Working on various elements of this rocket, with no particular plan.
I’ve also started looking at the various differing elements, such as the fairings and the number of boosters.
Anyhow, here are a selection of renders!
Author: admin
Current Work In Progress, Delta II rocket
I decided I really ought to go back and finish up the Delta II rocket. There were no real blockers, I just let it slip somehow…
As is often the case I like a spacecraft with a distinctive shape, and it’s also cool that I can easily make several variations with different logos and numbers of boosters.
Here’s how it’s coming along!
Continue reading “Current Work In Progress, Delta II rocket”
Lunar Escape Device
This is a design that was considered for the (much) later Long Stay Apollo missions, where the LEM would be on the Moon for a long time. And there were concerns about reliability.
So they came up with a light weight design that would be a few bits strapped together, to get the astronauts up into munar orbit, where the command module might be able to rendezvous with them.
But it would not have been needed for the cancelled missions, and the ones beyond that were not studied in any great detail, so the design was not taken any further.
There are some interesting variations described on Wikpedia here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Escape_Systems
“AVIAVEENTO” “АВИАВНИТО” Historic soviet rocket
Finishing up the historical Soviet rocket from 1935, “Aviaveento”.
As usual everything done in Lightwave 3d, this one os based on some old Russian language books I bought on Ebay.
I’m a little unsure abut the long indented areas along the main hull. The references were a bit contradictory. But all those knobbly rivets were really there!
Continue reading ““AVIAVEENTO” “АВИАВНИТО” Historic soviet rocket”
Saturn – And the Sky and Telescope Calendar 2017!
Saturn renders:
I am extremely proud that this year, one of my renders made the cover of the Sky and Telescope Solar System Calendar! That’s the one for 2017
http://www.shopatsky.com/sky-and-telescope-solar-system-calendar-2017
Continue reading “Saturn – And the Sky and Telescope Calendar 2017!”
N-1 Gantry stairways
It’s going slowly, but this is probably the trickiest part. Getting the various stairways done, that dangle under or wind around, the main struts of the gantry.
I’ve not yet finished connecting them up to the walkways, but that’s not too difficult.
N-1 – Restarting work on the Manned Soviet Lunar Program.
I’ve restarted working on the models I did of the manned Soviet Lunar program, with a view to taking them to the next level.
I’m starting with the rotating gantry, here are the old and new versions of the hub:
Continue reading “N-1 – Restarting work on the Manned Soviet Lunar Program.”
Opening the High Frontier – the book is out!
The book is out!
I did all the custom graphics for this book, and am waiting for my copy to arrive.
Opening the High Frontier, by Eagle Sarmont.
It is about getting the cost of reaching orbit down to a managable level, and the history of how we have got here. It includes an extensive history or space exploration.
And there’s a considerable amount about the non-rotating skyhook, which was the focus of my graphics work.
I am particularly pround of the video, which shows a complete mission. This includes how a craft would rendezvour with the lower end of the skyhook, and get haulled up to the main station. It would then be transferred to the upper end, and reeled out before being released.
All visuals by me, and the soundtrack, (Done using the SmartSound system).
Continue reading “Opening the High Frontier – the book is out!”
HOPE VASIMR Guest renders and a short video
A couple of new items using the Human Outer planet Exploration vehicle, with VASIMR engines.
Graham Gazzard has done some wonderful renders of the mesh!
You can follow him on twitter here:
Continue reading “HOPE VASIMR Guest renders and a short video”
Why did the Soviet manned Lunar program fail?
There is still much debate about why the Soviet Union – which was consistently way ahead in the early days of space exploration, failed to beat the USA to putting a man on the Moon. But while there is some disagreement over which factors were the most important, there is considerable consensus about which factors drove this.
They started later.
The USA made putting a man on the Moon the key national objective, from before they had even put a man in orbit. Pretty much the entire space program focused on this objective. By the time this became a national objective in the Soviet Union, 2 years later, time was very tight to develop a powerful enough rocket, and get the required expertise in flight systems.
Also, at the time the speech was made, the Soviet Union was so obviously far ahead, they did not take the US intention seriously.
Continue reading “Why did the Soviet manned Lunar program fail?”