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212 SMITHSONIAN ANNALS OF FLIGHT 3- FIGURE 4.—Design for the British Interplanetary Society lunar spaceship. ing unstreamlined and devoid of aerodynamic fins. 13 With overall dimensions of about 32 m by 6 m, the ship was calculated to weigh 1,000,000 kg. Of this, 900,000 kg would be propellant graded to yield an exhaust velocity of 3.4 km/sec with the largest rockets and 3.7 km/sec with the smaller. Burning times would also differ. The biggest rockets were nearly 4.6 m long and 38 cm diameter—small by modern standards but incredibly enormous at that time to anyone not astronautically minded. There were 168 in each of the first five Steps and Step six held 450 of medium size and two tiers each of 600 small units, making a total of 2490 solid propellant units. A central conduit down the ship carried the electrical wiring. The conically stacked units comprising a Step were held in position by light transverse webs and interlinked release bolts. A light hexagonal sheath encased each Step, serving as a heat shield as well as contributing to strength. Webs and sheath would fall away when all the units of a Step had fired and jettisoned. The corners of the hexagonal compartment between the sixth Step and cabin contained six groups of liquid propellant motors pointing rearwards. These hydrogen-peroxide units were for the fine control of velocity and for tilting the ship before directional corrections. They were also for balancing the ship at lunar touchdown. Just under the cabin were six sets of liquid-propellant opposed 7.
NUMBER 10 213 tangential jets. These controlled spin as required in furnishing a gravitational datum during flight; they were also used to stop rotation prior to lunar touchdown. This compartment also had two airlock vestibules; the rest was storage space. One of six liquid-buffered landing legs is shown in Figure 4. These were to be retracted close to the ship at launch from Earth and would be spread for lunar landing. A blunt, radially segmented, reinforced ceramic carapace covered the plastic-domed cabin to protect it from heating during ascent through Earth's atmosphere, after which it would be jettisoned. Although this amount of protection revealed unwarranted fear of high temperature during ascent, it is worth remarking that the carapace was visualized as functioning partly by acting as a heat sink and partly by ablation. The cabin contained three radial couches for the crew—notably, form-fitting, as is current practice. Motor ignition and other flight controls were on the arms of the couches to afford fingertip manipulation. The couches were hinged for automatic response to the prevailing gravitational datum if desired, and mounted on rails to permit change of radial position. A circumferential walkway was provided for crew movement, with a handrail above attached to the central supporting frame. Three forward-view windows are shown in Figure 4 and there were six rear-view lunettes where the circular cabin juts beyond the ship's hexagonal body. Coelostats of the type described gave views in these two directions with the ship spinning. In addition, portholes just above the walkway permitted observation in twelve radial directions—which multiplicity might be useful while at rest on the Moon. Coelostats of the second, undeveloped, type afforded a stationary view from these portholes with the ship in flight and rotating. All the windows were doubleglazed, and were to be covered when not in us as additional safeguard against meteor puncture. The cabin dome was depicted as having a single wall. However, in fact, it was to be double-walled to improve thermal insulation and to act as a "meteorbumper." Unfortunately the drawings do not show this feature, as they were completed before all details had been settled. Unfortunately, too, I forgot to mention this innovation in my original article. 14 My recollection of Technical Committee discussions on the utility of double-walling is how ever confirmed by A. V. Cleaver. 15 The cabinet at the base of the dome support was to contain the flight programmer and electrical power-pack for all purposes. The flight programmer (Figure 5) was designed around selector switches of the automatic telephone exchange type. 16 The system is too complex to detail here, but a few points may be mentioned: In association with the inertial altimeter, accelerometer, etc., and a pendulum stabilizer and gyro destabilizer, the programmer was (in intention at least), capable of stabilizing the ship, holding a course, regulating acceleration, and ceasing operation when the required flight-stage velocity had been achieved. In short, it was a complete robot pilot. There was, however, provision for overriding manual operation and corrections by any one of the three crew members, should necessity arise. Moreover, the liquid propellant motors were available for fine control. The ascent acceleration, starting at 1 g, was to be limited to a modest 3 g at cutoff. It was calculated that at lunar touchdown all but the top 600 small rocket units would have been used and jettisoned. Before ascent from the Moon, and with the object of lightening the ship as much as possible, everything not needed during the return flight would be removed from the cabin and cached. And the landing legs would be unbolted so that they simply support the ship, forming a launching cradle left behind on ascent. Finally, a parachute would be fitted atop the cabin. It was calculated that the remaining 600 solid propellant rockets plus remaining liquid propellant would suffice to carry the ship back to Earth and provide terminal braking down to a safe parachuting velocity, after some air braking. The ship's payload was discussed by M. K. Hanson in the January 1939 Journal. 11 Consumable stores sufficient for three men for twenty days would be carried. Air and water would be obtained by catalysis of 227 kg of concentrated hydrogen peroxide, but a little liquid oxygen would also be taken for emergency and spacesuit use. Soda lime or other suitable chemical means would be used to remove carbon dioxide and water vapor from the cabin's atmosphere. Food would be chosen for energy yield rather than protein content, with attention to vitamin and salt needs. It was suggested that perishable stores might be kept in a container outside the ship, where refrigeration could be obtained. Cocoa and coffee were to be the main beverages. A general re-
