Editing 1461: Payloads
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| titletext = With a space elevator, a backyard full of solar panels could launch about 500 horses per year, and a large power plant could launch 10 horses per minute. | | titletext = With a space elevator, a backyard full of solar panels could launch about 500 horses per year, and a large power plant could launch 10 horses per minute. | ||
}} | }} | ||
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+ | A larger version of the image can be found [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/payloads_large.png here]. | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|Discuss space elevator aspect from title text, touch on horsepower vs [[rocket equation]], thrust, specific impulse, payload to orbit. E.g., compare with question of a horse getting itself into orbit?}} | |
− | + | This comic lists the payload capacity of several launch vehicles, and the mass of several spacecraft, in number of horses. This could be related to Randall's hobby of abusing dimensional analysis, as horses/ship is technically a perfectly acceptable derived unit, provided the size of a horse is standard (in this comic it appears that 'one horse' is defined as 450 kg). In cases where the mass is less than one horse, an alternative measure of dogs has been used, where one dog appears to be roughly 40 kg. In the case of {{w|Vanguard 1}}, even a dog is too large a measure, so instead the unit squirrel is used to represent its 1.47 kg mass. | |
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− | The | + | The overall comic is an allusion to {{w|horsepower}}, a similar-sounding but completely different concept. Horsepower is a measurement of {{w|power (physics)|power}} ({{w|work (physics)|work}} per unit time). Another commonly referenced unit for power is the {{w|watt}}. 1 horsepower is meant to be approximately the amount of power a horse can deliver. In contrast, Randall uses the horse to measure {{w|mass}} (of spacecraft themselves, and of the payload they carry). |
− | + | The top pane of the comic shows the mass of various spacecraft, while the bottom shows the amount of mass which various rockets can deliver to {{w|low Earth orbit}}. There are also several joke insertions. In the top, one is T-Rex. In the bottom, another is Pegasus (the payload capacity given as one Pegasus); this is a reference to both Pegasus {{w|Pegasus (rocket)|the rocket}} and Pegasus the {{w|Pegasus|mythical flying stallion}}. Atlas-Centaur is also measured in centaurs, a reference to the half-human half-horse creatures of Greek mythology. The bottom also gives the 1981 {{w|Oldsmobile}} as 4 horses; this references the carrying capacity (by weight) of the Oldsmobile, not the ability of an Oldsmobile to launch that payload into low Earth orbit. | |
− | The | + | The Pegasus, 1981 Oldsmobile, and Stratolaunch spacecraft are depicted horizontally, presumably because these vehicles launch from a horizontal starting position and use forward momentum to facilitate their launch. |
− | + | There is an unlabeled launch vehicle below the H-11A near 2002. The unlabeled vehicle has a payload mass of 21 horses (9450 kg). | |
===Tables=== | ===Tables=== | ||
Line 33: | Line 25: | ||
*Name - Should be as shown in the comic | *Name - Should be as shown in the comic | ||
− | *Launch | + | *Launch Date - Date of first flight |
− | *Mass/ | + | *Mass/Payload (Horses) - Value as given in comic |
− | *Mass/ | + | *Mass/Payload (kg) - Independently researched value |
− | Where the researched launch date or mass/payload don't seem to match the comic, they should be | + | Where the researched launch date or mass/payload don't seem to match the comic, they should be indentified with <sup>?</sup> |
{| | {| | ||
|- style="vertical-align:top;" | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | ||
| | | | ||
+ | |||
{| class="wikitable sortable" | {| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
− | !colspan="4"|Spacecraft | + | !colspan="4"|Spacecraft Mass |
|- | |- | ||
!Spacecraft | !Spacecraft | ||
− | !Launch | + | !Launch Date <sup>''{{w|ISO 8601}}''</sup> |
− | !Mass ( | + | !Mass (Horses) |
!Mass (kg) | !Mass (kg) | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Sputnik 1|Sputnik}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/ | + | |{{w|Sputnik 1|Sputnik}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/sputnik1.htm]</sup> |
|1957-10-04 | |1957-10-04 | ||
|2 Dogs | |2 Dogs | ||
|83.6 | |83.6 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Vanguard 1}} | + | |{{w|Vanguard 1}} |
|1958-03-17 | |1958-03-17 | ||
