McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
an engineering problem which I need to solve for a story
Quantus:
--- Quote from: the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh on July 10, 2012, 05:04:14 PM ---I'd been thinking roughly bullet shaped rather than sphere because of wanting fairly even impetus across the bottom of the thing for the launch - it's kind of a limit case of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_%28nuclear_propulsion%29 , really.
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Unless I am reading this wrong, that is a completely different case from what I thought you were intending. Are you expecting to launch an innert slug from Nuclear launching platform (a gun+bullet design), or launch an actual craft with an on-board nuclear thrust system (Missiles, Orion Craft)?
If we are talking a craft with on-board systems rather than a solid slug fired from a ground-based platform, then it opens up several other avenues to explore.
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: Quantus on July 10, 2012, 05:12:34 PM ---Unless I am reading this wrong, that is a completely different case from what I thought you were intending. Are you expecting to launch an innert slug from Nuclear launching platform (a gun+bullet design), or launch an actual craft with an on-board nuclear thrust system (Missiles, Orion Craft)?
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An inert slug; I was just using the information about pusher plates from that project as of relevance to not destroying my slug during launch.
Quantus:
--- Quote from: the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh on July 10, 2012, 05:28:30 PM ---An inert slug; I was just using the information about pusher plates from that project as of relevance to not destroying my slug during launch.
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OK, then the point remains. Without maintained thrust at the rear, a slug is being carried on pure momentum, resisted by aerodynamic drag. The turbulence effects will eventually cause it to tumble without an axial spin or some sort of air-foil geometry. The first would just be difficult without a "barrel" of some kind, and the latter would only be worth the effort for the first part of the trip, and would complicate everything on the latter end. Especially if we are talking about something where all the math is done by hand. In those circumstances you typically look to simplify the math as much as possible, since the smallest variance can push your aim waaay off.
What would you think about a two-stage launch? Like a ground-based blast to get the material into orbit (possibly in a relatively re-useable launch module, a station to catch it as it begins to fall back to earth, then a secondary blast to push it off to the moon (possibly after separating the payload from the more durable launch casing. The data could be concealed in any number of stages, especially if there is any module separation in orbit. And that would widen the list of materials that they could launch, since softer things like copper would behave far differently than your irons, titaniums, and tugstens.
Figging Mint:
--- Quote from: Quantus on July 10, 2012, 09:34:14 PM ---What would you think about a two-stage launch? Like a ground-based blast to get the material into orbit (possibly in a relatively re-useable launch module, a station to catch it as it begins to fall back to earth, then a secondary blast to push it off to the moon (possibly after separating the payload from the more durable launch casing. The data could be concealed in any number of stages, especially if there is any module separation in orbit. And that would widen the list of materials that they could launch, since softer things like copper would behave far differently than your irons, titaniums, and tugstens.
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I thought about that but the 'grandiose' predisposition would seem to preclude orbital assembly.
Quantus:
--- Quote from: (FM) on July 10, 2012, 09:43:54 PM ---I thought about that but the 'grandiose' predisposition would seem to preclude orbital assembly.
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If they are aiming for a lunar base, I would think an orbital one would be a requisite first step, but I could be wrong.
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