Steve isn't the only one to be offended by the rocket design
tables in Hard Times... 8-)
I'm in the process of coming up with a correction "diff" (new
design tables et. al.) to fix the problems. The only thing I don't
know is wether it's worth it to include the real-world delta-V formula
or not (delV = G * Isp * ln(Mr) ... ). The simple solution is to leave
his rules in place and fix the engines, but I'm not sure that the result
would be very close to real-world...
BTW, one complaint that Steve had isn't valid; there is after all
a good reason for using lift assisted launch vehicles... reusability.
Recovering most rocket-type launch vehicles is impossible. Not so with
a LALV.
Note that I simply reject any presumption that it's possible to
reuse normal rockets. In my free time I design some of them, so I know
much better 8-)
Besides which, once we get scramjets properly in the design
sequence, they have an actual Isp of as high as 1350 or so, three times
that of a shuttle main engine. See? There _are_ good reasons... 8-)
- -george william herbert
[email removed] [email removed]