why couldn't just one man build a home built rocket like the old V-2's and launch into orbit?

Question

V-2 rocket's are of a very simple disign and could probably be built by a determined focused individual, so would it be possible to do this to get into space.?

Answer 1

Somebody already thought of this

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...Sheerin entered the Ansari X Prize with plans for a V2 rocket-derived, reusable manned spacecraft dubbed the Canadian Arrow. ARCA – short for Aeronautics and Cosmonautics Romanian Association – also cast its Orizont vehicle in the manned suborbital contest with plans for a reusable rocket engine built from composite materials...

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...The missile-like "Arrow", based on the design of the German V2 rocket, on the other hand is using a traditional ground to sky launching system with their two-stage rocket design.

The first stage of the "Arrow" is a solid pressure fed rocket engine using a mixture of alcohol and liquid oxygen.

The second stage of the "Arrow" is made up of four solid pressure fed rocket engines that use a mixture of perchlorate, asphalt, and a special blend of oils.

Both of these stages combined give the "Arrow" over 70,000 of lift underneath the three-man crew capsule.

The burn of the first stage will only last one minute sending the rocket to 112,000 feet where the second stage will take the rocket the final distance to sub-orbit.

The launch sites of both spacecraft vary as much as their designs with "Wild Fire" launched from the Pacific Ocean and the "Arrow" being launched from any coast with a depth of one hundred feet...

Answer 2

If you're talking about replicating a V-2, the rocket wouldn't have enough power to send a man into orbit. By comparison, the V-2s used during the war had 25% less thrust than the Redstone rocket used during the Mercury program (for suborbital flights, no less), with roughly the same mass.

If you're talking about creating a derived "upgraded" V-2 which could send a man into orbit, this is possible. German rocket scientists made early schematics of such rockets during the end of World War II, called the A9 through A12, although they were meant to carry payloads to North America.

But a single person couldn't build a rocket that size. Even using an assembly line process, the 10,000 workers at Peenemunde built, at peak, 700 rockets a month. Only 75% of them actually cleared the launchpad successfully, so that would take that number down to 525 working rockets. Therefore, assuming an assembly line with 10-hour days, it took roughly 5,000 man-hours to make a V-2 equivalent rocket, which definitely qualifies it as a group effort.

Answer 3

In part you are right. The V2 is a simple design. However the size is too limited to reach orbit. Even though it can lift 2000 pounds, it doesn't carry large enough fuel tanks to reach orbit.

It rose to an altitude of 52 miles and had a range of 200 - 225 miles. This is not enough to reach orbit.

If you made a space capsule instead a warhead, that would use up a lot of the 2000 pounds of payload. Then you could use what was left to carry more fuel. So, then you would have to extend the fuel tanks and the body structure.

;-D You would no longer have a V2. Maybe you could strap on some solid fuel boosters and make it work.

Answer 4

No real reason. But it isn't all that simple. The materials needed to withstand the rocket blast aren't generally available at Home Depot. The fuels can be fairly exotic and difficult to control. The machinery needed to fabricate the parts are rather expensive.

To the best of my knowledge, V-2's never went anywhere near achieving orbit. It really does take a massive amount of energy to do that.

Answer 5

NO,you may no longer deliver a rocket into area without the authorization of the government especially no longer in united statesa..that's illegitimate to launch a rocket int area.yet no government tec can discover a small rocket yet whilst that's a huge one they're going to probobaly attempt to shoot it down.the rocket ought to circulate everywhere.it would circulate to the white domicile or the pentagon and blow up there.

Answer 6

There are clubs which launch massive rockets from the California desert. Need permits for the fuel, however.

Answer 7

If you have the cash, go for it. Hopefully you're good at math so you can plot your trajectory into space, your orbit and landing. Easier said than done.