4 ms·
[citation needed] Have you done the math on the amount of fuel that needs to be transported up given the specific impulse of Dragon thrusters its total usable
by sxp 2y ago
[citation needed]
Have you done the math on the amount of fuel that needs to be transported up given the specific impulse of Dragon thrusters its total usable delta-v? Or the risk of transporting to the new orbit while protecting it from the various microimpacts? The article is primarily and argument from emotion rather than one based on numbers.
- numpad0 2y agoMy unqualified proposal as an NGE fan and an experienced KSP player: ion thruster pack installed inside of orbital module of a Progress, facing its own descent vehicle. A modified Progress cargo vehicle is docked to the tail end of the Russian segment. The docking part of Progress is then permanently installed by a closeout crew, and additional power to the pack routed. Progress descent/service module stack is then jettisoned, exposing the thruster pack to the space, allowing the ISS to be boosted by the pack just like how it's normally done. No way ISS needs more than a Progress full of Xenon to get to a centuries lasting orbit, but additional tanks can even be installed as expendable Progress spacecrafts to other ports if needed. I think similar device can be delivered by a Dragon, but it'll have to replace PMA-2 in Node 2 V-bar side, so logistics would be more complicated(dock second to last crew to PMA-2, dock the last crew to PMA-3, get second to last crew off, move PMA-2 somewhere else, dock Dragon to relocated PMA-2, install pack to CBM, everyone leaves and pack activates).