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SXT-172

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Description

The SXT-172 is a interplanetary cargo spacecraft. This one can not land on the planet's surface, just beyond the orbit. For the descent to the surface used shuttle for containers with cargo and crew, shuttle also living compartment during interplanetary flight. For interplanetary travel used nuclear rocket engines.
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alexthegreater's avatar
Cool design,  but having the radiators stick out in the back like that causes problems. Radiation from the engines will reflect off of the radiators and back into the crew quarters up front. Not something you want to happen.

It's better to put the engines behind a radiation shield, and the arrange the radiators so they all fit into the shield's shadow. This means the Radiators will be narrower in the back and wider in the front, a backwards V shape.

There is a temptation to put the radiators in the back like that for two reasons. First the reactor is the largest source of heat, and second because we are used to drawing rockets or aircraft which tend to put the center of drag near the back for stability. But the first reason can be minimized as coolant pipes can allow the radiators to be placed anywhere, and the second is un-necessary in the vacuum of space.