RC Spaceflight

CatholicFlyer

Active member
I watched yesterday the video that David did in reaching the Stratusphere and I was thinking, use the same method, weather balloon to lift it to the same height and use two large rocket engines in the vehicle, but instead of foam, maybe foam on the inside, but on the outside, something that would withstand the heat of the atmosphere on exiting and entering. But once in space, some how press a button on the RC Control, twin engine props to fly around with cameras, censors, in space, then once re-entering to earth, press the button to put the props back into the vehicle and begin the rocket engine to come back to Ohio. To help slow it, net, parachutes, air brakes. This would be something awesome, be neat to see done and see if a RC vehicle could go to space.
 

cranialrectosis

Faster than a speeding face plant!
Mentor
Props don't work well in space. :)

Try a game called Kerbal Space Program. Once you can manage a stable free fall orbit in KSP, you will have learned a TON about the challenges of orbital and high-altitude, hypersonic flight.
 

CatholicFlyer

Active member
thanks for that, I wonder what would work best then, what is your thoughts on how to fly around before trying to re-enter a RC Space Vehicle?
 

cranialrectosis

Faster than a speeding face plant!
Mentor
Props don't work in space because props push air to create thrust.

We use rockets in space because there is no air in space. I would use a rocket (EDIT: or compressed gas like Wall-E with the fire extinguisher) to fly around in space.

Rockets burn fuel and push it out a nozzle to create thrust. To burn anything you need oxygen. In space we mix fuel (kerosene) with liquid oxygen so the fuel will burn. Even gasoline won't burn without oxygen.

In space you need something that doesn't need air or you need to bring your own air in the form of LOX (liquid oxygen). You can also use ions or catch the solar wind in a big sail but today, kerosene mixed with LOX is the best we have.

This is because to fly around in space you have to do MUCH more than just go up. Space is only <> 62+ miles away. But just flying out of the Earth's atmosphere, doesn't get you out of Earth's gravity well. Just getting into space doesn't make you weightless. To be weightless, you have to achieve a free fall orbit.

Orbits mean you have to go really really fast parallel to the Earth's surface. This is why the SpaceX Falcon 9 doesn't fly straight up. It makes what we call a gravity turn. To get an orbit you need to be going super fast, beyond the limits of the atmosphere. This also means you need radio that can work all the way around the Earth and enough fuel to generate that much thrust.

Basically an orbit means you are going so fast, you never fall back to the ground, you just keep falling and missing the Earth.

Here is something to noodle on. There are no straight lines in space. You transition from one orbit (circle) to another. But no matter how far you go within the observable universe, you always orbit something.... you are always traveling in a circle. Such is the human condition. :)

What David did was very cool. But until we have a huge power revolution it's about the best we can do with current tech. You can kiss space, but then you have to come right back down (re-enter) until we have the radio that can go around the world and enough power to manage an orbit.
 
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Planiac01

Active member
Props don't work in space because props push air to create thrust.

We use rockets in space because there is no air in space. I would use a rocket to fly around in space.

Rockets burn fuel and push it out a nozzle to create thrust. To burn anything you need oxygen. In space we mix fuel (kerosene) with liquid oxygen so the fuel will burn. Even gasoline won't burn without oxygen.

In space you need something that doesn't need air or you need to bring your own air in the form of LOX (liquid oxygen). You can also use ions or catch the solar wind in a big sail but today, kerosene mixed with LOX is the best we have.

This is because to fly around in space you have to do MUCH more than just go up. Space is only <> 30+ miles away. But just flying out of the Earth's atmosphere, doesn't get you out of Earth's gravity well. Just getting into space doesn't make you weightless. To be weightless, you have to achieve a free fall orbit.

Orbits mean you have to go really really fast parallel to the Earth's surface. This is why the SpaceX Falcon 9 doesn't fly straight up. It makes what we call a gravity turn. To get an orbit you need to be going super fast, beyond the limits of the atmosphere. This also means you need radio that can work all the way around the Earth and enough fuel to generate that much thrust.

Basically an orbit means you are going so fast, you never fall back to the ground, you just keep falling and missing the Earth.

