Project Lunar Orbit Station in the works...

[Andy44]

Well, it's been a few months since I did any add-on development. Busy with work and M6 crashing and being lazy and all.

If anyone's been paying attention, I've been working on a lunar transportation infrastructure, consisting of a nuclear-thermal cargo ferry between LEO and lunar orbit, a "lunar space shuttle" which ferries cargo between the surface and lunar orbit, and standard-sized cargo modules of various types which are Space Shuttle-combatible, all similar in concept to TTM24/Lunex. My last add-on was a LEO space station which is pre-fabricated and deployed in one Nova launch; this serves as the LEO node in the system and acts as a waypoint and refueling point.

Only thing left in the sky-bourne part of the infrastructure before it can be called "complete" is a corresponding station in lunar orbit. I am calling it "LOrbS" as a working name for Lunar Orbit Station. It has to be launched via the same Nova rocket as the LEO station, so it will have to be smaller and lighter, so I am eliminating the centrifuge and replacing it with an inflateable hab module, and the docking arms will be smaller as well. The station will also have it's own chemical propulsion subsystem, for lunar orbit insertion and subsequent orbit maintenance.

Below is the beginnings of the inflatable module shown next to the LEO station for comparison (I'm starting with the LEO station Anim8or file as a base). This may take me a while to get going, but once I do it is sure to consume me until I finish the thing. Then I need to spruce up my earlier, cruder add-ons so they don't look so bad.

 

[Zatnikitelman]

WOW! Lookin great there Andy! I can't wait to see it work!
I apologize for not knowing much about the Nova booster, but how is TLI handled? Is there some really awesome upperstage? Or is the booster just that awesome!?

 

[Andy44]

Yes, well, <ahem> I haven't worked that out quite yet. Even with the mass reduction, this may require more than just one launch. Some of the lost mass will be replaced by the mass of the engine and tanks for LOI, and I don't know if the Nova can handle an extra 3.15 km/s needed for LTI.

I think I will design the minimal station, make an estimate of how much it weighs, and then decide what to do from there. If even a minimal station is too heavy, then I may need to use another rocket launch to deliver an upper stage, or use a Lunar Transfer Vessel as a tug or something.

The other option is to build it in parts and assemble it in lunar orbit, but that's messy both in terms of operations and in Orbiter terms as it requires a jumble of modules.

 

[Andy44]

I haven't forgotten about this one, even with the diversion of all the War of the Worlds mania recently. An update:

Like the Prefab LEO station, this one will have folded arms that rotate at 45 deg angles to deploy after lunar orbit insertion. I am taking my time with this, but at least I'm getting somewhere. I haven't setled on what the arms will look like. Likely the unpressurized docking ports will just be an open trusswork with some plumbing. None of the arms will be as big and beefy-looking as the arms on the LEO station. The tough part will be making the inflateable hab module look right in animation.


-----Posted Added-----


While launching on a NOVA is always an option, I'd really like to get this thing aboard AndyMc's Jupiter III, since that's more near-futuristic. We'll have to see how this develops.

 

[n0mad23]

Looking good!

I was curious about the scale, but the docking ports revealed the answer. Standard 1 m ports? This makes it a nice sized platform; not too big, and not too small! The inflatable platform is really attractive, both in function and form.

Really glad to see you haven't given up the project.

 

[Andy44]

Well, it has to fit inside the Nova fairing, along with a re-fuelable propulsion unit that will brake it into lunar orbit and stay on to serve as a tug, so that limits the size, as does the maximum mass that can be shoved uphill to the Moon.

 

[John_L]

I'm working on a lunar station myself. It features a spinning will for artificial gravity along with a non spinning section that contains solar panels and a docking port that will support 4 ships docked at once. This will be my first official addon if it actually makes it to completion! I've had 2 or 3 other attempts that have failed to come to completion over the years, but I think I'll be able to stick this one out and actually have something to contribute to the community for once

 

[Andy44]

That looks cool, SpaceNut, do you plan on launching it in pieces or just starting it in orbit? Once I get this thing into lunar orbit, I may add a centrifuge module in the future. There should be some room for expanding it, but's tough because the whole base unit must be folded up inside a rocket fairing, and meet all the other constraints, which include:
-docking ports for at least 4 payload modules, at least 2 of which must be pressurized.
-at least one docking port available for the Lunar Space Shuttle
-at least one docking port for the lunar transfer vehicle, placed in such a manner as to provide some radiation protection for the station crew from the LTV's reactor
-some place to put solar panels and radiators

Even in 3 dimensions, stuffing all this into one fold-up vehicle is tough, as I found with my LEO station. But it sure is fun. More progress today:

-----Posted Added-----


Alrighty, then, this is how the basic layout will look with the solar panels on top, LTV dock on the right, payload module berths on the left, and the LSS dock on the front of the hab module. I think I may be able to put an extra rack of solar panels on either side, which may make it look less goofy. Behind it is where the propulsion module/tug will connect.

I also have to put radiators on it somewhere. Perhaps the bottom of the docking arms, as with the LEO station. As you can see, there is an unused rotary joint on the bottom where I could put extra equipment, docking ports, or use for more expansion modules. I really don't want to put the radiators down there.

What do you guys think?

BTW, I've really got the truss-building technique down pat. I built that solar panel truss in about 20 minutes! I may have to write a tutorial for the next issue delta-V on that.

 

[tl8]

May I recommend that you could design your own fairing for it. I may be able to give you a few ideas on how to achieve that

 

[Mafuskas]

Looking very nice, Andy!

