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brickmack — Propellant transfer
#aces #depot #spacecraft #spaceflight #ula
Published: 2018-06-25 22:11:37 +0000 UTC; Views: 1578; Favourites: 15; Downloads: 16
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Description
A ULA propellant depot, based on the dual-fluid single launch concept from this study , transfers propellant to an ACES tug carrying a notional Cygnus PCM-derived cargo module.
The aft end of the depot is unchanged from the standard ACES. For thermal control reasons, and to increase the available tank volume, a second hydrogen tank is carried in place of a payload on the depot, and is shielded by a large sunshade. The hydrogen tank on the ACES itself is then vented upon reaching orbit and converted to oxygen storage, while the original oxygen tank is vented to vacuum to provide insulation between the propellant and the highly thermally-conductive engine section.
I've also updated my ACES model to match the drawings in the latest ULA presentations. Both vehicles shown are now in a 2-engine configuration, with enlarged nozzles compared to my previous depiction, and the avionics hardware and rideshare mounting points are moved to a pair of equipment shelves, rather than directly mounting on the aft bulkhead.
