Junkers Raumtransporters (Junkers space projects)

Michel Van

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In 1960 Eugen Sänger work for German Aerospace Company Junkers.
on basis of his Silbervögel, designing a Sled-Launched two stage space-plane
the "RT-8-01 Raumtransporter" later called Sänger I

July 1961 beginn of Project by Sänger
RT-1 to RT-7 never really existed as completed designs

JuRT-8-01 (Junkers Raum Transporter | german = Junkers Space Transporter )

concept
Launch like Silbervögel on sled
The RT-8 sled was powered by a steam rocket,
which propelled the first and second stages on a 3,2 km long track to a release velocity of 900 kph

or Launch like X-15 from a heavily-modified B-52 bomber ! (RT-8-01 weight 187 ton)
how Junkers want to Modify a B-52 is unclear. (with Boeing help ?)

Both the first and second stages were equipped with Lox/LH2 engines,
First stage 3 engines, Second stage one.
each with a sea-level thrust of 50 tonnes (in total 200 ton) and a specific impulse of 430 seconds.
like Shuttle has acceleration of 3 G

The first manned stage would take the second to a 60 km altitude at 150 seconds after liftoff before releasing it and then fly back to base. The first stage had a shoulder-mounted delta wing with drooped wingtips giving it the compression lift characteristics of the XB-70 bomber.

The second manned stage would continue in to a 300 km altitude orbit. (with 2,75 ton payload)

The upper stage was a reversed version of the first,
with the low-mounted wing having upturned tips like that of the X-20 Dynasoar.
and like it, one Pilot on Board. and land like x-20 on skids

Orbiter and first stage have conventional jet engines for return to base

saeng1.jpg


1963 this proposal leads to the government Study Project 623 a research program for german industry

By 18 October 1965, (following Saenger's death feb 1964)
the Junkers study team had dropped the acceleration sled.
and gone to a more conventional RT-8-02 two-stage to orbit vertical-takeoff concept.

RT-8-02 study goes until 1969
MBB takes Junkers over
RT-8-02 vertical-takeoff Orbiter side to Booster 3 ton Payload 200 ton Launch weight.

start_2_1.jpg


1987 Sänger study by DFVLR (RT-8-02 follow up )
Sänger 11/61 vertical-takeoff Orbiter on top of Booster. 16.1 ton Payload 437 ton launch weight.
Sänger 01/51 horizontal launch Jet engine Ramjet- Rocket engine 16.1 ton Payload 437 ton launch weight.
Sänger 05/51 Baseline study with HM60 Lox/hydrogen Engine 27,5 ton Payload 700 ton launch weight.
Sänger 12/51 Baseline study with HM60 Lox/hydrogen Engine 27,5 ton Payload 700 ton launch weight.
Sänger 16/51 Like RT-8-01 16.1 ton Payload 367 ton launch weight.
Sänger H23P6R ( fuel Transfer between Stage)

source
www.Astronautix.com
Handbuch der Raumfahrt Technik by Hallmann willi, Isbn 3-446-15130-3
Dritte im Weltraum by Herbert Erdmann. schwann verlag 1969

here you can find Data at the Deutsche Museum Munich.
http://www.deutsches-museum.de/en/archives/
http://www.deutsches-museum.de/en/archives/bestaende/luft-und-raumfahrt/ German text only

this Picture are from Book Dritte im Weltraum
Copyright was Junkers then MBB now EADS ???
 

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Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

Michel, thank you very much!
 
Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

That reminds me, the latter two of those images are also in David Myhra's Sanger: Germany's Orbital Rocket Bomber in World War II, together with these...
 

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Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

From: The Encyclopedia of Space (SBN: 600012050) translated from La Grande Adventure de l’Espace: Les Editions Rombaldi, Paris
 

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Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

Many thanks Barrington for these new, cool, pics.
 
Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

found it on my harddrive
 

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Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

http://www.flightglobal.com/PDFArchive/View/1964/1964%20-%202053.html
 

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Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

Below are a few more images of the RT-8 concept.

The first picture is another photograph of the RT-8 model from the online archives of the German news magazine Der Spiegel:
http://wissen.spiegel.de/wissen/image/show.html?did=60242629&aref=image038/2008/10/30/BERTEL_SPW_22187388.jpg&thumb=false

The next set of larger colour versions of artwork by Theo Lässig included in previous posts in this thread shows a series of different mission phases of the RT-8 and comes from the gallery of the German Mars Society web site:
http://www.marssociety.de/html/imageviewer2.php?gid=20&range=2

The final illustration is a ‘clean’ variant of the artist’s impression showing the RT-8 orbiter docking to a space station as found on the site of a German model rocket builder:
http://www.rolfstabroth.de/Hobby/Modellraketen/RT2008/assets/images/RT_8_Design.jpg

Martin
 

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Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

The file under the link below is a NASA translation of a Junkers paper from 1963 describing some aspects of their SSTO studies that preceded the RT-8:
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19710066184_1971066184.pdf

The first picture below shows an SSTO model from that paper, and the second image illustrates the relative sizes of two SSTO concepts with different propellant combinations. Note that the larger design on the left is identical to the three-view drawing of the Junkers RT-1 configuration shown on page 54 of “Deutsche Raketenflugzeuge und Raumtransporter-Projekte”, Vol. 34 of the “Die Deutsche Luftfahrt” series.

