Project Orion

Contents

0: Introduction.
1: Web sites.
2: Documents.
3: Selden's Pictures.


A.0: Appendices.


A.1: Signature.
A.2: Admonishment.
A.3: Disclaimer.


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See also:
• Selden's List of Resources for Celestia

0.0 Introduction.

At some point, I'm hoping to be able to provide an Addon for Celestia which demonstrates some of the Orion's features. Unfortunately, it keeps getting more and more complex and is stil incomplete.

1.0 Related Web sites.

• http://www.oriondrive.com/
• Wikipedia; Nuclear pulse propulsion
• Next Big Future Blogs
  • 2009; Updated Project Orion Nuclear Pulse
  • 2009: Project Orion Nuclear Pulse Units EMP

  Videos

• 2002: George Dyson on Project Orion at TED.com
• Project Orion: a Re-Imagining by Rhys Tayler, on YouTube

  Pictures

• Images by Adrian Mann:
  http://www.futureincredible.com/tag/orion/
• Images by Rhys Taylor:
  • http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/artgallery.php#Rhys_Taylor

  • http://www.rhysy.net/Ongoing.mht
    Warning: the site is unreadable by Firefox and has problems with IE.. My solution was to download the .mht file and open it locally.
  • http://www.astrorhysy.blogspot.com/

    Rhys's original site has evaporated, but some vestiges are still available on archive.org

  • http://web.archive.org/web/20071201142359/http://rhysy.plexersoft.com/

2.0 Documents.

Many of these documents also are downloadable by way of the "Index to Documents" listed below and from the NASA Technical Reports Server.

• Nuclear Pulse Propulsion: Orion and Beyond
  Document ID: 20000096503
  Online Source: http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20000096503
  Author: Schmidt, George R.; Bonometti, J. A.; Morton, P. J.
  Abstract: The race to the Moon dominated manned space Fight during the 1960's. and culminated in Project hide
  Publication Year: 2000
  Document Type: Preprint
  Report/Patent Number: AIAA Paper 2000-3856
  Date Acquired: Jun 04, 2003
• Nuclear propulsion: A vital technology for the exploration of Mars and the planets beyond
  Document ID: 19890001573
  Online Source: http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19890001573
  Author: Borowski, Stanley K.
  Abstract: The physics and technology issues and performance potential
  of various direct thrust fission and hide
  Publication Year: 1988
  Document Type: Technical Report
  Report/Patent Number: NASA-TM-101354; E-4369; NAS 1.15:101354
  Date Acquired: Jun 04, 2003
• Nuclear pulse vehicle study Condensed Summary Report (General Dynamics Corp.) (Jan '64)
  Document ID: 19760065935
  Online Source: http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19760065935
  Abstract: No Abstract Available
  Publication Year: 1965
  Document Type: Technical Report
  Report/Patent Number: NASA-CR-67367; GA-4891
  Date Acquired: Jun 04, 2003
• Pulsed Fission Propulsion Concept
  http://mix.msfc.nasa.gov/IMAGES/MEDIUM/9906395.jpg (720x576)
  http://mix.msfc.nasa.gov/IMAGES/HIGH/9906395.jpg (3000x2400)
  NASA Center: Marshall Space Flight Center
  Publication Year: 1999
  Added to NTRS: 2007-10-12
  Accession Number: MSFC-9906395

• The documents below were part of the original design research for Project Orion. They initially were located on one of NASA's document servers. Unfortunately, the document server was redesigned and they seem to have been relocated elsewhere. The links below are to copies stored here.
  • Preliminary Performance Study, Nuclear Pulse Propelled Vehicle
    19650078867_1965078867.pdf (2 MB)
  • Nuclear Pulse Vehicle Study Condensed Summary Report
    
