BIS ‘Megaroc’ man-carrying rocket. R.A. Smith. 1946. image from https://www.bis-space.com/what-we-do/projects/megaroc
the launch of test pilot Eric Brown on a sub-orbital mission in 1949. The project was denied funding.
#V2Rocket #BritishInterplanetarySociety #BIS #megaros #SpaceExploration #RocketScience #RASmith
Astronaut Manoeuvres in Space with a Hand-held Jet. R.A. Smith (BIS). 1949.
#RASmith #HARoss #BIS #BritishInterplanetarySociety #SpaceSuit
BIS website www.bis-space.com
from Arthur C. Clarke, “What Will Will We Do with the Moon?” Popular Science, April 1952 http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.it/2012_10_01_archive.html
from Arthur C. Clarke, “What Will Will We Do with the Moon?” Popular Science, April 1952 http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.it/2012_10_01_archive.html
The 1950 Lunar Spaceship preparing to take off - with cutaway drawing. R. A. Smith.
‘Four legs serve as both launching ramp and landing gear. The ship lands backwards, its fall slowed by rocket braking.’
#RASmith #BIS #BritishInterplanetarySociety #LunarLander #moonship
Illustration by R. A. Smith Image from https://vauxhallhistory.org/the-space-art-of-ralph-smith-in-vauxhall/
Illustration by David A. Hardey. February 1952. https://discoveryenterprise.wordpress.com/category/british-interplanetary-society/.
The 1950 Lunar Spaceship landing on the Moon
Illustrations by R. A. Smith & David A. Hardey
#RASmith #BIS #BritishInterplanetarySociety #LunarLander #moonship
Assembly of the BIS Space Station. Illustration by R. A. Smith, which won an award from *The Perspectivist* magazine.
#RASmith #HARoss #BIS #BritishInterplanetarySociety #SpaceStation
‘In 1948 Harry Ross and Ralph Smith designed a space station, based on a original concept by H. Noordung, which he described as a “Wohnrad” or “Living Wheel”, in his 1928 book “The Problem with Space Travel”.’ The design was a single unit with three main features. The first was a 30 m diameter living quarters. The second feature was a 60 m diameter mirror in the form of a parabolic annulus. This would collect the equivalent of 3900 kW of solar energy, of which a maximum of nearly 1000 kW might be usable. Water or mercury would be heated in ring-main of pipers at the circular focus of the mirror driving either turbo-generators housed in blisters space around the circumference of the living quarters. ...’ Image & text from https://www.bis-space.com/what-we-do/projects/bis-space-station
‘... The black condenser tubes of this circuit, together with the radiators for the air and temperature conditioning plant were on the back of the station. The habitat of the station consisted of two concentric galleries, having a total length of 140 m. Sunlight would be admitted through rings of windows in the mirror. The galleries would be subdivided into rooms, laboratories, workshops, passageways. There would be automatically closing bulkheads to limit the damage caused by meteor penetration or other accident. It was suggested that a permanent astronaut staff of 24 people would be required. The large ‘hub’ of the station would house the air and water storage and reclamation plant, the radio gear and the attitude and spin control “reaction flywheels”.’ Image & text from https://www.bis-space.com/what-we-do/projects/bis-space-station
BIS Orbital Space Station concept by H. A. Ross and R. A. Smith in 1949.
👉ALT
#RASmith #HARoss #BIS #BritishInterplanetarySociety #SpaceStation
Image from https://vauxhallhistory.org/the-space-art-of-ralph-smith-in-vauxhall/ ‘In a November 1949 symposium, Harry Ross presented a paper on the “Lunar Space-Suit”. Ross had examined the problem of a 68 kg lunar space suit (equivalent to 11 kg on the Moon) which could be worn for up to 12 hours, within the temperature range of 120 degrees to minus 150 degrees Celsius, representing night and day. The suit design was a 4-ply, made up of a thin exterior skin of closely woven cloth. It had a 1 cm layer of cellular heat-resisting material (Kapok, wool, felt et cetera) and a 1-2 mm main airtight sheath of fabric-backed natural or synthetic rubber. It also had an interior lining of non-hygroscopic material, mainly for comfort and to manage contact between the rubber and skin and absorption of the water-vapour. ...’
