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OK, so given that we're at some 19 pages already on the main forum thread for the OFMM, aka Project Prometheus, with everybody clamouring for attention on countless various subjects pertaining to this Project, it seemed best to start a page devoted exclusively to development of The Stack and the realistic Mission Architecture derived from that final design.
Obviously, as The Stack will be the workhorse getting the people and materials we need to establish a permanent foothold on the Red Planet until we beg/borrow/steal an Arrow-class freighter, it is important to get the vehicle configured correctly and optimally. Let's face it, designing nifty resource extractors and semi-subterranean habitats is neat and definitely interesting in its own way, but all those features amount to a hill of beans until a vehicle design and Mission Architecture is agreed upon by Project members (or Project Manager?).
So, to summarize what I recall seeing thus far, The Stack is presently:
-Modular, composed primarily of units from SSBB v4, with some extraneous units from elsewhere
-Powered by NERVA2
-Capable of carrying 2 DG- or XR- class vessels for Near-Earth and Near-Mars operations
-The exact configuration remains completely undetermined at this point, pending information from the Exploration Team members on what they want on Mars
Our goals (as I see them):
-Determine a basic, "bare-bones" Stack vehicle, to which we add modules as needed per Exploration requirements
-Determine allowable additional cargo/module mass and size limits
-Determine experimentally the capabilities of The Stack both "bare-boned" and fully loaded, to develop a workable Mission Architecture
Not exactly a small task, but I think it is imminently do-able. As in all such group undertakings, it's always a matter of good communication.
Obviously, as The Stack will be the workhorse getting the people and materials we need to establish a permanent foothold on the Red Planet until we beg/borrow/steal an Arrow-class freighter, it is important to get the vehicle configured correctly and optimally. Let's face it, designing nifty resource extractors and semi-subterranean habitats is neat and definitely interesting in its own way, but all those features amount to a hill of beans until a vehicle design and Mission Architecture is agreed upon by Project members (or Project Manager?).
So, to summarize what I recall seeing thus far, The Stack is presently:
-Modular, composed primarily of units from SSBB v4, with some extraneous units from elsewhere
-Powered by NERVA2
-Capable of carrying 2 DG- or XR- class vessels for Near-Earth and Near-Mars operations
-The exact configuration remains completely undetermined at this point, pending information from the Exploration Team members on what they want on Mars
Our goals (as I see them):
-Determine a basic, "bare-bones" Stack vehicle, to which we add modules as needed per Exploration requirements
-Determine allowable additional cargo/module mass and size limits
-Determine experimentally the capabilities of The Stack both "bare-boned" and fully loaded, to develop a workable Mission Architecture
Not exactly a small task, but I think it is imminently do-able. As in all such group undertakings, it's always a matter of good communication.