luke strawwalker
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Howdy, howdy...
Here's another jewel from April 9, 1961 (three days before Yuri Gagarin "threw down the glove" to the US in manned spaceflight). The study is entitled "Summary of Final Report on Studies of Very Large Solid Fuel Rockets" by Grand Central Rocket Company, Redlands, CA. (never heard of them... ) It's a summary itself of a series of studies done by GCR for NASA relating to the possibility of clustering large SRMs for exploration class rockets. Two vehicles are proposed- a "one million pound" class vehicle with about the same performance as a Saturn C-2, with 3 120 inch (outside dia.) SRM's for the first stage, with an "S-II" (not the Saturn V S-II that was 396 inches in diameter and powered by 5 J-2 engines of 200,000 lbs thrust each, with 930,000 lbs of propellants, but the "original" S-II stage in the early Saturn Vehicle studies-- 260 inches in diameter, powered by 4 J-2 engines) second stage, and an "S-IV" third stage, similar to the S-IV used on the Saturn I Block II, but with 2 RL-10's instead of 6.
The second proposed vehicle was the "ten million pound class" vehicle designed to deliver about the same payload to lunar orbit as a Saturn V, well, as proposals at the time though, which was a payload of 130,000 lbs. This vehicle proposal used NO LESS THAN SIXTEEN! 120 inch SRMs clustered in the first stage, with a cluster of four SRMs in the second stage, with a 2X early "S-II" third stage, with a roughly equivalent to the S-IVB fourth stage! It also has a brief section discussing stacking and launch of the vehicles. The one million pound class rocket would launch from slightly modified Saturn pads (Complex 34) and the ten million pound class would need it's own new launch complex (what later became Complex 39).
It's an interesting read and would make NEAT looking models for sport flying or future/fantasy scale, or to go along with a Saturn V, just for history's sake-- nobody at the launch field would have any idea what it was!
Enjoy the study-- pics to come... OL JR
View attachment NASA Study Summary- Final Report on Design Studies of Very Large Solid Fuel Rockets.txt
Here's another jewel from April 9, 1961 (three days before Yuri Gagarin "threw down the glove" to the US in manned spaceflight). The study is entitled "Summary of Final Report on Studies of Very Large Solid Fuel Rockets" by Grand Central Rocket Company, Redlands, CA. (never heard of them... ) It's a summary itself of a series of studies done by GCR for NASA relating to the possibility of clustering large SRMs for exploration class rockets. Two vehicles are proposed- a "one million pound" class vehicle with about the same performance as a Saturn C-2, with 3 120 inch (outside dia.) SRM's for the first stage, with an "S-II" (not the Saturn V S-II that was 396 inches in diameter and powered by 5 J-2 engines of 200,000 lbs thrust each, with 930,000 lbs of propellants, but the "original" S-II stage in the early Saturn Vehicle studies-- 260 inches in diameter, powered by 4 J-2 engines) second stage, and an "S-IV" third stage, similar to the S-IV used on the Saturn I Block II, but with 2 RL-10's instead of 6.
The second proposed vehicle was the "ten million pound class" vehicle designed to deliver about the same payload to lunar orbit as a Saturn V, well, as proposals at the time though, which was a payload of 130,000 lbs. This vehicle proposal used NO LESS THAN SIXTEEN! 120 inch SRMs clustered in the first stage, with a cluster of four SRMs in the second stage, with a 2X early "S-II" third stage, with a roughly equivalent to the S-IVB fourth stage! It also has a brief section discussing stacking and launch of the vehicles. The one million pound class rocket would launch from slightly modified Saturn pads (Complex 34) and the ten million pound class would need it's own new launch complex (what later became Complex 39).
It's an interesting read and would make NEAT looking models for sport flying or future/fantasy scale, or to go along with a Saturn V, just for history's sake-- nobody at the launch field would have any idea what it was!
Enjoy the study-- pics to come... OL JR
View attachment NASA Study Summary- Final Report on Design Studies of Very Large Solid Fuel Rockets.txt