|Squirrel | |Squirrel | ||
|1.47 | |1.47 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Pioneer 5}} | + | |{{w|Pioneer 5}} |
|1960-03-11 | |1960-03-11 | ||
|Large Dog | |Large Dog | ||
|43 | |43 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Venera 1}} | + | |{{w|Venera 1}} |
|1961-02-12 | |1961-02-12 | ||
|1 | |1 | ||
|643.5 | |643.5 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Mariner 2}} | + | |{{w|Mariner 2}} |
|1962-08-27 | |1962-08-27 | ||
|3 Dogs | |3 Dogs | ||
|202.8 | |202.8 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Apollo Command/Service Module|Apollo}} | + | |{{w|Apollo Command/Service Module|Apollo}} |
− | | | + | |1966-02-26 |
|67 | |67 | ||
− | | | + | |29,850<sup>?</sup> |
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Venera 7}} | + | |{{w|Venera 7}} |
|1970-08-17 | |1970-08-17 | ||
|3 | |3 | ||
|1,180 | |1,180 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Pioneer 10}} | + | |{{w|Pioneer 10}} |
|1972-03-03 | |1972-03-03 | ||
|7 Dogs | |7 Dogs | ||
|258.8 | |258.8 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Skylab}} | + | |{{w|Skylab}} |
|1973-05-14 | |1973-05-14 | ||
|171 | |171 | ||
|77,088 | |77,088 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Venera 9}} | + | |{{w|Venera 9}} |
|1975-06-08 | |1975-06-08 | ||
|11 | |11 | ||
|4,936 | |4,936 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Voyager 2}} | + | |{{w|Voyager 2}} |
|1977-08-20 | |1977-08-20 | ||
|2 | |2 | ||
− | | | + | |721.9 |
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Space Shuttle|Shuttle (Total)}}<sup>[http://www.braeunig.us/space/specs/orbiter.htm]</sup> | |{{w|Space Shuttle|Shuttle (Total)}}<sup>[http://www.braeunig.us/space/specs/orbiter.htm]</sup> | ||
Line 121: | Line 114: | ||
|- | |- | ||
|T-Rex | |T-Rex | ||
− | | | + | | |
|15 | |15 | ||
|6,800 | |6,800 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Hubble}} | + | |{{w|Hubble}} |
|1990-04-24 | |1990-04-24 | ||
|25 | |25 | ||
|11,110 | |11,110 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Compton Gamma Ray Observatory}} | + | |{{w|Compton Gamma Ray Observatory}} |
|1991-04-05 | |1991-04-05 | ||
|38 | |38 | ||
|17,000 | |17,000 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Corona ( | + | |{{w|Corona (Satellite)|Keyhole 3}}† |
− | | | + | | |
|40 | |40 | ||
− | | | + | | |
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|International Space Station}} | |{{w|International Space Station}} | ||
Line 165: | Line 158: | ||
|185 | |185 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/ | + | |{{w|Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/dawn.htm]</sup> |
|2007-09-27 | |2007-09-27 | ||
|3 | |3 | ||
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|6,910 | |6,910 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Dragon (spacecraft)|Dragon}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/ | + | |{{w|Dragon (spacecraft)|Dragon}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/dragon.htm]</sup> |
|2010-06-04 | |2010-06-04 | ||
|17 | |17 | ||
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|- | |- | ||
|{{w|KH-7 Gambit|Keyhole 7}}† | |{{w|KH-7 Gambit|Keyhole 7}}† | ||
− | | | + | | |
|40 | |40 | ||
− | | | + | | |
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Orion (spacecraft)|Orion (Capsule)}} | |{{w|Orion (spacecraft)|Orion (Capsule)}} | ||
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|- | |- | ||
|{{w|James Webb Space Telescope|James Webb Telescope}} | |{{w|James Webb Space Telescope|James Webb Telescope}} | ||
− | | | + | | |
|14 | |14 | ||
|6,200 | |6,200 | ||
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|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Orion Service Module}} | |{{w|Orion Service Module}} | ||
− | | | + | | |
|25 | |25 | ||
|12,000 | |12,000 | ||
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Deep Space Habitat|Orion Deep Space Habitat}} | |{{w|Deep Space Habitat|Orion Deep Space Habitat}} | ||
− | | | + | | |
|65 | |65 | ||
− | | | + | | |
|} | |} | ||
− | |||
− | <nowiki>†</nowiki>Keyhole 3 and 7 seem to be errors; Keyhole 3 satellites were launched between 1961 and 1962 and Keyhole 7 between 1963 and 1967. | + | <nowiki>*</nowiki>Terrastar is believed to be a mis-spelling of {{w|TerreStar-1|TerreStar}}, based on its mass and launch date. |
− | The dates and masses in the comic more closely correspond to the {{w|KH-11 Kennan|Keyhole 11}}. | + | <nowiki>†</nowiki>Keyhole 3 and 7 seem to be errors; Keyhole 3 satellites were launched between 1961 and 1962 and Keyhole 7 between 1963 and 1967. The dates and masses in the comic more closely correspond to the {{w|KH-11 Kennan|Keyhole 11}}. |
