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Space Exploration |
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Space Exploration |
Space Artwork – I'm trying to collect particularly unique space art that I run across.
Origins of Space-Related Names – Ever wondered how some of these names were made? How did Saturn get named? Find the answers inside.
NASA 1960s-1970s "Phase" Terminology Explained – NASA in the Apollo decades (1960s to 1970s) used a type of planning that was represented in the titles of documents you'll find on NTRS, with esoteric titles such as “Phase A Shuttle Studies” etc. What do those titles mean?
First Words spoken on the Moon – Currently only the Apollo astronauts are here, but this will be updated as necessary.
US Manned Space Launch Statistics (1961-2022) – Some rough statistics on the number of flights, approximate mass to orbit, etc.
Apollo 11 Customs Form – This form was filled out 24 July 1969 at Honolulu Airport per regulations and signed by the Apollo 11 crew.
Costs of Apollo and the Shuttle Program – Ever wonder why the Saturn V was canceled? Read here to see the cost estimates of the time versus the then-notational STS; along with development costs from start to operational flights (in millions of then year dollars).
Dispatches from the Red Planet of K'Breel (via Slashdot) – A semi-ongoing humorous recounting of the brave Martian war against the mechanized invaders from the Blue Planet.
Manned Spaceflights over the Soviet Union, MOL/STS (24 Aug 1971) (PDF) – For decades, the requirement for a massive cross-range capability limited the Space Shuttle (STS) system, by imposing a large delta wing and orbital delta-V onto the final design; this declassified paper found in the NRO's 2015 MOL (Manned Orbiting Laboratory) document dump gives a solid reason for that constraint -- to avoid the Soviet Union during flight operations.
Spacecraft Colors – Currently only has the explanation for the (in)famous Delta Blue. But perhaps with time, there will be more colors added.
Gemini Spacecraft / Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) Variants – This holds various Gemini / Blue Gemini / Big G / MOL papers/studies.
Original 1964 Saturn V Schedule – This details the original, circa 1964 scheduling of Saturn V launch vehicles, and correlates it with the actual Apollo missions those vehicles launched.
Saturn Launch Vehicle Variants – This page attempts to summarize known variants of the Saturn I, IB, and V; including proposed uprated and downrated versions.
NOTE: This covers everything from the 1965-1966 era studies on how to use existing Apollo-Saturn hardware in various ways, to the 1968 Boeing Integrated Manned Interplanetary Spacecraft (IMIS) study (the prototypical von Braunian post-Apollo “men on Mars” by the 1980s if an “Apollo-level” national effort was made) to the 1969 Space Task Group Study headed by Spiro Agnew with input from von Braun, and laid out “what next?” for post-Apollo, with von Braun personally presenting his plan for a Manned Mars Landing circa 1981-1982 to the Space Task Group. It died rather quickly.
NOTE: This covers all the extremely large advanced Post-Saturn launch vehicles that were envisioned to help support future space efforts.
NOTES: The Satellite Power System (SPS) study was a concept to provide space-based power which converged around building sixty SPS satellites in orbit over a period of thirty years. Each satellite would mass 35,000~ metric tonnes, requiring 70,000 metric tons to be delivered to LEO each year. In support of the SPS program of record, several companies designed launch vehicles for the SPS program; among them the Star-Raker SSTO concept.
