Nh - The Launch Thread, Godspeed little one |
Nh - The Launch Thread, Godspeed little one |
Jan 16 2006, 03:08 PM
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#1
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14433 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
I thought it was time, with the Atlas V about to roll out - for a new thread for NH for the launch etc.
Someone asked over at the HZ just how NH can go so fast, this was my reply.... QUOTE How do you get a spacecraft to Jupiter in under a year? Easy. Make it very very light, and put it on a very very big rocket. The config of Atlas V rocket being used to launch NH (551 - 5m fairing, 5 solids, and one engine on the Centaur stage ) would typically put 8,670kg into GTO or 20,520 into LEO. New Horizons is 478kg, and it's Star 48B 3rd stage is 2,137kg - so instead of hauling 20 tons, this vehicle is hauling about 2.5 tons thus you get a HUGE velocity out of it. AND, once it's done that, you have the final kick of the 48B, 591 thousand kgs-s (thus accelerating is all a further 3.5 - 4km/s ball park speed, if my maths is right) At launch - the vehicle is 573,160kg. NH is 0.083% of it. Imagine the Apollo entry capsule on top of a Saturn V...tiny tiny tiny... that was 5,800 kg on a 3,038,500kg rocket - 0.191% - more than double that percentage of NH. The cutaway's are almost comical, with this tiny gold-clad box on an enormous vehicle. Basically - it's a LOT of rocket, and not a lot of payload. For comparison, look how much fuss was made of Stardust that entered so quickly. It took >16 hrs to get from the distance of the moon to Utah. NH makes that journey in 9 hours One thing the NH mission is not short of, is superlatives. I'm not one for good luck charms (although I'll eat peanuts during a Martian EDL with the best of them), but this mission has been so long in coming, that it deserves every ounce of luck it can have - the best, most accurate launch possible, the cleanest checkout, and incident free cruise to Jupiter. Goodluck and Godspeed little one, we're with you every step of the way. Doug PS - Alan, you're a credit to your field, spending so much time answering questions and writing the PI Perspectives, it's been a hell of a journey! |
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Jan 24 2006, 02:36 PM
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#2
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Member Group: Members Posts: 183 Joined: 22-October 05 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Member No.: 534 |
Just to share, I made Astronomy Picture of the Day today:
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060124.html pretty cool! -------------------- |
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Jan 24 2006, 02:52 PM
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#3
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2454 Joined: 8-July 05 From: NGC 5907 Member No.: 430 |
QUOTE (BPCooper @ Jan 24 2006, 09:36 AM) Just to share, I made Astronomy Picture of the Day today: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060124.html pretty cool! Congrats and yes, very cool! How did you do it without your and/or the camera becoming a crispy critter? -------------------- "After having some business dealings with men, I am occasionally chagrined,
and feel as if I had done some wrong, and it is hard to forget the ugly circumstance. I see that such intercourse long continued would make one thoroughly prosaic, hard, and coarse. But the longest intercourse with Nature, though in her rudest moods, does not thus harden and make coarse. A hard, sensible man whom we liken to a rock is indeed much harder than a rock. From hard, coarse, insensible men with whom I have no sympathy, I go to commune with the rocks, whose hearts are comparatively soft." - Henry David Thoreau, November 15, 1853 |
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Jan 24 2006, 03:31 PM
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#4
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2488 Joined: 17-April 05 From: Glasgow, Scotland, UK Member No.: 239 |
QUOTE (ljk4-1 @ Jan 24 2006, 03:52 PM) Congrats and yes, very cool! How did you do it without your and/or the camera becoming a crispy critter? Ben: Congratulations, too - I presume you used the good ol' sound operated camera setup... Bob Shaw -------------------- Remember: Time Flies like the wind - but Fruit Flies like bananas!
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Jan 24 2006, 04:53 PM
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#5
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Member Group: Members Posts: 147 Joined: 3-July 04 From: Chicago, IL Member No.: 91 |
Ben,
Congrats! Wow that is one fantastic picture! Great job. |
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Jan 24 2006, 05:18 PM
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#6
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3648 Joined: 1-October 05 From: Croatia Member No.: 523 |
To answer my own question earlier, those of you who missed the launch webcast, there's a very nice archive on The Spacearium. Among others, it has a clip running from T-4 until T+5, the post-launch press conference as well as a number of launch replays are available.
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