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A Bibliographic Note The series Smi
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SMITHSONIAN ANNALS OF FLIGHT Throug
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1 Some Jet Propulsion Formulas of O
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SMITHSONIAN ANNALS OF FLIGHT FIGURE
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During these years, in which the fu
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18 3. French Patent 318,667, 13 Feb
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Appendix Considerations Concerning
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NUMBER 10 In the present case, ther
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NUMBER 10 27 III Let us consider wh
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42 Figure 15. The dispersion of the
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Robert H. Goddard and the Smithsoni
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NUMBER 10 to help Mr. Goddard in de
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NUMBER 10 61 flash powder which mig
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NUMBER 10 63 FIGURE 5.—Modificati
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NUMBER 10 65
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NUMBER 10 tion for a U.S. patent on
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NUMBER 10 69 70. Goddard to Abbot,
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72 SMITHSONIAN ANNALS OF FLIGHT lif
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Recollections of Early Biomedical M
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NUMBER 10 r FIGURE 2.—First biome
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FIGURE 4.—Presentation by Dr. Con
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Astrodynamics is defined in terms o
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NUMBER 10 83 But it should be recog
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NUMBER 10 85 were experimenting in
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Vladimir Mandl: Founding Writer on
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NUMBER 10 89 PATENTNl OftAD REPUBLI
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10 Developments in Rocket Engineeri
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NUMBER 10 93 FIGURE 2.—The first
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NUMBER 10 FIGURE 4.—The ORM-9 eng
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NUMBER 10 97 FIGURE 9.—ORM-50 eng
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NUMBER 10 99 Section along AA Firin
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NUMBER 10 101 FIGURE 13.—The expe
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11 A Historical Review of Developme
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NUMBER 10 105 FIGURE 5.—Lithergol
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NUMBER 10 that the possibility of a
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NUMBER 10 109 the contrary; we then
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NUMBER 10 111 rocket combustion cha
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12 On the GALCIT Rocket Research Pr
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NUMBER 10 115 The undertaking we ha
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NUMBER 10 117 advise on the support
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NUMBER 10 methyl-alcohol rocket mot
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NUMBER 10 121 5. "Rocket Performanc
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NUMBER 10 123 FIGURE 5.—Overall v
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NUMBER 10 on the possibility of usi
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NUMBER 10 33. Letters (note 14). 34
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15 Ludvik OcenaSek: Czech Rocket Ex
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NUMBER 10 159 FIGURE 2.—Ludvik Oc
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262 SMITHSONIAN ANNALS OF FLIGHT N?
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264 B C FIGURE 7.—Drawing from Sw
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24 Some New Data on Early Work of t
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NUMBER 10 271 jy.. FIGURE 3. /# £
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NUMBER 10 273 conclusions, which we
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NUMBER 10 275 thrust engines. A for
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25 Early Developments in Rocket and
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NUMBER 10 279 Time reference 5 sec
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NUMBER 10 281 During measurement of
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NUMBER 10 283 First Personal Involv
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NUMBER 10 285 on the Wasserkuppe, o
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27 Annapolis Rocket Motor Developme
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NUMBER 10 297 I remember being so f
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NUMBER S P. (P»i) P, (psi) Po (psi
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NUMBER 10 301 Figure 6 shows these
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304 Frank-Kamenetskiy, D.A., 193 Fr
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306 SMITHSONIAN ANNALS OF FLIGHT Ro
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