TABLE B.l SPACE TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES FOR SPS PROJECT 1. Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLLV). * Surface to LEO with 400 ton payload, approximately 5 times as large as Space Shuttle. * First stage: L02~hydrocarbon. Burns out at 75 km, not considered here. * Second stage: LO2-LH2, main burn 76-120 km, circularization and deorbit burns near LEO — see Fig. 1. 2. Personnel Launch Vehicle (PLV). * Surface to LEO with passenger payload, a modified Space Shuttle orbiter. * Not considered here, as it only provides a small addition to HLLV effects. 3. (Electric) Cargo Orbit Transfer Vehicle (COTV). * LEO to GEO using Argon Ion engines with supplemental chemical (LO2~LH2) propulsion. * Very large: uses arrays of solar cells in transit to provide power. * Ion engines have very low thrust, thus travel time from LEO-GEO is 130-160 days, 30 days back down. * Adequate for cargo, but not for taking people through the radiation belts because of long travel time. 4. Personnel Orbit Transfer Vehicle (POTV). * LEO to GEO, two stage vehicle with LO2”LH2 chemical rockets, for transporting people and priority cargo rapidly (several hours) through the radiation belts. Note: * all vehicles are fully reusable. * see Fig. B.l for the numbers of flights per year of each vehicle, for the Si and Ga options. * source: RSR, 1978, p. 47ff.
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