Have I ever told you how much I enjoy your add-ons? They are Simple, Serve a purpose, and are Substantially fun to use. Half of the enjoyment comes from watching you develop them, I think. One can really see the progression of your skills both in a single project and over the span of several add-ons. It was a similar way with Greg Burch's path, though I would say you are more my speed when it comes to the development.


As for your current add-on here - I was first thinking, perhaps one way to reduce the mass and size of the station would be to separate the propulsion system of the station into a separate, dock-able tug, a la the Titan service module on Kulch's Mir 2, that could be sent to the moon on another trip (maybe in the bay of the LTV?). Though you did say you wanted the station to do it's own LOI, so that wouldn't work. Perhaps this dockable tug could still be launched on it's own, on a smaller rocket than a Nova (pending design requirements), and could meet the Lunar station in an Earth Parking orbit. The Service module could also include drop tanks (and the rest of the normal fuel tank(s)) to be filled on orbit and discarded at the end of TLI, further lightening the load for LOI (or, even kept for later refueling and fuel storage at the moon).

Just trying to throw some ideas out there, they were sparked by the idea of how heavy fuel can be, at the expense of otherwise usable mass. At any rate, keep up the nice work, can't wait to see it released.


-----Posted Added-----


Oh, and also, please do consider writing that truss tutorial, I would be much interested in such an article.

 

[Andy44]

Latest developments:

I put an extra trio of solar panels on both the port and starboard sides, so getting lots of power shouldn't be a problem, and the "sun farm" is pretty impressive-looking.

The radiators will be on the bottoms of the two docking arms, similar to the Prefab LEO station, pointing downward.

I think the fourth rotary arm on the bottom could be a place for some comm gear, antennae, and perhaps some scientific or navigation sensors of some sort. It will add some interesting detail, balance out the mass of the sun farm above, and still leave room for a large docking port for possible expansion.

Concerning expansion, though, I think the main expansion port should be on the back, between the main hub and propulsion tug unit. That way, any modules of substantial mass will be added along the line of thrust, making orbit maintenance of the station a little easier.

Doing any maneuvers will be difficult, however, with various modules and spacecraft docked at various points. In real life, I would just give the tug a gimbaled engine and let the flight software automatically null out rotations, but in spacecraft3 I don't have a clue how to do that. I think the individual Orbinaut will have to cope.


-----Posted Added-----


BTW, Mafuskas, the propulsion unit was meant to be a separate unit all along, but it has to be sent with the station to do LOI. After that it will be refueled and used for various tug duties in Lunar orbit, including adjusting the station's orbit.

 

[n0mad23]

If you continue to be troubled or dissatisfied with the radiators, you might consider folding and rotating them out of the way to use that same area for more than one duty. It's extra work, but would both solve the problem, and give users something else to do!

It's really coming together!

 

[Andy44]

I think the radiators will be fixed. But I might be able to have some rotation about the long axis on the solar panels to maintain sun pointing. The user will have to adjust these from time to time, which will give him something to do. The other alternative is to rotate the entire station, which is what the LEO station must do, with its fixed panels.

But I don't want to promise anything, yet. This thing already has a lot of moving parts, so my hands will be full as it is.


-----Posted Added-----

May I recommend that you could design your own fairing for it. I may be able to give you a few ideas on how to achieve that

You mean for the Jupiter III? That would be easy, wouldn't it? It's just a cylinder with conical ends, right?

Anyway, I haven't decided how much it masses, yet, and the booster has to get it past TLI, so we'll have to see which booster to use.

 

[tblaxland]

Doing any maneuvers will be difficult, however, with various modules and spacecraft docked at various points. In real life, I would just give the tug a gimbaled engine and let the flight software automatically null out rotations, but in spacecraft3 I don't have a clue how to do that. I think the individual Orbinaut will have to cope.

computerex had a Thrust Control MFD and I'm pretty sure it included thrust vectoring. All his developer threads and addons seem to be missing off the forum at the moment and I don't think there was anywhere else to get them.

 

[n0mad23]

computerex had a Thrust Control MFD and I'm pretty sure it included thrust vectoring. All his developer threads and addons seem to be missing off the forum at the moment and I don't think there was anywhere else to get them.

The MFD in question is in a Computerex pack available here now: [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3508"]Computerex Add-on Pack[/ame]

 

[Andy44]

Here's a pic with the full-sized sun farm on top, and a preliminary antenna farm on the bottom. THe long antenna telescopes. I'll need to do something with the ant farm to add some more details, maybe a frame or trusswork of some kind to hang more sensors and stuff on. I already think this one is more pleasing to the eye than the LEO station, but I think I need to thin the docking arms some, they look too fat and heavy. The idea is to get a lightweight, functional station to lunar orbit, and add more luxuries later once operations are up and running.

 

[Andy44]

Now with bigger inflatable hab section and more detailed comm gear. Now I just need to detail the back of the hub section, where it will interface with the propulsion tug, and then I'll be ready to start texturing.

 

[Donamy]

Nice job !! Does it have an airlock ?

BTW, you need some commas, in your sig.

 

[Andy44]

Yeah, I almost forgot. I'm thinking of putting an EVA hatch on top of the starboard docking arm (on the left in the above photo), or perhaps on the bottom. The port docking arm has the telescoping docking tunnel, so the interior arrangment is not good for another hatch.

I guess I should also think about putting some ladders or grabirons on the exterior as well. The comm unit on the bottom will be called the AE-35, of course.

(What do you mean commas? That quote is verbatim from the inside of the Jefferson Memorial in DC.)

 

[Zatnikitelman]

What's the diamater of the folded station going to be? And how much will it mass? It definately looks really cool! That antenna bank at the bottom is great looking.