“Before becoming contractually involved in the EMPIRE studies with the NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center, the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (later the Lockheed Corporation) of Sunnyvale, California, had performed several in-house research studies germane to manned Venus and Mars fly-by missions. As early as I960, the Lockheed Missiles and Space Division produced a report on space mechanics by C. M. Petty. Another pertinent study, published a month later by Leighton F. Koehler, concerned the orbital parameters of a manned satellite orbiting Mars.
Detailed studies on interplanetary transportation systems supporting EMPIRE were conducted during 1962 and 1963 under contract NAS8-2469 by Lockheed Missiles and Space Company’s (LMSC) Flight Mechanic Group, Aerospace Sciences Laboratory. Supervision was exercised by Marshall’s Future Projects Office and Aero-Astrodynamics Laboratory. The final report, which was submitted on 30 April 1964, covered LMSC’s study of analytic derivations and numerical data applicable to interplanetary and planetocentric flight mechanics, navigation, and guidance. In the words of the report, “the general information provides the background and means for extended mission studies; the specific [information] illustrates its use and significant applications.”
This study examined five areas of importance to EMPIRE planning: non-stop interplanetary round-trips, stopover interplanetary round-trips, missions launched normal to the ecliptic, nonstop trips passing Mars and Venus, and precise calculations and investigations of requisite guidance sensitivities.
EMPIRE studies conducted under NASA contract NAS8-5024 were directed to Marshall’s Future Projects Office during 1962 and 1963. The first phase of this effort was concerned with spacecraft and launch vehicle sensitivities for manned flyby missions carried out during the Venus 1974 conjunction and the 1975 Mars opposition. The contract, which was subsequently extended from 1 April 1963 to 1 January 1964, emphasized missions most likely to be realized using launch vehicles proposed at the time.
Study objectives established for LMSC by Marshall’s Future Projects Office included:
A detailed definition of suitable mission profiles not requiring the development of major new chemical or nuclear propulsion systems.
Sufficient investigation of subsystems to delineate requirements and possible pacing items.
Preliminary design of spacecraft capable of undertaking early Venus and Mars round-trips based on the capabilities of the Saturn launch vehicle family.
Identification of launch vehicle requirements and comparison with current programs.
Development plan and funding schedule.
The method of approach was described in these terms:
By an iterative process, mission velocities, and their effects on booster and re-entry requirements, were compared with mission times and their effects on life support and environmental control weights for ‘nearly open’ and ‘nearly closed’ systems for different crew sizes. When it became clear that Earth departure velocity was the dominating factor for the missions under considerations, the analysis to select missions of minimum mass on Earth orbit was simplified to the selection of missions with minimum Barth departure velocities.
The many systems were investigated sufficiently to provide (within limits set by study fund limitations) an indication of applicability of the manned interplanetary program; development status; weight, size, and power characteristics; and cost. Vehicle concepts were developed and masses determined for different missions considering mission time and its effects on life support requirements, and also (with the influence of solar proximity) on shielding requirements. The spacecraft masses were compared with the velocity/payload performance capability of different Earth orbit boosters and the resulting combined weight effect for Earth surface launch boosters.
Principal assumptions developed for the EMPIRE study took account of a number of constraints. Among them:
The Earth surface launch vehicle was to be the Saturn V with the S-II serving as its second stage.
Systems carried to Earth orbit by the Saturn V were to rendezvous (where needed) to form the escape vehicle.
If possible, the mass required in Earth orbit was to be held to that achievable by two Saturn V launches (one rendezvous) so that a third launch pad could accommodate a backup launch vehicle and two payloads ready in the event either Saturn V launch were to fail.
The Earth orbit escape was to use a chemical propulsion system or a nuclear propulsion system developed from NERVA technology (either a single stage or a two stage configuration).
The spacecraft was to carry probes to gather direct data on planetary atmospheres and surface conditions.
Earth reentry was to be accomplished using an Apollo capsule modified to meet new mission requirements and increased entry speeds.
Unless and until it was established that an artificial gravity field was not required, vehicle systems capable of providing simulated gravity were to remain under investigation.
Study limitations were an important aspect of the LSMC effort. Considering the capability of the Saturn V, nuclear propulsion likely to be developed by then available technology, and the use of the Apollo spacecraft, the only interplanetary missions that appeared to be achievable were flybys. Limited funding precluded detailed investigations of the many subsystems such missions demanded.
LMSC made its first EMPIRE progress report on 6 August 1963 at the Marshall Center. A second report was delivered on 2 October 1963 at Lockheed’s Palo Alto, California, facility. It was concluded that launch vehicle and spacecraft performance and design assumptions were valid and that major subsystems had been more clearly identified and delineated than had earlier been the case.
At the conclusion of the study, the LMSC team under the direction of Benjamin P. Martin delivered its final report to the Marshall Space Flight Center in several volumes. The first of these was an unclassified summary of the complete study. The second volume consisted of unabridged findings in two parts, Part A containing all unclassified material and Part B incorporating classified data on the nuclear propulsion systems and their associated launch vehicles. The third volume was a condensed, unclassified summary of the entire project.”
The above is a brief extract from the ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC, “save-the-day” content & imagery at the already superlatively informative ATOMIC ROCKETS website!!! With multiple diagrams - in which components are identified - SUPERB! With kudos & gratitude:
www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/realdesigns3.php#em...
See also:
www.astronautix.com/e/empirelockheed.html
Credit: Astronautix website
Per a September 30, 1963 press release caption associated with the photo:
“FOR FLYBY OF NEAREST PLANETS – Artist drawing of three-man spacecraft for flyby missions to Mars and Venus which will be discussed by Lockheed Missiles and Space Co., at meeting Monday on Engineering Problems of Manned Interplanetary Exploration in Palo Alto, Calif. The Apollo-type command module, upper right, houses crew during launch and serves as Earth re-entry vehicle. Living and recreation center below is 40 by 12 feet in diameter. Five-foot diameter spoke structure, 70 feet long, has central hub with power unit and mid-course propulsion unit.”
Meticulous artwork by Lockheed Missiles & Space Company artist Don Montello. I’ve seen a few works of his here & there.
~7.5” x 9”, poorly trimmed from possibly its original 8” x 10” by some well-intentioned yet misguided soul/dumb-ass.
