Conference 7.286::space

    	SPACE Topic 417 lists Soviet rocket boosters.  Typing the command
    DIR/TITLE=topicname (replace topicname with rocket, launch, or booster)
    will help you to find information on a number of U.S. rockets in this
    Conference.  Also, try the command SHOW KEYWORD/FULL.
    
    	Larry
    

Article: 67732
From: [email protected] (Carl Rigg)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: Info about old Diamant wanted
Date: 22 Jul 93 04:51:30 GMT
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc., Mountain View, CA.
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Dave
Michelson) writes: 

|> Newsgroups: sci.space
|> From: [email protected] (Dave Michelson)
|> Subject: Re: Info about old Diamant wanted
|> Organization: University of BC, Electrical Engineering
|> Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1993 02:19:29 GMT
|> 
|> In article <[email protected]>, andreas@black_uster 
|> (Andreas Forrer) writes:
|> >
|> > I'm looking for ANY kind of information about a French rocket called  
|> > "Diamant BP-4" from 1975. Any hint is welcome, including pointers to  
|> > possible sources.
|> 
|> 
|> * 1962  --  France forms the Centre National d'Etudes Spatales and work
|>             begins on Diamant booster 
|> 
|> * 1965  --  France launches a 40 kg satellite from Hammaguit, Algeria
|>             using a Diamant 
|> 
|> * 1967  --  France moves launch operations to Kourou in French Guiana
|>             and work begins on Diamant B
|> 
|> * 1970  --  First flight of Diamant B (carrying a West German satellite)
|> 
|> * 1972  --  Work begins on Diamant BP-4
|> 
|> * 1975  --  First flight of Diamant BP-4 (carrying a geodetic satellite) 
|> 
|> 
|> Diamant BP-4 Specifications
|> ===========================
|> 
|> * designed to lift 200 kg into
|>   a low earth orbit with an altitude
|>   of 186 miles
|> 
|> ---------------------------
|> 
|> Valois First Stage
|> 
|> Thrust:   88,200 lb
|> 
|> Fuel:     UDMH
|> Oxidizer: N2O4
|> 
|> ---------------------------
|> 
|> Rita 1 Second Stage
|> 
|> Thrust:   39,690 lb
|> 
|> Solid Fuel
|> 
|> * derived from the upper stage of 
|>   the French MSBS fleet balistic missile
|> 
|> * solid fuel verniers and Freon injection
|>   for thrust vector control
|> 
|> ----------------------------
|> 
|> Rubis Third Stage (?)  (assuming that the Diamant third stage was used 
|>                         as is on the Diamant BP-4)
 
My information shows that the Rubis P-0.7 was used on Diamant and that
Rubis P-0.6 was used on Diamant B and BP-4.

The difference between the B and the BP-4 was the replacement of the Topaze
second stage by the P-4 RITA 1 second stage.
 
The only common stage between the Diamant and the Diamant B was the
Topaze second stage. Diamants first stage was an Emeraude and stage 3 was
Rubis P-0.7.
 
thanks
 
	Carl
 
|> 
|> Thrust:   11,685 lb
|> 
|> Solid Fuel
|> 
|> -----------------------------
|> 
|> Hope this gets you started....
|> 
|> 
|> --
|> Dave Michelson  --  [email protected]  --  University of British Columbia
 

Article: 68137
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: Info about old Diamant wanted
From: [email protected] (Russell Mcmahon)
Date: 27 Jul 93 10:07:11 GMT
Organization: Kappa Crucis Unix BBS, Auckland, New Zealand
 
Bill - could you pass this on when the originator turns up with an
address - I am a few thousand kms away and a day or 2 transmission
delay. (Scrap if better data comes to hand)
 
The following is from the STW toolworks encyclopedia CDROM and is
sourced by Kenneth gatland (no surprise).
 
Diamant is a 3 staged rocket that was the mainstay of the french
national space program between 1965 and 1973. The earlist version was
Doiamant A, 18.9 m tall weight 18.4 tonne, capable of pl;acing 79.4 Kg
into a 300 Km equatorial orbit. The 1st stage thrust was 66,000 lb for
93 seconds. The second and third stages were solid propellant based.
Diamant B had a new liquid fuel 1st stage and was launched from Kourou
in French Guiana. Payload = 254 lb.
 
Diamant BP4 increased orbital payload to 441 lb. Stage 1 thrust 77000 to
88000 lb, stage 2 was solid propellant usin a motor from the French
ballistic program and stage 3 used the same motor as Diamant B.
 
Hope this is of use. STW CDROM also has lots of other snippets on oldish
space launchers.

Article: 83165
From: [email protected] (Dani Eder)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: Launch Vehicle Propellant Fractions Data
Date: 17 Feb 94 19:45:23 GMT
Organization: Boeing AI Center, Huntsville, AL
 
Figures are for the 1st liquid stage, which is more relevant for SSTO
discussions (2nd stages don't have to have thrust/weight >1.0, so they
may no have enough engine for a good comparison).  Data from AIAA
Intl. Ref. Guide to Space Launch Systems, 1991 
 
Country		Vehicle		Total Stage	Propellant	Fraction
				(klb)		(klb)
 
China		CZ-2E		433		412		0.951
Europe		Ariane 4	553		514		0.929
Russia		Zenit		778		703		0.904
USA		Atlas II	365.3		344.5		0.943
		Delta 6925	223.8		211.3		0.944
		Titan IV	359		340		0.947
		Saturn V	4872		4584		0.941
 
Hypothetical vehicle consisting of 5 uprated SSME's attached to ET:
 
		STS-derived	1705		1589		0.932
 
Dani Eder
 
-- 
A higher intelligence, formerly from the Bubbleworld on the
far side of the Galaxy, now masquerading as a human engineer.