Riders to the Stars by Curt Siodmak

Author:Curt Siodmak [Siodmak, Curt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-02-20T22:00:00+00:00

4

COULD IT BE DONE?

The evidence was around them. The more they saw of the Proving Grounds, the greater grew their understanding of the mighty effort that was being made.

They saw a city. .

First, there had been the idea.

There were the mathematical possibilities. Engineers had tested and analyzed. The evidence had accumulated…

In every part of the country, in the hidden laboratories of every great industry, men had solved problems. In the great universities, men had attempted to answer questions….And it had become apparent that the answer was yes.

The decision had been made. From that moment, the city was born.

It had expanded with violence and fury; and in the energy behind its birth there was the movement of a mighty nation.

The city sprawled for miles. In the streets and buildings they met Naval officers, Air Force, the Army, men from industry, distinguished professors from the universities.

Still, the question was there in their minds: Could it be done?

Dr. Dryden continued his explanation: “…also, at this point, you are in almost zero air pressure. Which means increase of exhaust velocity and consequent increasing thrust and acceleration.”

He waited for a comment, then continued: “At the desired velocity, your fuel valves will be automatically locked. You’ve reached your Brennschluss.”

“Brennschluss?” asked Richard.

“German,” said Dryden. “There really isn’t an adequate term for it in English, I’m afraid. It describes the instant the rocket flame disappears.”

“I see.”

“Getting back to exhaust velocity, Doctor….”

“Yes, Jerry?”

“How do you determine maximum velocity?”

Dryden picked up a piece of chalk. “We determine that,” he said, writing on the blackboard, “by the equation.”

He wrote: V equals C. lognat Mi/Mo.

“Thrust equals exhaust velocity multiplied by fuel consumption per second,” he explained. “Is that clear?”

“Yes, Doctor,” said Lockwood.

“What’s our trajectory?” asked Gordon. “A parabola?” “No. Theoretically it’s an ellipse.”

“That would follow Kepler’s second law, then.” “Exactly. But, in this case, Walter, there won’t be trajectory. Your rocket will climb vertically. You’ll be tilted into your orbit.”

“The tilting’s done at Brennschluss?”

“Yes, Richard. Your velocity and exhaust velocity will then be equal.”

“How’s the tilting done in the absence of air pressure?” asked Lockwood.

“By a combination, Jerry, of the use of small rocket motors and the use of graphite vanes in the exhaust blast itself. Dr. Scott will go into that with you.”

“What is escape velocity,” asked Gordon, “seven miles per second?”

“That’s right. Seven miles per second will carry any missile out of the earth’s gravitational field…to any distance. You’ll attain that velocity.” He warned: “If your tilt is delayed you’ll veer off into space. You’ll never return.”

“Doctor, at the apogee of…”

…And the involved discussion continued, hour after hour. Every theoretical aspect of the project was touched upon and mathematically demonstrated.

An entire day was spent in one of the huge machine sheds with Dr. Scott. There they first became acquainted with the staggering power that would soon be under them.

First stage: Sixty-five rocket motors. A combined thrust of twenty thousand tons.

Second stage: Eighteen thousand tons of thrust—a speed of fifteen thousand miles per hour.

Third stage: speed eighteen thousand four hundred sixty-eight miles per hour.

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