Martin
 

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Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

martinbayer said:
Below are a few more images of the RT-8 concept.


The next set of larger colour versions of artwork by Theo Lässig included in previous posts in this thread shows a series of different mission phases of the RT-8 and comes from the gallery of the German Mars Society web site:
http://www.marssociety.de/html/imageviewer2.php?gid=20&range=2

Martin

vielen dank für die bilder
many thanks for the Picture
 
Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

From Aviation Week, June 1965. The cockpit glazing of the booster
stage seems to be ring shaped in this model.
 

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Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

martinbayer said:
Below are a few more images of the RT-8 concept.

I guess it's kinda a late reply and off-topic but in the first picture, that girl is pretty cute-looking!
 
Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

looking on those color pictures

those Red line and red triangle waringlogos near Cockpits
cant it be that the cockpits are deployable ?
separate by pirotech an become survival module in case of problems ?
 
Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

martinbayer said:
The next set of larger colour versions of artwork by Theo Lässig included in previous posts in this thread shows a series of different mission phases of the RT-8 and comes from the gallery of the German Mars Society web site:
http://www.marssociety.de/html/imageviewer2.php?gid=20&range=2
Postage stamps:

yemen_ar_1970_space70_mi_1190a.jpg


guinea_ec_1974_post_mi_block_109.jpg
 
Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

It's arguable that the design team should have stuck with the acceleration sled concept after Sänger died. They likely would have gotten a lot further with development.
 
Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

hard to tell
it's carried by a B-52
look like derivative of Sanger Raumtransporter RT-8-08
my guess
this part of RT-8-02 study after Sanger death, until 1969 Junkers was takeover by MBB


could we merge this with this ?
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,2334.0.html
thx.
 
Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

merged
 
Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

thx, pometablava


Barrington Bond said:
If that's a B52 it's been heavily modified.


a very heavily-modified B-52 bomber !
this version weight 110 tons
how Junkers wanted to modify the B-52 is unclear to me. (with Boeing help ?)


my speculation
the B-52H maximum take of weight is 221.15 tons, empty 83.25 tons
83.25+110=193.25 tons left 27.9 ton on fuel
 
Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

Would it not be better to rename this thread as "Junkers Raumtransporters" rather than limiting it to one model number or as I called it Junkers Space Projects?

Regards,
Barry
anyone up to translating an article from German to English?
 
Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

Barrington Bond said:
Regards,
Barry
anyone up to translating an article from German to English?

Barry,

I could give it a try, depending on how much and when.

Martin
 
Re: RT-8-01 Raumtransporter (Sänger I)

Barrington Bond said:
Would it not be better to rename this thread as "Junkers Raumtransporters" rather than limiting it to one model number or as I called it Junkers Space Projects?

Regards,
Barry
anyone up to translating an article from German to English?


Rename the thread , is this possible ?
i could translate the article
send me a forum message for more info
 
Thanks pometablava
Back to topic
Got new information in german language by Barrington Bond

img_0011edit-jpg.680457

this is a 1964 concept of Sanger Raumtransporter
it's a three stage design b-52 carrier a second stage who return with a rogallo kind of wing labeled as "membranewing"
the third stage reach orbit and return after mission


img_0011-copyedit-jpg.157392


this was a MBB-Junkers project with Lifting Body of 500 kg mass and 100kg payload.
the Text to picture give impression that MBB-Junkers was a counter proposal to ERNO LB concept to the German Science Ministry


about Term MBB-Junkers
1958 Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke GmbH became part of Messerschmitt AG,
Who fusion later with Bölkow GmbH and the Hamburger Flugzeugbau in May 1969 to MBBthe Junkers office stay from 1958 until november 1969 within Messerschmitt AG later MBB as independent department
after November 1969 the Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke GmbH was completely integrated into MBB.
 
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Does anyone have biographical information about Jürgen Lambrecht? In an interview made for the Oral History of Europe in Space project, Ernst Högenauer mentions that Lambrecht worked at Aerojet before he came to Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke GmbH.
 
The Soviets would never have allowed the development of such a thing in Germany and maintaining the launch rails in a desert would have been quite complicated: expansion-contraction, abrasive sand, interference from local wildlife, and terrorism.:(
 

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