DIRECT & Jupiter Rocket Family
Proposed family of US super heavy-lift launch vehicles / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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DIRECT was a late-2000s proposed alternative super heavy lift launch vehicle architecture supporting NASA's Vision for Space Exploration that would replace the space agency's planned Ares I and Ares V rockets with a family of Shuttle-Derived Launch Vehicles named "Jupiter". It was intended to be the alternative to the Ares I and Ares V rockets which were under development for the Constellation program, intended to develop the Orion spacecraft for use in Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars.[2]
Function | Crewed launch vehicle |
---|---|
Country of origin | United States |
Size | |
Height | 70.9–92.3 m (233–303 ft) |
Diameter | 8.41 m (27.6 ft) |
Mass | 2,061,689–2,177,650 kg (4,545,246–4,800,896 lb) |
Stages | 1.5 or 2 |
Capacity | |
Payload to LEO (185 km x 51.6°) | |
Mass | 60,282 kg (132,899 lb) (Jupiter-130) |
Payload to LEO (241 km x 29°) | |
Mass | 91,670 kg (202,100 lb) (Jupiter-246) |
Associated rockets | |
Family | SDLV |
Comparable | National Launch System |
Launch history | |
Status | Rejected Proposal |
Launch sites | LC-39B, Kennedy Space Center |
Type of passengers/cargo | Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle Altair Lunar Surface Access Module |
Boosters – Shuttle RSRM | |
No. boosters | 2 |
Powered by | 1 solid |
Maximum thrust | 12,868–13,977 kN (2,893,000–3,142,000 lbf) (sea level - vacuum) |
Total thrust | 25,737–27,955 kN (5,786,000–6,285,000 lbf) (sea level - vacuum) |
Specific impulse | 237.0 - 269.1 sec (sea level - vacuum) |
Burn time | 123.8 sec |
Propellant | APCP/PBAN |
First stage (Jupiter-130) – Common core stage | |
Diameter | 8.41 m (27.6 ft) |
Powered by | 3 SSME-Block-II |
Maximum thrust | 5,235–6,550 kN (1,177,000–1,472,000 lbf) (sea level - vacuum; three engines combined) |
Specific impulse | 361.4 - 452.2 sec (sea level - vacuum) |
Burn time | 524.5 sec |
Propellant | LOX/LH2 |
First stage (Jupiter-246) – Common core stage | |
Diameter | 8.41 m (27.6 ft) |
Powered by | 4 SSME-Block-II |
Maximum thrust | 6,981–8,734 kN (1,569,000–1,963,000 lbf) (sea level - vacuum) |
Specific impulse | 361.4 (SL) 452.2 sec (sea level - vacuum) |
Burn time | 384.1 sec |
Propellant | LOX/LH2 |
Second stage (Jupiter-246) – Jupiter Upper Stage | |
Diameter | 8.41 m (27.6 ft) |
Powered by | 6 RL10B-2 |
Maximum thrust | 661 kN (149,000 lbf) (vacuum) |
Specific impulse | 459 sec (vacuum) |
Burn time | 609.9 sec |
Propellant | LOX/LH2 |
Major benefits were projected from re-using as much hardware and facilities from the Space Shuttle program as possible, including cost savings, experience with existing hardware, and preserving the workforce.[2]