[AR] Re: Saturns (was Re: APCP ...)
- From: Henry Spencer <hspencer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Arocket List <arocket@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2023 20:36:27 -0400 (EDT)
On Sat, 29 Apr 2023, roxanna Mason wrote:
Well this was assuming low risk open cycle engines like F-1 and H-1
which 4 stages would have been necessary...
Come now, at least you should assume that upper-stage engines would be
based on the Atlas *sustainer*, which had a vacuum-Isp advantage of nearly
30s over the H-1. But I would expect better than that -- the only reason
better upper-stage kerosene engines weren't seriously pursued was that
everybody thought LH2 made them unnecessary.
The Russian N-1 had 4 stages and used closed cycle NK-33 engines.
But, as I noted, quite heavy tanks. Especially compared to the S-IC,
whose mass ratio was impressively good and could certainly have been
improved further.
Henry
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