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Rocket Design Agency - A Playtesting Quest

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Cast and Characters
  • Informational
    • NASA
    Brad L. Whipple - Director, New Alleghany Space Administration

    Payload Design - +1
    Rocket Design - +2
    Engine Design - +3
    Mission Planning - +1
    Flight Control - +2
    Damage Control - +0
    Spacecraft Activity - +0
    Extravehicular Activity - +0
    Experimental Activity - +2

    Flight Objectives
    - Continue scientific launches, progressing to probes into the space beyond orbit by year end 1959.
    - Begin experiments which will allow a progression to human spaceflight before year end 1960.
    - Cooperate with the Armed Forces in developing their abilities through the application of spaceflight.

    Mission Schedule - Current Date: January 1960
    - Low Orbit 1 (Summer 1958) - Hope-2 (Partial failure)
    - Re-entry test 1 - Sub-orbital - Full Success, August 1958
    - Low Orbit 2 - Partial Failure, Hope-3 , October 1958
    - Re-entry test 2 - Failure, November 1958
    - Military Communications - Success, ARTS, December 1958
    - High Orbit 1 - Success, Hope-4, January 1959
    - Re-entry test 3 - Success, March 1959
    - Bio-sciences - Launch Failure, July 1959
    - Discovery 1, Success, September 1959
    - High Orbit 2 - Success, Hope-5, October 1959
    - Lunar Probe - Launch Failure, Artemis-Lunar, November 1959
    - Bio-sciences - Success, Astrocaphe-Chuck, December 1959
    - Discovery 2 - Failure, January 1960
    - Astrocathe test - Success, animal in space, February 1960
    - March lost due to Artemis redesign
    - NAN payload - April 1960 - First Hermes Flight
    - Crown 3 - Spring/Summer 1960
    - Commercial payload - Summer 1960
    - IRVOS 1 - Summer 1960
    - NAA Communications - Summer/Fall 1960
    - Space Camp test - Summer/Fall 1960
    - NAN payload - Fall/Winter 1960
    - Commercial payload -Winter 1960
    - Astrocathe test - Winter 1960
    - NAA Communications - Spring 1961

    - Astrocaphe phase 1 (3 crewed flights)
    - Astrocaphe phase 2 (3 crewed flights)

    Hardware
    - Prometheus (1M to LEO)
    - Hermes-L (6M to LEO)
    - Hermes-B (8M to LEO)

    Andre Larkin - Team Lead at EPL
    Rocket Design 0
    Engine Design +2


    EPL Design Team
    Antony Miratha, Aerodynamics
    Susan Stone, Astrophysics
    Michael Cole, Rocket Engineering
    Amy Mathews, Trajectory Planning
    Simon T. Harrison, Chemical Engineering

    +2 Rocket Design, +2 Payload Design +1 Engine Design, +1 Fuel Selection, +1 Flight Planning

    Side Characters
    Dr. Evan Hart - Research Director at EPL
    Arthur Ley, proponent of Lunar flight.
    Franz Haber, Doctor and researcher.
    Dieter von Markand, Pacifist and astrophysicist.

    EPL Facilities
    Design workshop
    Chemical research laboratory
    Launch analysis equipment
    (Please note that EPL has neither rocket nor engine manufacturing facilities)
     
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  • Informational
    • [X] Mustang - High-cost, high-capability ICBM in development.

    Atlas's descendants still fly today.
     
    [X] Mustang - High-cost, high-capability ICBM in development.
    Extremely high Delta-V is really, really important for hitting orbit. This one has almost double the others, which makes it seem like the only reasonable choice as far as I can tell.
     
    The Mustang looks like a very solid platform to build off of. The TMR doesn't leave a ton of margin for putting another stage on it, but engine improvements or sticking a couple boosters on to it could help with that. My only real concern is that it is currently in development. How far along in development? Will it be ready in time?
     
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    [X] Mustang - High-cost, high-capability ICBM in development.

    Yeah, this is a good start I think. We are also on a slimish time table to begin development of something which can hoist our +50M Manned Payload into orbit.

