Similar to the relative spacecraft and rocket sizes I linked to the other day, here's xkcd's version, in horse units. At first I thought he was referring to horsepower, but then I realized it was horse mass. (Click through for full sized version.) via xkcd: Payloads. It's worth noting how large the Saturn V and … Continue reading xkcd: Spacecraft and launch vehicle payloads, in horses
Tag: Space Shuttle
Every Ship That Has Carried Humans Into Space, In One Chart
This is pretty cool. A Reddit user put together a chart showing all the human occupied spacecraft that have been used so far. Click through to see the full sized version. via Every Ship That Has Carried Humans Into Space, In One Chart. One thing that stands out for me is how huge the Saturn V was, … Continue reading Every Ship That Has Carried Humans Into Space, In One Chart
Reusable rockets: Up and down and up again
A while back I highlighted SpaceX's reusable first stage. Last week, they launched with it with the plan to have it do a controlled descent into the waters off Cape Canaveral. I haven't been able to find detailed reports of how well it worked, other than this snippet from their web site. Data upload from … Continue reading Reusable rockets: Up and down and up again
The hard working but unloved multi-stage rocket
If you've ever read about rocket technology, particularly the issues involved in how much fuel is needed to get somewhere, you quickly run into a stark reality. The payload, the part of the rocket that you want to get somewhere, is inevitably a tiny portion of the size and weight of the rocket. The rest … Continue reading The hard working but unloved multi-stage rocket
The Dream Chaser: What the Space Shuttle should have been
This video shows the Dream Chaser spacecraft. Similar to the old Space Shuttle, it glides down to Earth, although it's a much smaller vehicle, and would launch on top of a rocket rather than the dangerous side mount that the Shuttle used. In many ways, it's what the Space Shuttle should have been, had it … Continue reading The Dream Chaser: What the Space Shuttle should have been
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