A continuing series for the gravitationally impaired.
revised 4-8-12
The Sol Cazador launch vehicle is an exercise in low technology, low cost space access. It is brute force and ignorance directed at putting something, anything, no matter how small into space with a minimum of technology and at lowest cost. It uses sounding rocket technology and methods, with a little innovation, to achieve orbital and lunar trajectories. Bottom line, it is the cheapest way to get into space, but it is not an efficient launch vehicle. It is however well within the means of a small private launch organization.
The vehicle as currently planned consists of seven stages. The first three are PVC/N2O hybrid rockets. Starting packages sit on top of stages one and two for stages two and three. The starting packages are armed at launch. There is no "guidance system", this is strictly an unguided sounding rocket. Sol Cazador does not qualify as a guided weapon system because launch and targeting are so variable as to be nearly useless.
A spin table and electric motor on top of stage three spin up the upper four solid stages prior to launch. An accelerometer, a PIC microcontroller, and battery on top of stage six fires the four solid motor stages. The final stage remains attached to the payload.
The #1 most basic, low end, scenario is described below;
The launch is at a predetermined azimuth, elevation, and trajectory for lunar impact. Another accelerometer and microcontroller in the payload count down the time until the payload package detonates. The payload consists of the accelerometer to make sure the payload is armed only after launch, a count down timer, a battery, a load of pistol gunpowder for a dispersing charge, and tiny grains of "tagent". Tagent is a product developed by the gun control lobby. It consists of tiny ceramic grains with layers of black and white that can be read like bar codes. They are unique and artificial and nearly indestructible. The "tagents" are the payload. Some of the tagents will hit the Moon, some will survive.
Two days after launch the payload package detonates, spraying a flotilla of tagent grains into the path of the Moon. Nothing large will hit the Moon, nothing will remain in lunar orbit, NASA has no grounds for complaint but I'm sure they will scream bloody murder about something.
Three quarters of the cost of the Sol Cazador will be in legal fees.
Upgraded mission scenarios:
#2 - Spin stabilized satellite. - Boost to a very high apogee, 200,000 Km, use optical sensors to find the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon. Adjust the spin axis with thrusters (see the Syncom satellite system). fire an orbital injection motor to place the satellite into a highly elliptical orbit.
#3 - Adding to #2, Then gather data about the orbit to determine if further adjustment is needed to bring the perigee burn point into position and attitude for a lunar trajectory. Use a special two burn solid propellant motor ( a mature technology see "Sugar Shot to Space" ) with the tagents mixed into the propellant for the second burn. Since for a lousy mass ratio rocket the exhaust stream moves a lot faster than the vehicle ever will, the tagents will spray in a 30 degree cone towards the Moon. No large spacecraft spin attitude change is needed as the attitude will be the same as that used for orbital injection. Some of the tagents will get to the Moon.
#4, Adding to (#2), release the orbital injection motor, and at perigee fire a lunar trajectory burn motor on the other end of the spacecraft. Using an optical sensor to determine proximinity to the bright surface of the Moon, fire a charge to spread tagents over the lunar surface. This increases the odds of tagents reaching the Moon.
#5, Adding to #4, When in proximity of the Moon, adjust spin attitude and fire a retro motor causing the spacecraft to fall onto the lunar surface. 65 feet above the lunar surface fire a charge to spread tagents in the local area. (See Soviet Luna 2 mission)
#6, Adding to #5, Orient the impact attitude of the falling spacecraft to the lunar surface impact trajectory and fire a semihard lander capsule from a gun barrel away from the lunar surface to achieve a survivable landing on the Moon.
Beyond that this excercise runs out of current technology, unless you want to go to an asteroid. (?)