20:34
Subject: Re[6]: Are You Prepared?


> On Tue, 15 Jul 2003 17:51:15 -0500 Ryan Moore <baradium@domain.elided>
wrote:
> "Richard Welty" <rwelty@domain.elided>
> > > one of my web pages:
>
> > > http://www.averillpark.net/space/booster.html
>
> > Neat information, what determines whether a rocket is man rated or not?
>
> > Requirements?
>
> there are some reliability standards, etc., that are of concern. the
Atlas,
> for example, started as an ICBM (as did many, many heavy lift boosters,
for
> example the current russian Soyuz is a mildly evolved R7, which was the
> first true ICBM), and the reliabily requirements for lofting nukes were
not
> quite as high as the requirements for launching astronauts. the Atlas with
> its wacky ballon tanks was actually engineered to very tight tolerances
> aimed at minimum weight (the lighter the superstructure of the launch
> vehicle, the more fuel you can devote to lifting the payload.) it makes
for
> a good ICBM, but takes a lot of review before you're quite willing to put
> people on it.
>
So the tolerences didn't care so much about reliability as being as thin as
possible without failing too much?

Makes quite a bit of sense.  It's a lot easier to take an unmanned
submersible down really deep than it is a manned submarine...

> > > now if anyone actually wanted to talk about heavy lift boosters,
> > > offtopic@domain.elided would be a good place to do it.
>
> > Is that a hint?  :-D
>
> well, it started as a LEO joke, but ihc folks might have a natural
> interested in heavy lift at that.
>

But since we can equate heavy lifting to the heavy load capacity of the
heavy IHs, like the BCFs I want to get a peek at, which, since they were
transit mixers, likely have a GVWR in excess of 60,000 lbs, shouldn't we
keep it in the normal list in order to ensure we do not lose any on topic
material to the off topic list?
:-D

> cheers,
>   richard
> --
<snip>

Ryan