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Venus Manned SC
Credit - NASA
Class: Manned. Type: Venus Orbiter. Destination: Venus.

A 1967 a NASA study examined requirements for a manned Venus orbiter. It concluded such a mission could be mounted by 1975 using Apollo technology.

A study was made of a manned orbiting stopover round-trip mission to Venus in the 1975 to 1980 time period. The following results were obtained:

  • A typical trip in 1980 had the following characteristics:
    • Total trip time: 565 days
    • Stay time at Venus: 40 days
    • Earth atmosphere entry velocity: 47,000 fps
    • Venus parking orbit: Periapase, 1.1 Venus radii; Apoapse: 20.9 Venus radii A study was made of a manned orbiting stopover round-trip mission to Venus in the 1975 to 1980 time period. The following results were obtained:
      • A typical trip in 1980 had the following characteristics:
        • Total trip time: 565 days
        • Stay time at Venus: 40 days
        • Earth atmosphere entry velocity: 47,000 fps
        • Venus parking orbit: Periapase, 1.1 Venus radii; Apoapse: 20.9 Venus radii
        • Time below 3 Venus radii: 2 days
        • Initial weight in Earth orbit with Apollo level of technology: 800,000 to 1.4 million pounds depending on launch opportunity and mission profile.
        • Essential to achieving low initial weights was a highly elliptical (e=0.9) parking orbit at Venus.
        • The elliptic parking orbit may adversely affect information gathering. Further study of the best tradeoffs between parking orbit ellipiticity , stay time at Venus, and weight of observation equipment was required.
        • A Venus mission could be accomplished using Apollo level technology. S II stages could possibly be used for the Earth departure maneuver.
        • One new stage using Earth-storable propellants was required for the Venus arrival and departure maneuvers.
        • While the Venus orbiting mission could be accomplished using the Apollo level of technology, reductions in weight were possible using advanced propulsion. For example, using a nuclear rocket stage for the Earth departure maneuver could reduce the initial gross weight by 30 percent. If, in addition, OF2-CH4 stages were used for the maneuvers to arrive and depart Venus, a total weight reduction of 50% was possible.
        • A single vehicle design for the 1980 launch opportunity could accomplish the Venus mission in any other synodic period.
        • To accomplish a Mars orbiting mission in the easiest year would require a vehicle 70% heavier than that for the Venus orbiting mission in the most difficult year. The disparity could be much larger in other years.
        • The manned Venus spacecraft had a total mass of 120,000 pounds, further broken down as follows:
          • Earth Re-entry vehicle (included crew and stored data - the mass matches an Apollo CM, but the sketch of the design shows a lifting body with two vertical stabilizers): 14,000 lbs
          • Life Support module: 66,000 lbs + 50 lbs/day consumables
          • Scientific payload to Venus orbit: 30,000 lbs
          • Venus atmospheric entry probes:10,000 lbs

          Length: 28.00 m (91.00 ft). Basic Diameter: 6.90 m (22.60 ft). Maximum Diameter: 10.10 m (33.10 ft). Mass: 54,400 kg (119,900 lb).

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          © Mark Wade, 1997 - 2008 except where otherwise noted.
Venus Manned SC
Manned Venus Orbiting Mission...
Credit- NASA
Manned Venus Orbiting Mission