AAWSAP DIRD, Space Access: Where We’ve Been and Where We Could Go, March 2010

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payload would be 15,228 lb-well within the payload capacity. The operating
parameters for the station were a nominal 21-person crew with provisions for up to 27.
This study determined that 47,000 lb (21,315 kg) of resources were required per
crewmember per year. So for 1 year and a 21-person complement, 448 metric tons of
supplies would need to be lifted to the station for crew support, not counting
propellants to maintain the station orbit. With 21 crewmembers, 4 flights per year
would be required to meet the 6-month assignment requirement. To lift the crew
supplies to the station would require 64 flights per year, not counting propellant- and
hardware-replacement missions, which might require another 5 to 6 flights per year.
The minimum number of flights to a large station would be 74 flights per year. From a
military mission analysis, that would require a fleet of 10 aircraft (without operational
spares) flying 7 times a year for 15 years and a 100-flight operational life. The
spacecraft and systems considered in the study were:
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Ballistic, derivative Apollo capsule, Rockwell.
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HL-10 lifting body, NASA Langley.
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Wing body, X-20 derivative, Boeing.
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Variable-geometry lifting body, Model 176, McDonnell Douglas.
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Operations and logistics requirements, Lockheed, NAS-9-1422.
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Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL), Lockheed, NAS-9-1688.
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Manned Orbiting Research Laboratory (MORL), McDonnell Douglas, NAS-1-362.
This summary report contained a large number of recommendations and conclusions.
Those that were pertinent to the Saturn 1B and Saturn V rocket launchers and the
rotating space station are not listed. Only those related to the vehicle and propulsion
system are given.
•
Among the lifting-body spacecraft, the variable-geometry spacecraft provides the
best combination of hypersonic maneuvering and landing performance.
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A 9- to 12-passenger payload with equipment is recommended.
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An abort system for both low-altitude and high-altitude abort and escape is required.
•
Structural concepts and materials applicable to the loads and heating of lifting
spacecraft are within the present (that is, 1965) state of the art.
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The weight factor for lifting spacecraft results primarily from a larger surface area
and only secondarily from the associated spacecraft environment.
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Radiation-cooled structures are generally lighter than other structural concepts.
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For surface temperatures above 2,200 °F (1,204 °C), refractory metals are required,
and coating life is the major refractory metal limitation (applies to carbon-carbon
today).
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