Project Cyclops, A Design... - Department of Earth and Planetary ...

7. Using huge specially designed jigs for f'mal assembly
and erection
An antenna designed for mass production could use
cigar shaped major structural members rolled and welded
from plate or sheet stock. All structural members could
be cut to finished length and drilled on numerically
controlled machines. Radial trusses could be assembled
in large jigs that eliminate the need for any alignment or
measurement. Partially automated welding or even complete
one stop brazing of the entire truss might be
possible. Surface panels could be stamped into double
curved surfaces and formed with stiffening edge lips in
large single-shot presses. Stamped channels with preformed
profiles could be affixed to the rear of the panels
by multiple-head, automatically sequenced spot welders.
Completed trusses and panels could be assembled at the
antenna site on a large lazy susan jig which could also
serve to raise a completed dish into position on the
mount. Special vehicles would convey the finished parts
from the on-site factory to the antenna location.
The structures group discussed the possible savings
due to quantity production of the Cyclops antenna
element (assumed to be a l O0-m az-el mounted dish)
with a large shipbuilding firm, two leading engineering
firms, a prominent "think-tank," a large aerospace
corporation and a number of antenna manufacturers. As
a result of these discussions and application of the
sophistries of learning theory a total cost reduction from
mass production of 20 to 40% was estimated.
Others feel that this estimate is too conservative and
that full-scale inventive application of the arsenal of
mass production techniques could result in a cost
reduction of 60 to 70%. This question can be resolved
only by a full scale design study, which of course was
impossible to accomplish in the summer study period.
The following table gives estimated total structural
costs for the Cyclops array as computed from equation
(10) with r7= 0.8 and for mass production cost reduction
factors R = 0.7 and R = 0.4. For the latter case a tooling
cost of $200 million has been added.
TABLE 8-3
ESTIMATED STRUCTURAL COSTS FOR
CYCLOPS
ARRAYS
Equivalent Cost in $ Billions
diameter, km R = 0.7 R = 0.4*
! 1. 0.78
2 4. 2.5
3 9. 5.2
5 25. 14.
*Includes $200 million tooling costs
Assuming an ultimate size of 5 km for Cyclops we see
that the structures cost is in the $10 to $25 billion
range. Since this is the dominating cost of the entire
Cyclops system, a large study aimed at reducing this
figure and refining the accuracy of the estimate would
appear to be the first order of business.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
During the course of this study, the element design
group had the benefit of many helpful discussions from
members of the industrial community. We sincerely
appreciate and acknowledge the interest, information,
and suggestions received from our meetings and/or
written and phone conversations with the following
firms and individuals:
Philco-Ford Corporation (Palo Alto, Calif.)
I.E. Lewis,
Rand Corporation (Los Angeles, Calif.)
R. Melosh
Milton Kamins, Sue Haggart
Lockeed Corporation (Sunnyvale, Calif.)
R.M. Rutledge,
Bechtel Corporation (San Francisco, Calif.)
V. Wise
David J. Goerz, Jr.
Bethlehem Steel Company (San Francisco, Calif.)
E.J. Stuber, L.A. Napper
Nippon Electric Company America, Inc. (N.Y.C., N.Y.)
Robert Alarie
Tymeshare Corporation (Mt. View, Calif.)
Stanford University (Palo Alto, Calif.)
Synergetics Corporation (Raleigh, N.C.)
Rohr Corporation (Chula Vista, Calif.)
REFERENCES
Ronald
C. Love
Bracewell
T.C. Howard
Robert
1. Schuerch, Hans U.; and Hedgepeth, John M.: Large
Hall
Low Frequency Orbiting Telescope. NASA
CR-1201, 1968.
2. VLA Antenna Construction and Emplacement Study.
Final Report, prepared by R.C.A. Defense Electronics
Products Missile and Surface Radar Division,
Moorestown, N.J., Nov. 1966.
3. Potter, P.D.; Merrick, W.D.; and Ludwig, A.C.: Big
Antenna Systems for Deep Space Communication.
Astronautics and Aeronautics, vol. 4, no. I0, Oct.
1966, pp. 85-95.
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