One of the subjects that popped up at the last launch was Space Ship One (what a surprise that!) and related things. The other fellow was curious what the S1 motor might be rated at and I told him it was estimated at about a "W". He thought it'd be in the double letter range, asuming that's how a motor beyond "Z" would be designated. That got me thinking, how would boosters like the Redstones, Atlases, etc rate for power? The power to push SS1 orbital would be beyond "Z" so they'd have to be some really huge designation. Just curious, the brain never sleeps.
A,B,C......X,Y,and Z
Nov 17, 2004
6 Replies
As I understand it, the designation that Peter (buy his books) Alway uses in his Rockets of the World books (buy them), is: Z double it, AA, double it AB, double it AC ect. P.S. buy his books.
his Rockets of the World books (buy them), is: Z double it, AA, double it AB, double it AC ect. P.S. buy his books.
>From Rockets of the World, 2003 supplement, page 22, Atlas II : Stage 0 (booster) impulse 81,000,000 lb-sec (360,000,000 N-s) NAR designation AC
2,100,000-0. The first stage sustainer is a AA 386,000-0. The second stage ( Centaur) is a wimpy Z 147,000. So it has been figured for some rockets, but it's not the normal nomenclature that NASA uses.
Speaking of Peter... I was looking at someone's rocket page at work one day. One of our server admins walked in, saw the screen, and asked if I was into rockets. When I answered in the affirmative, she says "I should introduce you to my cousin sometime. He's written several books on rockets." I said, "That's pretty cool - what's his name?" "Peter Alway" I think my jaw hit the desk... Small world...
Eldred
Find a statement of the propellant weight in pounds. Multiply by the stated ISP. That is the power in lb-sec. Multiply by 4.448 for N-s and manually determine the NAR (base 26) designator.
Tech Jerry
ISP. That is the power in lb-sec. Multiply by 4.448 for N-s and manually determine the NAR (base 26) designator.
That would then make the formula 6 X 9 = 42, which of course explains everything...........
Chuck, who only panics in small nasty letters
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