Before there was Saturn there was.... NOVA!

[pokerfan]

Before there was Saturn, when it was still known as the Juno V, there was - NOVA.

Nova was NASA's ultimate launch vehicle, studied intently from 1959 to 1962. Originally conceived to allow a direct manned landing on the moon, in its final iteration it was to put a million-pound payload into low earth orbit to support manned Mars expeditions.

<...>

By the end of 1963 NASA no longer foresaw any need for such huge launch vehicles. Saturn V studies had already begun which indicated that, using solid strap-on motors, the Saturn could deliver up to a million pounds to orbit without the need to build new vehicles or facilities. More importantly, most at NASA saw the follow-on to the Saturn V to be a reusable winged shuttle, which would land at air strips and be fully reusable. Nova was cancelled quietly in 1964.

http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/nova.htm (I thought astronautix.com was down indefinitely.)

Anyway, I remember learning about Nova (the rocket, not the Chevrolet) about ten years ago. We all have a mental image of the Saturn V rocket. Now imagine something with up to 10X the payload to orbit. You could have thrown up the ISS with a single launch instead of dozens of Shuttles, Protons and Soyuzes.



This is just the Martin Marietta proposal. There are more at the link.

[liberal N proud]

1. If they would have sent the ISS up in one launch the NASA contractors

like Martin Marietta would not have made as much in profits over the last 30 years.

Greed even drove decisions in space initiatives.

[pokerfan]

4. The shuttle was such an idiotic way deliver payloads to orbit

because for all intents and purposes, the orbiter itself represents payload to orbit and it returns to Earth.

Now had they built the http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/shuttle.htm#Shuttle%20C">Shuttle-C (cargo) they were always talking about, things might have been different.



The shuttle could deliver what, a 25 metric ton payload to LEO. The orbiter massed what, 75 metric tons dry and it all comes back to Earth. So what could have been 100 metric tons to orbit turned out to be just 25. :banghead:

[Posteritatis]

12. Or they would've launched nine or so of the things. (nt)

[WCGreen]

2. NOVA

<a href="" target="_blank"><img src="" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>


I'm sorry, I couldn't resist....

[FiveGoodMen]

3. !!!

[pokerfan]

5. Thanks

for not posting:

[WCGreen]

7. I drove one of those right into the ground.....

Second best car I ever had...

[Odin2005]

10. "No va" is spanish for "don't go"

[pokerfan]

13. LOL

So Nova Scotia means Don't go (to) Scotia?

[Iggo]

11. Never resist that. (n/t)

[FormerDittoHead]

6. ...and before that - CHECK THIS BABY OUT! Wernher Von Braun was a DREAMER!

http://www.graspr.com/videos/Man-in-Space-5-of-6-Werner-von-Braun-Designing-a-Rocket-1

Skip to 2:50 if you need to get your rocket fix!

...and we all know about his well documented history with the Nazis and the V2 and the slave labor.

His history wasn't a secret (it's even mentioned in this video), and we were lucky to get him rather than the Russians.

[pokerfan]

8. Rocket sleds!

Now strap one of those rockets to a 1970_Chevy Nova Coup and you just might have something.



"I aim at the stars but sometimes I hit London."

[Odin2005]

9. DAYUM!!!