    E: Which is basically going to be a Saturn or Super Soyuz.
     
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    Too bad the little navy rockets don't seem to be well suited for bundling OTRAG-style. That could have been amusing.

    Actually, now I'm wondering if this system as it stands could handle OTRAG, and whether it is particularly achievable for us. The control system to allow for steering and fault tolerance seems like the biggest technical issue, followed by getting the staging to work reliably if we went with the asparagus staging version. As far as system limitations go, the big one that occurs to me is getting the cost right. The design really counts on savings from mass production and building each module really cheap and shitty.

    For anyone not familiar, an interesting read:
    OTRAG (rocket) - Wikipedia
    OTRAG - Wikipedia
    Otrag

    This is something that seemed legitimately promising all through testing that just shut down for political reasons following some admittedly unwise test site selections.

    Also, a bonus ironic bit from wikipedia:

    "Debus and von Braun were concerned about the possibility of Zairian acquisition of missile technology from the facilities."

    Von Braun, who helped build missiles for two different major war-mongering imperialist powers, one of which was literally Nazi Germany. Just saying.
     
    I think the system could handle the OTRAG rocket, but the amount of tanks and engines to keep track of would rapidly get incredibly awful to manage, with practical pen-and-paper or manual (no autofilled cells) spreadsheet design rapidly becoming awful, probably before any of the larger OTRAG cluster-scales are achieved.
    [X] Mustang - High-cost, high-capability ICBM in development.
     
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    TortugaGreen said:
    I think the system could handle the OTRAG rocket, but the amount of tanks and engines to keep track of would rapidly get incredibly awful to manage, with practical pen-and-paper or manual (no autofilled cells) spreadsheet design rapidly becoming awful, probably before any of the larger OTRAG cluster-scales are achieved.
    [X] Mustang - High-cost, high-capability ICBM in development.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    A very good point. There would have to be either automation or some kind of abstraction to handle it practically.
     
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    C7P6: New Agency, New Orders
  • Threadmarks
    • "Hardback isn't capable enough. It's not going to last more than a couple of launches before we upgrade." Amy starts the opinions off with a shrug, "As much as the Army have been good to work with before, until they deliver a more capable design, there's no real way we can choose their option."

    "Same with the Hipparchus. The navy wants the smallest rocket possible and they've pretty much built it. But it's not going to do the things that we want, and it can't possibly without a whole host of upgrades. Upgrades we don't have time for." Isabelle taps at the table with a fingernail, forthright attitude already making itself known.

    "I still say the prometheus is a perfectly fine launcher for the time being." Andre grumbles but then, relenting, says "But if we're not going to go with that, and the room seems to be against me, then I don't see any reason not to go with the Mustang."

    "It'll piss the air force off something rotten. They've barely flown the thing and their production line is hardly up to full speed. We'll face resistance." Amy counters, though her heart is hardly in it as an argument.

    "So? Congress has our backs, and two out of three Presidents. I'm fairly certain that the air force will be told to simmer down if they get antsy." Brad leans across the table and grabs a folder. "The Mustang it is. It'll be nice to have that capability to build on, at least. So what are we going to launch on it? We've got a mission, but it's somewhat vague. I think we've got freedom to move on this one however we decide."

    What will you launch?
    [ ] Hope-2, a rebuilt experimental bus which repeats the earlier failed experiments.
    [ ] A new satellite, with different experimental goals.
    [ ] A simple beeper to test the rocket with a small payload.
    [ ] Write-in.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Write-in: A new satellite, rerunning the failed experiments plus some new ones.

    I figure we'll have the mass budget to do a bit more with it. There's no good reason not to rerun those experiments, but if we're going to a shiny new more capable launcher, I see no reason to launch a satleite less ambitious than our last one. Let's run those failed experiments, get a few more of the basics out of the way at the same time, and maybe even try something a little more ambitious like a live animal or a solar powered satellite.
     
    [X] Write-in: A new satellite, rerunning the failed experiments plus some new ones.
    makes sense to me.
     
