When it comes to space travel, the International Space Station and trips to the Sun, Moon, Mars or other places in the Universe, it is often necessary to refuel before a space vehicle returns to earth. As such, an orbital depot containing fuel has been placed near the earth or another body so that in orbit refueling can take place.
Without having this cache of fuel, resources required for space exploration and travel would be non-existent. Whereas, if these types of resource depots can be placed in the infrastructure, space exploration and space travel could become more prevalent in the future. As different types of depots are necessary depending on the type of fuel necessary to complete a mission, this is easier said than done.
Whether a depot at a fixed location such as the ISS or delivered by a tanker which can provide a single load to a spacecraft with or without a crew, either of these concepts could make a huge difference in the future. While one concept requires positioning at the space station, the other does not necessarily have to be anywhere near the space station for the transfer of fuel to take place.
While several entities could benefit from these in-orbit refueling concepts, most are a long way from becoming a reality. Still, commercial companies such as Virgin, government agencies, NASA and commercial satellites would benefit in different ways. For one thing, all these and possibly other entities would save a great deal of time and money once the depots were deployed in different areas of orbit.
It is believed that if the depots were to come to pass, the satellites would participate with depots to transfer propellant so that the satellite could provide continued maneuvers while in orbit. Where some plans have been reviewed for replenishing the fuel satellites use, most recently in 2011, those plans have since been canceled.
As a fraction or all of a transfer stage fuel could be deployed, separately launched spacecraft with a payload or crew could cover a larger area or allow the use of a smaller launch vehicle. Whereas, with a tanker fill or LEO depot, the launch vehicle size could be reduced while increasing flight rates. In doing so, this would also cut the cost of a number of missions whether or not a crew is involved.
Concepts also suggest that depots could be placed behind the Moon to help reduce the costs of trips to the Moon or Mars. Whereas, others suggest that placing a depot in the orbit of Mars could also be useful with regards to reducing costs and making such missions more likely. For, only when crews can assure a safe return from Mars, the Moon or the Sun can such missions take place.
With rockets and spacecraft, fuel usually takes up about 1/2 or more of the total mass. Whereas, larger rocket engines often use a cryogenic fuel like liquid oxygen or hydrogen as an oxidizer due to the specific impulse possible. While this is the case, the transfer must be done with extreme condition to the probability of boil-off. As such, while these concepts are all plausible, it will most likely be quite some time before any such concepts are operable due to a number of cost and time efficiency factors.
Without having this cache of fuel, resources required for space exploration and travel would be non-existent. Whereas, if these types of resource depots can be placed in the infrastructure, space exploration and space travel could become more prevalent in the future. As different types of depots are necessary depending on the type of fuel necessary to complete a mission, this is easier said than done.
Whether a depot at a fixed location such as the ISS or delivered by a tanker which can provide a single load to a spacecraft with or without a crew, either of these concepts could make a huge difference in the future. While one concept requires positioning at the space station, the other does not necessarily have to be anywhere near the space station for the transfer of fuel to take place.
While several entities could benefit from these in-orbit refueling concepts, most are a long way from becoming a reality. Still, commercial companies such as Virgin, government agencies, NASA and commercial satellites would benefit in different ways. For one thing, all these and possibly other entities would save a great deal of time and money once the depots were deployed in different areas of orbit.
It is believed that if the depots were to come to pass, the satellites would participate with depots to transfer propellant so that the satellite could provide continued maneuvers while in orbit. Where some plans have been reviewed for replenishing the fuel satellites use, most recently in 2011, those plans have since been canceled.
As a fraction or all of a transfer stage fuel could be deployed, separately launched spacecraft with a payload or crew could cover a larger area or allow the use of a smaller launch vehicle. Whereas, with a tanker fill or LEO depot, the launch vehicle size could be reduced while increasing flight rates. In doing so, this would also cut the cost of a number of missions whether or not a crew is involved.
Concepts also suggest that depots could be placed behind the Moon to help reduce the costs of trips to the Moon or Mars. Whereas, others suggest that placing a depot in the orbit of Mars could also be useful with regards to reducing costs and making such missions more likely. For, only when crews can assure a safe return from Mars, the Moon or the Sun can such missions take place.
With rockets and spacecraft, fuel usually takes up about 1/2 or more of the total mass. Whereas, larger rocket engines often use a cryogenic fuel like liquid oxygen or hydrogen as an oxidizer due to the specific impulse possible. While this is the case, the transfer must be done with extreme condition to the probability of boil-off. As such, while these concepts are all plausible, it will most likely be quite some time before any such concepts are operable due to a number of cost and time efficiency factors.
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