“You are 'GO' for TLI.”
– Some Apollo Dude
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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CV ARCHITECTURE
The Cislunar Vehicle (CV) is an important vehicle to get from Earth orbit to lunar orbit and back again.
It is astonishing to note that the CV concept is almost as old as NASA itself. It was designed to carry cargo and a crew to and from lunar and Martian orbits using nuclear propulsion (Image 1).
Image 1: A CV utilizing "saddle bag" propellant tanks
The NASA CV was designed to be assembled, so each part had to fit inside the Space Shuttle payload bay so that it can be transported into outer space.
The CV would need to be refueled after each mission in keeping with the philosophy of reuse and commonality.
Our CV, of course, will not use nuclear rockets but will use chemical rockets instead. We will also make use of "saddlebag" propellant tanks to extend our mission capabilities.
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CV AIRFRAME
The CV is nothing more than a standard OV space vehicle that has been "stretched" to accommodate 1.67 times the amount of propellant. Additional propellant tanks will be strapped to each side of a core vehicle in a "saddlebag" configuration. The core vehicle will house two RL10C–2–1 instead of one (Image 2 [Larger Image]).
Image 2: Cislunar Vehicle (CV) Core internal view
The top of the core vehicle will have the USIS Docking Ring to mechanically connect payload.
Between the LH2 and LO2 tanks is the Intelligence Module (IM). Electrical power will be provided by a fuel cell being fed cryogenics.
The IM also houses the four Reaction Control System (RCS) quads. The quads will burn 11 kg of propellant per day including boiloff, which gives an 8–day operational duration, just like the OV.
The CV core will have the propellant tanks replenished for refurbishment and reuse whilst in space.
The Cargo Hold Guide Rails (CHGR) are used to secure the CV core to the VentureStar Cargo Hold.
The exterior of the CV core will be painted white to help offset increased internal heating. The RCS will be located in each of the rounded corners.
Image 3: CV "Saddlebag" propellant tanks internal view
The additional propellant tanks are simply the CV core without the rocket engines (Image 3 [Larger Image]). It is strapped onto each side of the core "saddlebag"–style.
The top of the core vehicle will not have the USIS Docking Ring to mechanically connect payloads. All payload will be connected to the core vehicle instead.
Between the LH2 and LO2 tanks is the Intelligence Module (IM). Electrical power will be provided by a fuel cell being fed cryogenics.
The IM also houses the four Reaction Control System (RCS) quads. The quads will burn 11 kg of propellant per day including boiloff, which gives an 8–day operational duration, just like the OV and CV core.
This vehicle differs in one more important area: it has a propellant input docking collar on one side of the vehicle and a propellant output docking collar on the other side. The propellant output collar is an exact duplicate of the output docking collar on the Propellant Module. The "saddlebags" will in turn continuously refill the CV core vehicle.
The CV "saddlebags" will have the propellant tanks replenished for refurbishment and reuse whilst in space.
The Cargo Hold Guide Rails (CHGR) are used to secure the CV "saddlebag" to the VentureStar Cargo Hold.
Image 4: The Cislunar Vehicle (CV) fully assembled
The exterior of the CV "saddlebag" will be painted white to help offset increased internal heating. The RCS will be located in each of the rounded corners.
The Cislunar Vehicle (CV) is a collection of one core vehicle and two "saddlebag" vehicles on each side where the propellant output of the "saddlebag" inserts into the propellant input of the core vehicle. (Image 4 [Larger Image]).
The CV core and "saddlebag" inert mass specifications are summarized in the two Tables below.
Top Pressurized Docking Collar |
48 |
kg |
Propellant Tanks and Structure |
1,544 |
kg |
Intelligence Module |
489 |
kg |
RCS and Fuel Cell Propellant |
88 |
kg |
RCS Quads |
27 |
kg |
Propellant Input Docking Collar |
73 |
kg |
Propellant Input Docking Collar |
73 |
kg |
RL10C–2–1 Rocket Engine |
276 |
kg |
RL10C–2–1 Rocket Engine |
276 |
kg |
Nozzle Extension |
25 |
kg |
Nozzle Extension |
25 |
kg |
Attachment Kit |
135 |
kg |
Cislunar Vehicle Core Mass |
3,079 |
kg |
Propellant Tanks and Structure |
1,544 |
kg |
Intelligence Module |
489 |
kg |
RCS and Fuel Cell Propellant |
88 |
kg |
RCS Quads |
27 |
kg |
Propellant input Docking Collar |
73 |
kg |
Propellant Output Docking Collar |
91 |
kg |
Attachment Kit |
135 |
kg |
Cislunar Vehicle “Saddlebag” Mass |
2,447 |
kg |
CV Inert Mass = CV Core + (2) CV "Saddlebags"
= 3079 + 2447 + 2447
= 7,972 kg
Altogether, the CV will hold five times the propellant of an OV.
CV Propellant Mass = CV Core Propellant + (2) CV "Saddlebag" propellant
= 30088 + 30088 + 30088
= 90,265 kg
CV Stage Mass = CV Inert Mass + CV Propellant Mass
= 7972 + 90265
= 98,237 kg
CV Mass Ratio = Propellant Mass / Stage Mass
= 90265 / 98237
= 0.919
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CV COMMAND AND CONTROL
The Cislunar Vehicle (CV) will be controlled remotely like any other drone aircraft. Command and Control will look no different than the trenches at Mission Control Center at NASA. There will, however, be one glaring difference: the existence of what looks to be a static simulator of the CV cockpit.
The layout has one pilot, with a glass cockpit and what looks like large screen TVs in the place of windows in front and on the sides of the pilots. The crew operates the CV spacecraft remotely, from undock to redocking.
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CV LIFETIME
The CV will be operated an average of 24 times per year, which equals 96 sorties in a four–year period of time. The spacecraft will then be replaced, with the old CV deleted from the fleet.
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CV DISPOSAL
Once the CV has reached its operational lifetime, it will need to be properly disposed of.
The CV can also be refilled one last time and sent out into the abyss on a one–way mission carrying the latest in scientific equipment.
If need be, CVs can be disposed of by flying into the atmosphere and burning up.