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Preliminary Design of an Experimental World-Circling Spaceship
The central argument turns on the feasibility of such a space vehicle.
340 pages, Paperback
First published November 25, 1998
6 people want to read
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RAND Corporation
63 books7 followersThe RAND Corporation is an American nonprofit global policy think tank, research institute, and public sector consulting firm.
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November 19, 2018
This is a design study by Douglas Aircraft Company engineers for the Rand Corporation. (Report No. SM-11827 Contract W33-038 ac-14105).
Written in 1946, over a decade before Sputnik, this is a serious rocket engineering study. As one might expect, it is full of equations and poorly reproduced graphs, and I had to skip over some of it because my Algebra and Calculus is rusty. And it is as dry as technical writing can be.
But I found it fascinating. Here is a document from the predawn of the space age, answering the question: "Can we put a satellite into orbit?" Following the systematic thinking, step by step, we see how rocket science works. We see all the different parameters to be considered - the compromises made. And we see that, although a lot of practical research was still needed, the Douglas engineers felt that the technology base was sufficient to build a satellite, its launching rocket, and means of control and communication. They even tried to estimate the cost.
Reading level is two stars, but as a historical document of interest to spaceflight nerds, it bumps up to three stars.
P.S. This is available for free in PDF from RAND. It's a facsimile of a typewritten report.
Written in 1946, over a decade before Sputnik, this is a serious rocket engineering study. As one might expect, it is full of equations and poorly reproduced graphs, and I had to skip over some of it because my Algebra and Calculus is rusty. And it is as dry as technical writing can be.
But I found it fascinating. Here is a document from the predawn of the space age, answering the question: "Can we put a satellite into orbit?" Following the systematic thinking, step by step, we see how rocket science works. We see all the different parameters to be considered - the compromises made. And we see that, although a lot of practical research was still needed, the Douglas engineers felt that the technology base was sufficient to build a satellite, its launching rocket, and means of control and communication. They even tried to estimate the cost.
Reading level is two stars, but as a historical document of interest to spaceflight nerds, it bumps up to three stars.
P.S. This is available for free in PDF from RAND. It's a facsimile of a typewritten report.
Displaying 1 of 1 review