    19760065935_1976065935.pdf (1 MB)
  • Nuclear Pulse Space Vehicle Study. Volume I - Summary
    19650058729_1965058729.pdf (3.4 MB)
  • Vol. 2 -- Vehicle Systems Performance and Costs
    does not seem to be available
  • Nuclear Pulse Space Vehicle Study. Volume 3: Conceptual Vehicle Designs and Operational Systems
    19770085619_1977085619.pdf (8 MB)
  • Nuclear Pulse Space Vehicle Study. Volume IV - Mission Velocity Requirements and System Comparisons
    vol4_19660072847_1966072847.pdf (19MB)
  • Nuclear Pulse Space Vehicle Study. Volume IV - Mission Velocity Requirements and System Comparisons /Supplement/
    vol4_supl_19660072846_1966072846.pdf (25 MB)

• Nuclear Pulsed Space Propulsion Systems
  (replacement not yet located)
  LA-4541-MS
  Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory of the University of California
  Balcomb, J.D, et al.
  October, 1970

• Index to documents from the NASA Technical Reports Server: Nuclear Propulsion and Reactors
  Hosted by klabs.org, the NASA Office of Logic Design.

• NASA Technical Reports Server search
  • NASA Johnson Technical Reports Server
  • Marshall Technical Reports Server

• National Technical Information Service (NTIS) search

• http://www.apolloarchive.com/

3.0 Pictures.

#1 10-m Orion orbiting Earth (24jun05)	#2 10-m Orion orbiting Saturn	#3 10-m Orion orbiting Mars
#4 updated 10-m Orion orbiting Mars	#4A updated 10-m Orion orbiting Mars (wireframe)
#5 10-m Orion near Phobos (added portholes; 1Jul05)	#6 updated 10-m Orion orbiting Mars
#7 Size comparison: 10-m through 40KT (4Jul05)	#8 Size comparison: 10-m through 200mt
#9 updated 10-m Orion orbiting Mars (added names and a color pattern; 4Jul05)	#10 updated 10-m Orion orbiting Mars (added logos and resized cargo)
#11 Phobos orbital insertion. updates: (10Jul05) logos space taxies scaled passenger section for 20 man crew added plasma. If you look closely, you'll realize there's been a serious misfire!	#12 Phobos orbital insertion. updates: (15Jul05) shape of Mars Excursion Vehicles number of pulse unit magazines at Mars	#20 Phobos orbital insertion. updates: (27aug06) shape of Philco Mars Excursion Modules
#13 In Phobos orbit. updated 27Aug05: structural support for cargo cannisters pusher plate retracted meteor shields extended over second stage shock absorbers.	#14 Saturn lofter & Orion (31Aug05)
#15 Apparently plasma flow would quickly damage any protrouding objects, so the outboard landers wouldn't survive long. Changing to inboard landers based on the early Philco Mars Excursion Modules. Philco MEMs. updated 3Sep05: structural supports and cannisters modified to make room for Philco AeroNutronics Mars Excursion Modules	#16 Philco MEMs. updated 4Sep05: revised Philco MEMs	#21 Beauty shot: Orion in flight. updated 1oct06: reduced polys
#17 Saturn lofter on incomplete launchpad	#18 Saturn lofter on updated launchpad added overhead crane added intermediate floors added feet & ribs to platform rotated Saturn 45 degrees	#19 Saturn lofter w/ updated launch tower major rework of launch tower (still more to do, though)
#20 Revised Orion orbiting Mars July, 2007: lots of small updates (still more to do, though) Animated using Celestia v1.5 See the 30 second video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpFEJzD-U_o

Contents

0: Introduction.
1: Web sites.
2: Documents.
3: Pictures.


Appendices.


A.1: Signature.
A.2: Admonishment.
A.3: Disclaimer.


---

See also:
• ProjectOrion.com
• Selden's List of Resources for Celestia

A.0 Appendices.

A.1: Signature.

This Web page is maintained by Selden Ball at Wilson Lab.

A.2: Admonishment.

Please send any questions, comments or corrections to seb1@cornell.edu
Alternatively, you can post a message (anonymously or otherwise) on Celestia's Web Forum or use its Private Message page.

If you don't tell me that something's missing, unclear or wrong, I can't improve it.

A.3: Disclaimer.

The author disclaims all liability and endorsement.
Copyrights may apply.
For details, please read the full text of his disclaimer.