So in the early 1960s NASA was seriously considering a series of *very* heavy lifting bodies with the ability to put up hundreds of thousands of kilograms/hundreds of Megagrams in one shot, in some cases these are even SSTO, or single stage to orbit. Nova 8L actually came close to being built, the main reason it was not was the need for building new factories to support the program (its engines were simply too big!) while the Saturn V could be manufactured from existing infrastructure. Suppose the super-heavies were built - how does this change space during the Space Race and afterwards? Do we see more commercialization of space sooner if it becomes literally possible to put almost 600kg of mass into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) or tens of thousands of kilograms in mass to the moon or elsewhere in one shot?
Saturn I: http://www.astronautix.com/s/saturni.html
Saturn V: http://www.astronautix.com/s/saturnv-c.html (Mass to LEO: 81.6 Mg; Mass to TLI: 20.4 Mg)
Saturn 8: http://www.astronautix.com/s/saturnc-8.html (Mass to LEO: 210 Mg; Mass to TLI: 74 Mg)
Nova program general overview: http://www.astronautix.com/n/nova.html
Nova 7S: http://www.astronautix.com/n/nova7s.html (Mass to LEO: 197 Mg, Mass to TLI: 75 Mg)
Nova 8L: http://www.astronautix.com/n/nova8l.html (Mass to LEO: 181 Mg, Mass to TLI: 68 Mg)
Nova GD-E w/ reusable boosters: http://www.astronautix.com/n/novagd-e.html (Mass to LEO: 458 Mg)
Nova S10-E1: http://www.astronautix.com/graphics/n/novamm.gif (Mass to LEO: 589 Mg, no boosters)
*Note: 1 Mg = 1 Megagram = 1000 kg; ISS approximate mass fully assembled: 450 Mg
*TLI = Translunar Injection (What goes to the moon)
*Mass that can reach Escape Velocity is roughly 65-70% that of mass capable of TLI
Additional information tables in Excel format: www.astronautix.com/data/lvs.xls
Saturn I: http://www.astronautix.com/s/saturni.html
Saturn V: http://www.astronautix.com/s/saturnv-c.html (Mass to LEO: 81.6 Mg; Mass to TLI: 20.4 Mg)
Saturn 8: http://www.astronautix.com/s/saturnc-8.html (Mass to LEO: 210 Mg; Mass to TLI: 74 Mg)
Nova program general overview: http://www.astronautix.com/n/nova.html
Nova 7S: http://www.astronautix.com/n/nova7s.html (Mass to LEO: 197 Mg, Mass to TLI: 75 Mg)
Nova 8L: http://www.astronautix.com/n/nova8l.html (Mass to LEO: 181 Mg, Mass to TLI: 68 Mg)
Nova GD-E w/ reusable boosters: http://www.astronautix.com/n/novagd-e.html (Mass to LEO: 458 Mg)
Nova N-(M1): http://www.astronautix.com/s/saturnv.html (Mass to LEO: 180 Mg, Mass to TLI: 90 Mg?)
Nova MMR10E-2: http://www.astronautix.com/n/novammr10e-2.html (Mass to LEO: 596 Mg)Nova S10-E1: http://www.astronautix.com/graphics/n/novamm.gif (Mass to LEO: 589 Mg, no boosters)
*Note: 1 Mg = 1 Megagram = 1000 kg; ISS approximate mass fully assembled: 450 Mg
*TLI = Translunar Injection (What goes to the moon)
*Mass that can reach Escape Velocity is roughly 65-70% that of mass capable of TLI
Additional information tables in Excel format: www.astronautix.com/data/lvs.xls