MOTV è la sigla di: manned orbit transfer vehicle ovverosia traghetto orbitale.
Era stato studiato negli anni '80 per essere utilizzato in concomitanza dello Shuttle.
Questo veicolo orbitale avrebbe garantito , agli astronauti, un mezzo di trasporto valido e multifunzionale atto a trasportarli tra le varie orbita, in particolare dalle orbite basse a quelle geostazionarie, e sarebbe stato utile anche come modulo abitativo per bravi periodi.
Oltre questo avrebbe potuto essere utilizzato anche come un rimorchiatore spaziale automatico.
Come per ogni progetto, vennero studiate varie soluzioni atte a soddisfare le esigenze del tempo.
Purtroppo, non ebbe lunga vita e tutto rimase solo sulla carta.
E’ un po’ quello che i russi stanno facendo con il Parom, giusto?
Parom (Ferry) is a multifunctional reusable interorbital tug intended to transport to the Orbital Station different cargo containers and Clipper manned spacecraft. The Parom tug would be developed on the basis of the upgraded systems of the Soyuz spacecraft. Parom has two active docking units: one for docking to container or to Clipper spacecraft and the other for docking to the Orbital Station. The interorbital tug has a propulsion system, is equipped with tank with long-term storage propellant components and solar arrays for power supply of on-board systems. How does the interorbital tug operate? Most of time it is a part of the Orbital Station. After placing the next cargo container into the working near-earth orbit the tug undocks from the Station and docks to the container and then transports it to the Orbital Station. Inside the tug there is a pressurized module, through which the cosmonauts could go from the Station into the pressurized part of the container for its unloading. Upon completion of work with the container, after accommodation of the disposable cargoes therein, Parom leaves the Station again and jettisons the container, which in a certain time as a result of braking comes off the orbit and burns up in the thick layers of atmosphere. And the tug catches a new container and delivers it to the Station. This process is repeated many times. The cargo container is simple enough and a relatively low-price system element. It has a pressurized module for cargoes and equipment and an unpressurized module, in which propellant components are delivered to the Station. Propellant transfer from the container to the Station is performed through the pipelines laid in the Parom tug. The container has a minimum amount of the service on-board equipment. The main of them includes a small module with stabilization servomotors and a passive docking unit. The containers are designed for launch via Soyuz and Proton LV. They could deliver the payload having a mass from 4 to 13 tons. For comparison: a maximum mass of cargoes delivered via Progress makes up a little more than 2 tons. Thereby, a container could substitute several Progress spacecraft. The calculations show that the use of Parom and cargo containers would allow reducing the prime cost of cargoes placed into the orbit by three-four times in comparison with the operation of Progress spacecraft. Generally speaking, it could be a variety of containers, depending on what cargoes need to be delivered to the Orbital Station. The containers could differ in size and mass and be placed into orbit via different LV, including the foreign ones. Besides the containers, cargoes for Parom could be different unpressurized platforms with a large-size scientific equipment, Orbital Station modules, as well as Clipper spacecraft.For Parom mission life extension, the cosmonauts would periodically service the on-board equipment of the tug and, if the need arises, replace the unserviceable equipment. “Spares” for tug would be delivered by cargo containers. Besides, Parom would be refueled also from the container.
We plan to launch the first Parom in 2009. It would be first tested and adjusted in delivering cargo containers to ISS and already afterwards it would be possible to use it for transportation of the Clipper manned spacecraft.What are the main parameters and characteristics of the Parom tug?
* Launching mass of the tug – up to 12500 kg; - "dry" mass - 5990 kg. * Geometric characteristics: - length along the body - 6550 mm; - maximum diameter of modules -3200 mm; - pressurized module volume - 26 m3. * Duration of the free flight – up to 180 days. * Number of the cycles of orbital transitions – up to 60. * Mission life – up to 15 years. * Parameters of the insertion orbit: - inclination - 51.6-73° ; - altitude - 200 km. * Launch vehicle - Soyuz-2-3.</blockquote>
Se davvero, i Russi, useranno il loro “rimorchiatore” per varie missioni o varie applicazioni si!
Riguardo al PAROM , non si sà ancora di preciso cosa saprà fare, l’idea Americana prevedeva un utilizzo molto più vastp comunque, per fugare ogni dubbio, basta leggersi con attenzione i documenti da mè menzionati.
E’ certo che del MOTV realizzerò un modellino.
Non vedo l’ora di vederlo!
Farlo si, ma fra qualche anno!
Il mio calendario di “costruzione modelli” è già fitto x i prossimi anni!