Patsayev(2001)

Patsayev

The Patsayev is the craft from the World of 2001. It is a Soviet tanker and cargo transport. There are two versions: normal for a work on Earth's orbit, and Patsayev-M which is Mars cargo transport.

Previously, before the Tchalinko base was able to process lunar ice into fuel, there was no refueling capability on the moon. The Patsayev tankers were used to shuttle fuel to the lunar surface and return empty. With fuel now available at Tchalinko, the Patsayevs are undergoing conversion into Komarovs, or are performing the Taurus mission of boosting payloads to high or escape orbit. Since the Patsayev has the fuel capacity of a Komarov transport but not the mass of the habs, it is capable of far more delta-V change than the Taurus to which it is sometimes compared. Patsayev-M: A Mars cargo vessel, simply adds the Mars aerobrake and a “luggage rack” to carry up to a dozen cargo containers externally. The Patsayev-M is the functional equivalent of the U.S. Herculis. It is quite different in operation, however, as it aerobrakes into Mars orbit. Normal procedure then is to land on Phobos or be unloaded in orbit. The Patsayev-M could probably land on Mars in theory, but never does in practice.

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