Spacecraft - Interplanetary Designs

[TonyCross]

TL;DR Summary

Spacecraft, Design, engineering. New ideas in Aerospace.

Hi,
Does anyone by any chance have a link to a blueprint-design for an interplanetary spacecraft , either existing or planned.
My reason for asking is I am simulating various aspects of the propulsion and reaction control systems.
I would like to use an existing design to model then experiment with some of my ideas.

Also if anyone else is interested in this subject please contact me.

Cheers Tony

☄🛰

 

[anorlunda]

I'm sure you can find something useful here.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/main/index.html

If not, then there are also web sites for all the other NASA interplanetary craft.

Perhaps you meant manned spacecraft . But the simulation principles of propulsion and reaction control systems are mostly the same for manned and unmanned craft.

 

[TonyCross]

I'm sure you can find something useful here.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/main/index.html

If not, then there are also web sites for all the other NASA interplanetary craft.

Perhaps you meant manned spacecraft . But the simulation principles of propulsion and reaction control systems are mostly the same for manned and unmanned craft.

Thanks for that,
Cassini was in my opinion one of the most successful, inspiring probes to date.
Certainly one I would be interested in modelling.

Unfortunately the Nasa site only provides paper foldup models!
and images of Cassini, I was looking for more detailed information, detailed technical drawings, to enable me to make a 3d cad model.

Cheers Tony

 

[TonyCross]

I did find this very good description of parts for the cassini -huygens craft on the Nasa site:

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/10078/cassini-diagram-no-6/

 

[TonyCross]

After thinking about the most inspiring mission, perhaps it was the Voyager program, which must take that title, I was in my early twenties when Voyager 1 was launched and it did then as it does now bring a lump to my throat, whenever I think about it.

There is a wonderful book called "Pale blue dot" by the brilliant Carl Sagan.
If you ever need a boost to your mood, I highly recommend it.

Carl Sagan pleaded with Nasa to turn Voyager around and take a picture of Earth from a distance of 6 billion kilometers from the Sun.
Very reluctantly they agreed, the rest is history...

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/536/voyager-1s-pale-blue-dot/

To Quote Carl Sagan.
"Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us."

Cheers Tony

 

[hutchphd]

I trust you are aware of the extensive line of Haynes "workshop manuals" for the various (mostly manned I presume) NASA and Soyuz spacecraft . A clever idea with some engineering detail.
There must be some spotty detail in the patent records for NASA, but that would be a slog.
I too am a fan of Dr. Sagan and had few lectures from him as a undergrad...interesting fellow. I must admit I most admire his The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark. On my shelf next Thomas Paine's Age of Reason

 

[TonyCross]

I trust you are aware of the extensive line of Haynes "workshop manuals" for the various (mostly manned I presume) NASA and Soyuz spacecraft . A clever idea with some engineering detail.
There must be some spotty detail in the patent records for NASA, but that would be a slog.
I too am a fan of Dr. Sagan and had few lectures from him as a undergrad...interesting fellow. I must admit I most admire his The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark. On my shelf next Thomas Paine's Age of Reason

Thanks,
I thought you were joking, I always thought that the Haynes Manuals were just for fixing vehicles!
I have just taken a look at the range Haynes provide, looks very interesting I may consider a purchase of one or two.
As for Thomas Paine, "Age of Reason" is also a terrific read, shame there is not more of it (reason), should be required reading in all US high schools, as the great late Hitch said:
“What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence.”

Dr Sagan first introduced me to the wonders of the universe way back in 1980 with the original Cosmos series, I re-watched it only a year or so ago, and it still holds it's own.

I hadn't thought about the patent office, but it's also a possible reference source.

I did find a basic 3d model of Cassini on the website "Grabcad" I may be able to use this as a template for my modelling.
One of the issues I face is without detailed blueprints or more detailed information it is difficult to assign materials/mass to various parts of the craft, hence the COB is difficult to determine. I am trying to determine the effect that my thrust designs have on Pitch, Roll and Yaw.

As for thrust/propulsion/acceleration, an accurate model is not so important, a box with the correct mass and COB seems pretty good.

Cheers Tony