    [X] Write-in: A new satellite, rerunning the failed experiments plus some new ones.
     
    C7P7: Lobby the Armed Forces
  • Threadmarks
    • "Well, we've got plenty of time before we're going to make another launch if we're going with the mustang. We'll ask the boys down in the lab for a couple of ideas and see what they come up with. We're all agreed that we want to do more than just refly the Hope satellite though, am I right?" Brad can't help but wondering exactly how many phonecalls he is going to have to make in order to get the Mustang flying under NASA colours.

    The others all nod. Much as it would be nice to go with the simplicity of a rebuild of the half-failed orbiter, if the organisation wasn't showing progress then it wouldn't be long for the world. It was going to turn into a waiting game then.

    Conical Satellite (0% mass, 0% cost, No fairing)
    4 x Basic Science System
    Basic Antennae
    Battery Packs (9 Power/10 days)
    Power required: 0.9 per day
    Mass: 0.93
    Cost: 4.88

    Distributed Satellite (-10% mass, -5% cost, Requires fairing)
    4 x Basic Science System
    Basic Antennae
    Basic Solar Panels
    Power required: 0.9 per day
    Mass: 0.972
    Cost: 5.13
    Fairing: 0.24M, 0.36C

    The day the report with the new satellite recommendations lands on Brads desk, he barely has enough time to glance at them, he has that many phone calls to make. If it isn't ringing the moment he puts it down, he's dialling out again. It turns out that trying to appropriate the newest Air Force missile can cause something of a ruckus in Washington - even with congress and some presidents backing your putsch. Push, even.

    Almost everyone he called had the same answer - the Air Force would have to approve, and that meant convincing General Carolyn Mayeaux, the fire-breathing, bomber-commanding officer in charge of the New Alleghanian strategic weapons corps. That certainly wasn't something Brad could do, but he had contacts who might. Though even they were drying up in the face of the woman's hot words. He had a last option, and then he might have to settle for a second choice.

    "Brad, I hear what you're saying, but it just ain't that easy."

    "I know, I know." He says down the crackling phone line, "but you're pretty much my last chance, Julian."

    Julian Otrasia, lobbyist and senior executive for one of the largest aircraft firms in the New Alleghany, was a childhood friend of Brad's. One who just so happened to be in the right place at the right time.

    "Sure, sure I get that. But what d'you want me to say to her?"

    What advice should you give Julian?
    [ ] Offer her our services - Tell her we'll fly them as missile tests once it's online. (Low chance of success)
    [ ] Offer her our money - Just give us a handful, we'll pay for them. (Medium chance of success)
    [ ] Make our demands - Tell her congress will approve the appropriation with or without her go ahead. (High chance of success)
    Note that all 3 options have additional impacts.

    Which satellite is preferable?
    [ ] The cheaper, lighter Alpha with its batteries.
    [ ] The heavier, longer lasting Bravo.
    [ ] A third option (detail).
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] The heavier, longer lasting Bravo.
    We need to learn how to do solar powered satellites anyway. Might as well start now.

    I'm really not sure what argument to use. Leaning towards paying for them because it feels like threatening her with congress going over her head is a good way to make a powerful enemy. Perhaps multiple enemies, if there are important people in congress who resent it when it gets back to them.
     
    Alpha vs. Bravo

    I hate to say it but I think we need to go with Alpha, at least if I'm not mistaken in how the addition works (fairing costs added, discount already applied)
    Alpha
    Mass: 0.93
    Cost: 4.88
    Bravo
    Mass: 0.972+.24=1.212
    Cost: 5.13+.36=5.49

    If this is right, that's 30% more mass we're trying to put up, which is pretty significant with the rocket equation costs added in. If the -10% mass hasn't been applied yet it's closer and I'll need to think more.

    I kinda want to do both money and the threat of congress. Be all "We can do this the easy way or the hard way". But that's not an option, so

    [X] Offer her our money - Just give us a handful, we'll pay for them. (Medium chance of success)
    [X] The cheaper, lighter Alpha with its batteries.
     
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