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RD-170 and RD-180 are the best you can get in engines period. Considering USA rented it for Delta (?), that says a lot

Stas Bush wrote:RD-170 and RD-180 are the best you can get in engines period. Considering USA rented it for Delta (?), that says a lot

We pretty much plan to get a fully operational RD-170 in 1-2 years. Possibly 3 because of added complexity. This brings the ball park in which we can fire off the first Energia, or at least test it in a static test platform, in 7-12 years.

Development cycle is about 12-16 years, more or less close to how long it took to get the Buran ready.

PeZook wrote:

Coyote wrote: EDIT: Remember, the Eagle only needs to be taken up into orbit-- it can make the trip to the moon by itself from there, so the total costs of the Saturn-V aren't necessarily applicable. We won't need a Command Module, a LEM, etc. Just the 'get out of gravity' initial stage.

Actually, you need a Saturn or STS. The Saturn Vs payload was actually the uppermost stage (S-IVB) and the Apollo stack. The Eagle is somewhat lighter, so we'll need a rocket slightly smaller than the full Saturn V.

And, of course, the thing isn't even tested,and I'm not putting actual astronauts on it untill it's made at least five-six flights. And, well, since even a cut-up Eagle will need a rocket already capable of lifting what we need for the basic Moon mission...

In a way, a bit of 'bit in the ass by our own foresight' was kinda what I was aiming for with the Eagle. A good moon truck that works great in space but now we have to figure out how to get it there. This would be the vehicle that goes from a space station to the moons, and the closest planets, and back to the space station... from the station, things are transferred to and from Novaterra.

It was Canissia's intent to save money by concentrating on items to be used at the destination, and letting others develop stuff for the journey. Now we're seeing the downside of that...

Coyote wrote:In a way, a bit of 'bit in the ass by our own foresight' was kinda what I was aiming for with the Eagle. A good moon truck that works great in space but now we have to figure out how to get it there. This would be the vehicle that goes from a space station to the moons, and the closest planets, and back to the space station... from the station, things are transferred to and from Novaterra.

It was Canissia's intent to save money by concentrating on items to be used at the destination, and letting others develop stuff for the journey. Now we're seeing the downside of that...

Trouble is, engineering solutions take time to work. Developing the spacecraft is the easy put, but getting the engines and rockets to work together takes 10 or so years...

Which is why maybe we should consider speeding and handwaving some things.

Mind you, we are spending billions to get all this to work...

Fingolfin_Noldor wrote:

Coyote wrote:It was Canissia's intent to save money by concentrating on items to be used at the destination, and letting others develop stuff for the journey. Now we're seeing the downside of that...

Trouble is, engineering solutions take time to work. Developing the spacecraft is the easy put, but getting the engines and rockets to work together takes 10 or so years...

Which is why maybe we should consider speeding and handwaving some things.

Mind you, we are spending billions to get all this to work...

Yeah, realistically the Eagle would still be in "full-scale mock-up" phase by now as feasability studies were done, etc, but to be honest I started with this while we were still under threat of global annihilation by Shep and I wanted to hurry up and get to the moon so, if nothing else, we could switch gears and have a "moonbase survivors picking the remnants clean" story if anyone wanted to continue.

I wouldn't mind handwaving some things if there was consensus, but I'd feel comfortable only if it was unanimous.

Coyote wrote:Yeah, realistically the Eagle would still be in "full-scale mock-up" phase by now as feasability studies were done, etc, but to be honest I started with this while we were still under threat of global annihilation by Shep and I wanted to hurry up and get to the moon so, if nothing else, we could switch gears and have a "moonbase survivors picking the remnants clean" story if anyone wanted to continue.

I wouldn't mind handwaving some things if there was consensus, but I'd feel comfortable only if it was unanimous.

I wouldn't mind. Because the thought of having to wait for a year for the Buran to lift off is scary and I have a feeling that people will only have so much of an attention span.

Karic is back, Ana is back. Awesome.

I look forward to reading this.

Also: I wouldn't mind handwaving some stuff. I want to see us on the moon, soon.

This is weird. Previously, I did have a Nicholas Cage character based on his Lord of War dude running around buying guns. Did Karic steal his face?


EDIT:


Maybe Ana can end up teaming up with a man from the Sovereignty's Secret Service...



In the Caymans!

Ana is a ruthless, murderous bitch. At this point, I don't even know if she'll team up with anybody

Well, guys, I basically want to organize an insurgency and revolution at the Caymans, because as far as corporate assholes go, these guys are pretty shitty, and so I don't like them

And now the SNC knows

Is that former tsar-dude still hanging around the Caymans? If so, he just can't get a break... The commies are after him wherever he goes!

I can't check in as often as I'd like, but to remind everyone that roughly 25% of this World's internationally traded Oil supply (and 34% of the recoverable reserves) come from Alaska.

Yes, I punch above my weight class because of this.

Hrm... what's in the Gaymans, anyway?

SiegeTank wrote:Is that former tsar-dude still hanging around the Caymans? If so, he just can't get a break... The commies are after him wherever he goes!

Dude...you arrested the tsar yourself!

PeZook wrote:Dude...you arrested the tsar yourself!

Haven't been keeping up with your plotlines, I see . I extradited him to Cascadia as soon as I could; Cascadian lawyers wanted to try the tsar for his ties to a major plague outbreak, but insofar as I can recall the court tossed the lawsuit and the tsar walked. Presumably he then joined his son on the Caymans, where they've been doing fortune-knows-what ever since.

I'll give this coup attempt AWESOME Shroomanian support on the condition that the end result be a liberal haven for all sorts of sexual deviants, to be called the GAYMANS.

Shroom Man 777 wrote:I'll give this coup attempt AWESOME Shroomanian support on the condition that the end result be a liberal haven for all sorts of sexual deviants, to be called the GAYMANS.

Uhh...but then everyone will know we did it...

PeZook wrote:Well, guys, I basically want to organize an insurgency and revolution at the Caymans, because as far as corporate assholes go, these guys are pretty shitty, and so I don't like them

And now the SNC knows

Perhaps we should bring Socialism to the Gaymans.

...

I just knew this would become a problem, you commie assholes

The CSR thinks that any regime beneficial to the SNC would suffice...

I mean, think about the strategic worth of the Gaymans!

DarthShady wrote:Perhaps we should bring Socialism to the Gaymans.

Speaking of Bringing Socialism to far off islands, how is the Misteria campaign going Stas?

Hey, isn't global communism synonymous with the proletariat working peoples being all happy and gay?

*Bombs Caymans with Bluejeans, Rock Music CDs, and Bibles*

PeZook wrote:...

I just knew this would become a problem, you commie assholes

Maybe sending a few missionaries, extremely conservative ones, preaching steadfast orthodoxy, and then demanding a theocracy.

Then next minute there would be a monarchy who will be a "defender of the faith" like Ramsey in the last game.

I have a few story ideas of my own that I should get around to starting, but unfortunately my job is preventing me from getting to it. I simply don't have the time anymore.