Here is something to noodle on. There are no straight lines in space. You transition from one orbit (circle) to another. But no matter how far you go within the observable universe, you always orbit something.... you are always traveling in a circle. Such is the human condition. :)

What David did was very cool. But until we have a huge power revolution it's about the best we can do with current tech. You can kiss space, but then you have to come right back down (re-enter) until we have the radio that can go around the world and enough power to manage an orbit.
Yes! And even if you are able to reach space, don't count on the fact that Earth's gravity will havea lesser force at altitude. The ISS only feels 2% less gravitational force when it orbits, it is just too fast to hit the earth in its constant falling.
 

CatholicFlyer

Active member
that it is totally awesome and understandable, thanks. I wonder if it be possible to go a tad higher than David did and still be in earth as he did? for one, need some sort of better tracker to help pin point better, maybe a Satellite gps system.
 

cranialrectosis

Faster than a speeding face plant!
Mentor
Put it this way, the moon orbits the Earth and is in a free fall orbit. That "tad" is well out past the moon. :)

EDIT: to put this another way. Let's say you are standing on the moon with a baseball. Let's say you can throw that baseball hard enough to escape the gravity of the moon. The baseball will still fall back to Earth or to an Earth orbit.

When Elon Musk blasted his Tesla out past Mars, he threw it hard enough to escape Earth's gravity and to orbit the sun. If he still had fuel he could fly around in a circle around the sun all he wants but his car would still be flying in a circle (an orbit) around the sun. That's how far that 'tad' truly is. :)

When you see astronauts floating in space, they are not outside the Earth's gravity well. They are floating because they are going so fast around the Earth that they never hit the Earth and so have the illusion of being weightless.

To accomplish your dream, you want to achieve orbit.
 
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CatholicFlyer

Active member
one thing that would be cool, a real life Chitty Chitty Bang Bang flying car, get one of those old English Racing Cars like the actual car and find out how to make it fly, by RC or Real Life Flying.
 

Chuppster

Well-known member
one thing that would be cool, a real life Chitty Chitty Bang Bang flying car, get one of those old English Racing Cars like the actual car and find out how to make it fly, by RC or Real Life Flying.
Man, you just keep throwing out ideas! It sounds like it's time for you to get prototyping!
 

CatholicFlyer

Active member
be kind of hard for the car, don't have a scale one available, that is why I offered the idea for a show for Flite Test Crew.
 

Gazoo

Well-known member
Basically an orbit means you are going so fast, you never fall back to the ground, you just keep falling and missing the Earth.

"There is an art to [orbiting], or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. ... Clearly, it is this second part, the missing, that presents the difficulties."
-The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Ha! Change "Flying" to "Orbiting" and BAM! Rocket Science!
 

Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
be kind of hard for the car, don't have a scale one available, that is why I offered the idea for a show for Flite Test Crew.
Sadly the Flitetest crew must be subject to a torrent of suggestions which would take multiple lifetimes to work through.

If you are interested in building a flying car such as - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerocar
You could start with a commercial RC car which can be used with your RC transmitter. Then build a support frame to take the wing, motor, and tail boom. Build a wing to support the weight and of course a tail which includes at least a functional elevator.

The wing pack would require its own flight battery, motor and ESC. The device could be made as 3 channel, (rudder and elevator OR Aileron and Elevator) with the car steering working in parallel with the rudder/aileron and the two throttles on a single channel.

Get the wing area right, the CG correct, and the car to be a fast enough and then it WILL fly.

Have fun!
 

CatholicFlyer

Active member
okay, if that is the case, I see this huge thread kind of pointless, as you say, for show ideas and video tests, because I know there maybe too many, but I was just throwing out ideas and another came to mind, do a Salute to The Wrights Brothers and Build a Life Size and rideable Kittyhawk Plane and then to the man before the Wrights Brothers, to Leonardo Divinci and his flying machine.
 

Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
Do not be offended and your posting of suggestions is not a waste as many times suggestions such as yours have inspired others, (not commercially bound to the industry), to take up the challenge and often miracles can and do occur.

The forum members generate more new designs than FT ever will!

Have fun and keep posting!