David Weinshenker wrote:
The WW2-era "V2" IRBM could, as I understand it, be fired by a couple of operators from a truck... with modern electronic controlThe same was true of at least one model of Soviet ICBM during the height of the Cold War -- a truck and trailer carrier had a driver, and there were no more than four members of the actual rocket crew that would set up and anchor the carrier, erect the missile, program the guidance system, and launch, all within a matter of hours after driving the launch point. I don't recall if this was a storable liquid fuel, or solid fuel missile; if liquid, there'd most likely have been a fueling step and additional crew for that function, since ICBM tanks would have been too fragile to transport fueled. None the less, such a vehicle is orbit capable with a reduced payload (all the original orbital vehicles were slightly modified ICBMs like Atlas and Titan, or IRBMs with additional stages added like the uprated Redstone called Jupiter-C that launched Vanguard), and many have been launched in tests with crews of no more than ten.
systems, a small orbit-capable vehicle might not need much more. (Three guys, a truck, and a portable computer?)
With a launch system like the Castor, three guys, a truck and a computer isn't at all out of line. With liquid fuel, I think you'd still need a larger crew to fuel the vehicle.
--
What you own is your own kingdom, what you do is your own glory.
What you love is your own power, and what you live is your own story.
-- Neil Peart, 1976
Donald Qualls, aka The Silent Observer NAR # 70141-SR Insured
Rocket Pages http://silent1.home.netcom.com/launches.htm
Telescope Pages http://silent1.home.netcom.com/astronomy.htm
Lathe Pages http://silent1.home.netcom.com/HomebuiltLathe.htm
Opinions expressed are my own -- take them for what they're worth
and don't expect them to be perfect.
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