Sea Dragon (rocket)

The Sea Dragon of 1962 was the ambitious project to construct a space rocket with more than 500 tons of payload; and it is so far the largest rocket ever seriously configured.

The size of the rocket due to the fact that it is built in a shipyard and towed in a horizontal position on a pontoon at the launch site. The ballast chambers of the pontoons are flooded Once there, so that the rocket now occupies the firing position vertically in the water.

As the construction company Aerojet and Truax emanated from a price range of $ 59 to $ 620 per kilogram of payload carried, the project attracted the attention of the American space agency NASA. She let the payload costs by an independent body to recalculate and got the information from Aerojet confirmed, but the project was canceled. Payload costs at today's space shuttle will be around $ 18,000 / kg.

Near the U.S. Air Force Base Vandenberg, the government bought a stretch of coast known as Sudden Ranch, where the start of the Sea Dragon should have taken place. Sudden Ranch is an almost ideal place situated: It is located near shipyards, and in the south of Sudden Ranch is just ocean, so no populated area. This is at startup in a polar orbit, a great advantage. However, could be at the start near the equator save fuel (see Space Physics).

Key Features

Method of construction

Individual engines at each stage were favored in place of multiple engines, which are difficult to handle. In order to save fuel pump, the fuel should be under high pressure - which thick-walled fuel tank requires. Given the size of the rocket is the thickness of the tank wall is of minor importance, since the ratio of empty weight of the tank - fuel weight anyway is much smaller than conventional smaller launchers.

Applications

The role of the Sea Dragon, it would have been ever built, would undoubtedly have been defined by their enormous payload of 550 tons. With such a capability could be readily

• Transport complete lunar or planetary bases; therefore be avoided at the destination lengthy and costly construction.
• Bring space shuttles into space, which are sufficiently large to provide passengers with enough comfort. Employment opportunities in work and leisure as well as the fulfillment of social roles would be the biggest problem on multi-year trips.

Swell

• Astronautix.com