Decided to put this in its own thread instead of taking over the "Scientific Critics of Interstellar" thread. List of all previous posts for this project can be found within the spoiler tag below.
Reimagining Interstellar's Shuttles: Single Stage to Orbit via Nuclear Lightbulb Propulsion is a mock design study in which I attempt to rebuild the Ranger and Lander from scratch using only known physics and technology. The result is the Nuclear Cargo Vehicle Pegasus, a ship that can match or outperform both the Ranger and Lander in the relevant areas without the unrealistic aspects of either one.
At long last, Draft 1 of the report is now available for review & critique. What the draft does include is the full report text, all calculated tables & figures, and incomplete reference images of the ship (the image above). What the draft does not include is finalized formatting, citations, full images & diagrams, and complete appendices.
A PDF of Draft 1 can be downloaded here: http://www.mediafire.com/view/7z1awqby7 ... uttles.pdf
The draft is also being sent to a handful of aerospace specialists a lot smarter than me for review. After incorporating their advice, the report will be polished & reformatted to mimic the look of a real aerospace design study (even though it isn't). The two spoiler tags below contain the Abstract and Vehicle Overview sections, which best summarize the paper & design as a whole.
Abstract
Vehicle Overview
At long last, Draft 1 of the report is now available for review & critique. What the draft does include is the full report text, all calculated tables & figures, and incomplete reference images of the ship (the image above). What the draft does not include is finalized formatting, citations, full images & diagrams, and complete appendices.
A PDF of Draft 1 can be downloaded here: http://www.mediafire.com/view/7z1awqby7 ... uttles.pdf
The draft is also being sent to a handful of aerospace specialists a lot smarter than me for review. After incorporating their advice, the report will be polished & reformatted to mimic the look of a real aerospace design study (even though it isn't). The two spoiler tags below contain the Abstract and Vehicle Overview sections, which best summarize the paper & design as a whole.
Abstract