+ | <nowiki>*</nowiki>Apollo mass is calculated from launch mass of 28,800kg (Command/Service Module inc Lunar Module) + 1,050kg payload. | ||
+ | |||
| | | | ||
{| class="wikitable sortable" | {| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
− | !colspan="4"|Launch | + | !colspan="4"|Launch Vehicle Capacity |
|- | |- | ||
!Spacecraft | !Spacecraft | ||
− | !Launch | + | !Launch Date <sup>''{{w|ISO 8601}}''</sup> |
− | !Payload ( | + | !Payload (Horses) |
!Payload (kg) | !Payload (kg) | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Sputnik (rocket)|Sputnik Launcher}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/ | + | |{{w|Sputnik (rocket)|Sputnik Launcher}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/spuk71ps.htm]</sup> |
|1957-10-04 | |1957-10-04 | ||
|1 | |1 | ||
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|9,070 | |9,070 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Proton-K}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/ | + | |{{w|Proton-K}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/protonk.htm]</sup> |
|1967-03-10<sup>?</sup> | |1967-03-10<sup>?</sup> | ||
|44 | |44 | ||
|19,760 | |19,760 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Atlas-Centaur}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/ | + | |{{w|Atlas-Centaur}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/atlntaur.htm]</sup> |
|1962-05-08 | |1962-05-08 | ||
|8 Centaurs | |8 Centaurs | ||
Line 359: | Line 353: | ||
|443 | |443 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Atlas I}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/ | + | |{{w|Atlas I}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/atlasi.htm]</sup> |
|1990-07-25 | |1990-07-25 | ||
|13 | |13 | ||
Line 369: | Line 363: | ||
|3250 | |3250 | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|J-I}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/ | + | |{{w|J-I}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/j1.htm]</sup> |
|1996-02-11 | |1996-02-11 | ||
|2 | |2 | ||
Line 387: | Line 381: | ||
|2002-09-20 | |2002-09-20 | ||
|21 | |21 | ||
− | | | + | |6020; 21&24 |
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Delta IV Heavy|Delta IV-H}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/ | + | |{{w|Delta IV Heavy|Delta IV-H}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/delheavy.htm]</sup> |
|2004-12-21 | |2004-12-21 | ||
|64 | |64 | ||
Line 399: | Line 393: | ||
|670 (Proposed) | |670 (Proposed) | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{w|Ariane 5#Variants|Ariane 5ES}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/ | + | |{{w|Ariane 5#Variants|Ariane 5ES}}<sup>[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/arine5es.htm]</sup> |
|2008-03-09 | |2008-03-09 | ||
|47 | |47 | ||
Line 412: | Line 406: | ||
|2009-04-05 | |2009-04-05 | ||
|2 Dogs | |2 Dogs | ||
− | |100<sup>[ | + | |100<sup>[http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/documents/nwgs/Wright-Analysis-of-NK-launcher-3-18-09.pdf]</sup> |
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Atlas V|Atlas V 541}} | |{{w|Atlas V|Atlas V 541}} | ||
|2011-11-26 | |2011-11-26 | ||
|38 | |38 | ||
− | |17,443<sup>[ | + | |17,443<sup>[http://www.lockheedmartin.com/data/assets/ssc/cls/AVUG_Rev11_March2010.pdf]</sup> |
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Falcon 9}} | |{{w|Falcon 9}} | ||
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|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Falcon Heavy}} | |{{w|Falcon Heavy}} | ||
− | | | + | |2015 (Projected) |
− | | | + | |118ha |
|53,000 | |53,000 | ||
|- | |- | ||
Line 442: | Line 436: | ||
|2018-11 (Projected) | |2018-11 (Projected) | ||
|156 | |156 | ||
− | |70,000<sup>[ | + | |70,000<sup>[http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/664158main_sls_fs_master.pdf]</sup> |
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Space Launch System|SLS Block 1B}} | |{{w|Space Launch System|SLS Block 1B}} | ||
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| 2030's (Projected) | | 2030's (Projected) | ||
|289 | |289 | ||
− | |130,000<sup>[ | + | |130,000<sup>[http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/664158main_sls_fs_master.pdf]</sup> |
|} | |} | ||
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
[[Category:Comics with color]] | [[Category:Comics with color]] | ||
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[[Category:Animals]] | [[Category:Animals]] | ||
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[[Category:Space]] | [[Category:Space]] | ||
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