S-550 Space capsule
Encyclopedia
The S-550 was a proposed manned space capsule
, designed in 2005-6 at Venturer Aerospace, in response to the NASA
Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
program to provide commercial resupply and logistics support for the International Space Station
.
It was an outgrowth of earlier Venturer Aerospace manned capsule research and development projects.
NASA did not select the design for further funded development, and the company has not to date proceeded to develop the vehicle with private funding. Venturer Aerospace did not participate in the second COTS program round in 2007.
The overall vehicle was designed to weigh 7,500 kg including payloads. The capsule was projected to weigh 3,059 kg "wet" (with 2 crew and consumables, but not cargo), the service module 1,755 kg "wet" including rocket propellants, and 2,300 kg of internal cargo or passengers within the capsule. Additional mass in external unpressurized cargo could be obtained with increased launch vehicle capacity beyond 7,500 kg or by trading off internal cargo for external cargo.
, but much larger. The general shape was also used by COTS competitor T/Space
's CXV capsule. The capsule design shape had a spherical nose section diameter of 0.8 of the base diameter and 10 degree conical half-angle (see Atmospheric reentry
).
Most of the spacecraft systems were at the front of the cylinder, up against the front bulkhead. The crew were seated in one row near the rear bulkhead and access hatch, with 2 "crew" seats on the sides with flight controls on the rear bulkhead and one passenger in the middle. Cargo was carried in the middle of the capsule, at the capsule's center of gravity, to simplify loading effects on reentry angles and lift.
crush structure in the nose of the capsule to attenuate the roughly 7 meter per second touchdown velocity. The landing did not require any active controls or systems to operate safely. Emergency landings in the water were handled by capsule flotation systems.
which flew 2 capsules on each of 144 missions, and a proposed but never built T/Space
CXV manned capsule.
Space capsule
A space capsule is an often manned spacecraft which has a simple shape for the main section, without any wings or other features to create lift during atmospheric reentry....
, designed in 2005-6 at Venturer Aerospace, in response to the NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
Commercial Orbital Transportation Services is a NASA program to coordinate the delivery of crew and cargo to the International Space Station by private companies. The program was announced on January 18, 2006...
program to provide commercial resupply and logistics support for the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
.
It was an outgrowth of earlier Venturer Aerospace manned capsule research and development projects.
NASA did not select the design for further funded development, and the company has not to date proceeded to develop the vehicle with private funding. Venturer Aerospace did not participate in the second COTS program round in 2007.
Description
The S-550 capsule was intended to carry up to six people (normally 2 or 3) and significant internal and external cargo on resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS). Unlike the other COTS competitors, the S-550 capsule was explicitly a human-operated vehicle - while it had automated flight functions, it was intended to be flown with crews for any space station mission, using manned control for all rendezvous and dockings with ISS.The overall vehicle was designed to weigh 7,500 kg including payloads. The capsule was projected to weigh 3,059 kg "wet" (with 2 crew and consumables, but not cargo), the service module 1,755 kg "wet" including rocket propellants, and 2,300 kg of internal cargo or passengers within the capsule. Additional mass in external unpressurized cargo could be obtained with increased launch vehicle capacity beyond 7,500 kg or by trading off internal cargo for external cargo.
Capsule shape
The S-550 capsule is a sphere-cone type lifting ballistic space capsule, similar to the shape of the film capsule reentry modules in the Corona spy satelliteCorona (satellite)
The Corona program was a series of American strategic reconnaissance satellites produced and operated by the Central Intelligence Agency Directorate of Science & Technology with substantial assistance from the U.S. Air Force...
, but much larger. The general shape was also used by COTS competitor T/Space
T/Space
t/Space is an American aerospace company which was participating in NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program for delivering cargo and crew to the International Space Station. The company's CEO is Charles Duelfer who ran the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the...
's CXV capsule. The capsule design shape had a spherical nose section diameter of 0.8 of the base diameter and 10 degree conical half-angle (see Atmospheric reentry
Atmospheric reentry
Atmospheric entry is the movement of human-made or natural objects as they enter the atmosphere of a celestial body from outer space—in the case of Earth from an altitude above the Kármán Line,...
).
Capsule layout
The capsule consisted of two structures - an outer aeroshell, which supported the ablative heatshield (thermal protection system), and an inner pressurized cylinder containing the crew, systems, and cargo space.Most of the spacecraft systems were at the front of the cylinder, up against the front bulkhead. The crew were seated in one row near the rear bulkhead and access hatch, with 2 "crew" seats on the sides with flight controls on the rear bulkhead and one passenger in the middle. Cargo was carried in the middle of the capsule, at the capsule's center of gravity, to simplify loading effects on reentry angles and lift.
Descent and landing
The S-550 capsule was intended to descend under a parachute system and touch down on land, using an inert aluminum foamMetal foam
A metal foam is a cellular structure consisting of a solid metal, frequently aluminium, containing a large volume fraction of gas-filled pores. The pores can be sealed , or they can form an interconnected network . The defining characteristic of metal foams is a very high porosity: typically...
crush structure in the nose of the capsule to attenuate the roughly 7 meter per second touchdown velocity. The landing did not require any active controls or systems to operate safely. Emergency landings in the water were handled by capsule flotation systems.
Service module
The service module was intended to provide rocket thrusters to control spacecraft attitude and provide orbital maneuvering capability to rendezvous with the International Space Station and then reenter the Earth's atmosphere. It included some structure, propellant tanks, and rocket motor systems.Similarly shaped space capsules
At least two space capsules with a similar shape have been designed before - the KH-4 Corona spy satelliteCorona (satellite)
The Corona program was a series of American strategic reconnaissance satellites produced and operated by the Central Intelligence Agency Directorate of Science & Technology with substantial assistance from the U.S. Air Force...
which flew 2 capsules on each of 144 missions, and a proposed but never built T/Space
T/Space
t/Space is an American aerospace company which was participating in NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program for delivering cargo and crew to the International Space Station. The company's CEO is Charles Duelfer who ran the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the...
CXV manned capsule.