If you ’ve determine the science fiction showFor All Mankind , which explores an alternate history where the Soviet Union beat the US to the Moon and further fueled the space race , there ’s one particularly cool moment where a mammoth rocket is launched not from a traditional launch pad , but at once out of the ocean .
While you might throw out the idea as entirely science fiction , it almost was n’t . The Sea Dragon , a super - heavy lift launching vehicle , was a substantial concept under thoughtfulness with NASA in the 1960s . If the design had issue forth to fruition , it would have been the largest Eruca sativa ever built , at150 meters(492 foot ) tall and 23 meters ( 75 feet ) in diameter .
In the 1960s ( and all the way through to today ) , NASA was front for cheaper ways to launchpeopleand payloads into infinite . One idea was that rather of make complicated , elaborately - design launch vehicles , it might be better to make something now termed a " big slow booster " .
" Current U.S. expendable launching fomite ( ELVs ) were designed to meet stringent performance specifications . As a result , launch organisation designers give comparatively little priority to contract launch price . U.S , " areview of the topicexplains . " ELVs are derived from 1960s intercontinental ballistic projectile designs that used high - performance engine and lightweight social organization in ordering to minimize launching fomite free weight and maximize freight and range . "
While these fomite are efficient , they were expensive to manufacture , and expensive to keep at the correct pressure ahead of launching . NASA began research for more cheap alternatives based on the idea that it is cheaper to create and maintain bigger , elementary designs of rockets than complex , effective designs ( hence the term " bounteous dumb skyrocket " ) . Sea Dragon was one of the proposals , led by American skyrocket engineer Robert Truax , which captured NASA ’s attention .
" The Sea Dragon construct has been educate sham that space expatriation economy will result if launch vehicle are used that are very large , simple , and reusable , even if loading - to - liftoff weight ratio is sacrificed in securing these characteristic , " a1963 NASA reportexplains .
As part of making the vehicle cheap(er ) , good , and efficient , it require to be launched from the ocean .
" The rocket was to be launched from a vertical floating attitude directly out of the piss . After burnout , the stages were to be decelerated only by normal atmospheric drag and water impact forces , " NASA adds . " The recoup stages were to be towed back to the launch site for reuse . The seaborne operating concept was offer to include propulsion system development testing at sea using prowl car - weight , vehicle configuration tankage for full - scale work . "
Though the construct was a cool one , and could have been a money - saver , budget cuts to NASA imply that the project never got off the undercoat , and we were robbed of the site of the reality ’s largestrocketlaunching out of the water system like a with child metal , eventually space - faring dolphinfish .
