Space modeling epiphany

[Charles_McG]

Our ancestors were awesome and fearless engineers.

Same scale:

 

[jmattingly13]

I believe the Gemini capsule is technically of a bi-conic design whereas a rocket engine sports a bell profile. In either case, aerodynamics/fluid dynamics drives the optimal profile.

 

[Charles_McG]

Yes.

But think, during Gemini 7, two guys spent two weeks inside a capsule that fits -inside- the F1 nozzle.

 

[djs]

Maybe so, but you probably have stabbed yourself with that x-acto knife more than Jim Lovell.

Charles- you're the real hero here... bravely facing danger square in the eye and saying "NOT TODAY DEATH! YOUR X-ACTO KNIFE WILL NOT CLAIM ANOTHER VICTIM!"

maybe I've had too much coffee this morning.

 

[Charles_McG]

Ya think?

 

[georgegassaway]

Yes.

But think, during Gemini 7, two guys spent two weeks inside a capsule that fits -inside- the F1 nozzle.

BTW - my first Monogram Saturn-V, I noticed the kit's whole CM fit inside of the kit's F-1 nozzle (though the kit had the CM undersized, CM base was 154", F-1 base 147.6"). What really struck me was all that rocket and such a relatively small piece came back.

Back to Gemini, oh of only it had the volume of the F-1 nozzle.

Gemini had less room inside than the front seat of an old Volkswagon bug. Astronauts were in their seats the whole time.... except for spacewalks (Which Gemini-7 didn't do of course). At least thanks to weightlessness they could unstrap from their seats and float, but they had nowhere to move around to.

For Mercury, it was said the astronauts did not "get inside of it" as much as "put it on". At least the Gemini crews had company. Imagine 14 days solo, with often VERY limited radio contact with the ground, depending on each orbit and what ground antenna systems were within range (some with often a max range of around 150-200 miles, IIRC), and whizzing by them at 5 miles a second. In any case, rare to talk with the ground for 5 minutes or more (horizon to horizon), unless the orbit was going past a string of antennas such as over the US. Similar problems for Gemini, though a little longer communications for the flights that flew significantly higher up (such as when Agena pushed the spacecraft to 600 miles up).

Apollo lunar missions did not have this problem, because once they had done the TLI burn and moved far enough away from Earth, it was possible for just three Earth tracking stations (Ideally located 120 degrees apart. One was in Australia) to communicate 24 hours a day (except when the spacecraft was behind the moon).

Ironically, limited ground communication was a problem again for Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and the early Shuttle missions, same LEO tracking station issues as before (perhaps even worse as some tracking ships may not have been used anymore). Only after the shuttle launched three TDRS (Tracking & Data Relay Satellites) in orbit 120 degrees apart, could the ground communicate 24/7 with crews and satellites (like Hubble) in Low Earth Orbit.

 

[Cl(VII)]

{snip}...Back to Gemini, oh of only it had the volume of the F-1 nozzle.

Gemini had less room inside than the front seat of an old Volkswagon bug. Astronauts were in their seats the whole time.... except for spacewalks (Which Gemini-7 didn't do of course). At least thanks to weightlessness they could unstrap from their seats and float, but they had nowhere to move around to.

For Mercury, it was said the astronauts did not "get inside of it" as much as "put it on". At least the Gemini crews had company. Imagine 14 days solo, with often VERY limited radio contact with the ground, depending on each orbit and what ground antenna systems were within range (often a max range of around 150-200 miles, IIRC), and whizzing by them at 5 miles a second. In any case, rare to talk with the ground for 5 minutes or more, unless the orbit was going past a string of antennas such as over the US. Similar problems for Gemini.

...{snip}

Reading this post nearly resulted in a claustrophobic panic attack.

 

[rocketguy101]

Holy Cow!! I double checked with SolidWorks and you're right! (Both are 1:100 scale)

 

[Charles_McG]

Side by side