Image from https://www.reddit.com/r/RetroFuturism/comments/nnycul/british_lunar_spacesuit_design_1947/ '... The exterior of the lunar space suit was to be a highly burnished metallic film, designed to reflect as much heat as possible. The chest and thigh areas were to be given an external matt-black finish to permit radiation manage heat loss. Operation of the suit during the lunar day would require further cooling through the use of a low boiling liquid such as Ammonia or water – which would vaporise to space through a thermostatic valve. The helmet was to be a light, rigid double-shell structure, with the inner a bright alloy metal and the outer a plastic with burnished metal coating. Lateral vision of 180 degrees was proposed with a minimal vertical extension in order to minimise heat gain or loss. ...' https://www.bis-space.com/what-we-do/projects/the-lunar-space-suit
Image from https://www.reddit.com/r/RetroFuturism/comments/nnycul/british_lunar_spacesuit_design_1947/ '... The exterior of the lunar space suit was to be a highly burnished metallic film, designed to reflect as much heat as possible. The chest and thigh areas were to be given an external matt-black finish to permit radiation manage heat loss. Operation of the suit during the lunar day would require further cooling through the use of a low boiling liquid such as Ammonia or water – which would vaporise to space through a thermostatic valve. The helmet was to be a light, rigid double-shell structure, with the inner a bright alloy metal and the outer a plastic with burnished metal coating. Lateral vision of 180 degrees was proposed with a minimal vertical extension in order to minimise heat gain or loss. ...' https://www.bis-space.com/what-we-do/projects/the-lunar-space-suit
BIS (British Interplanetary Society) lunar spacesuit developed by H. E. Ross and R. A. Smith. 1945-1950.
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#RASmith #HARoss #BIS #BritishInterplanetarySociety #SpaceSuit
Image from http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.it/2012_10_01_archive.html ‘SPACE TRAFFIC: A needle-nosed tanker ship refuels a rocket on its way to the Moon. Both were launched from the Earth in the noses of larger rockets that have dropped away. In the distance another streamlined tanker approaches a dumbbell-like orbital spaceship, or space station that continuously circles the Earth or Moon without landing anywhere. It has fuel tanks and pressurized crew chamber in the larger sphere, motors in the smaller one.' Caption from Arthur C. Clarke, “What Will We Do with the Moon?” Popular Science, April 1952.
Reconstituted after the war, the BIS grew into a leading force in #astronautics advocacy and research. New designs included a redesigned moon rocket, a revised moon lander, a space station, a space suit and a lunar base.
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#illustration by #RASmith
The BIS 1938 solid-fuel lunar spaceship. Image from https://www.bis-space.com/what-we-do/projects/bis-lunar-spaceship ‘J Happian Edwards led the design team, which included H Bramhill (draftsman), Arthur C Clarke (astronomer), A V Cleaver (aircraft engineer), M K Hanson (mathematician), Arthur Hanser (chemist), S Klemantski (biologist), H E Ross (electrical engineer), and R A Smith (turbine engineer).’ TEXT http://www.astronautix.com/b/bislunarlander.html
‘To the Moon in a Space Ship’ The BIS lander nears the moon on the cover of Newnes Practical Mechanics, March 1939. https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-union-jack-on-the-moon-1262867212
Members soon included science fiction writer #ArthurCClarke and architect, designer & illustrator R. A. (Ralph) Smith. In 1937, the headquarters was transferred to London & by 1939 a project for a moon landing with solid-fueled rocket & lander had been developed.
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#RASmith
the B.I.S. developed rigorous & systematic technical plans for #spaceexploration, complete also with rocket, lunar module & space suit, expanding on projects they had developed in the late 1930s (drawings & illustrations by #RASmith).
#spacetravel #spacestation #BIS
