SLU professor, team to unveil space vehicle

St. Louis Business Journal ^ | 10:27 AM CST Thursday

[jmcenanly]

A Saint Louis University professor and a contender for the X Prize plan to unveil Thursday their plans for a space vehicle that would take passengers into orbit to the International Space Station.

Paul Czysz, professor emeritus of aerospace engineering, is teaming up with Ontario-based PlanetSpace and Canadian Arrow, a competitor for the X Prize, to develop the orbital vehicle, called the Silver Dart. The vehicle is based on a hypersonic glider Czysz helped test in the early 1960s.

[jmcenanly]

In a somewhat related note, today is Arthur C. Clarke's birthday.

[Dark Skies]

Here's an artist rendition of the Silver Dart...

...and its namesake...

[jmcenanly]

It bears a family resemblance to the F-117

[jmcenanly]

Here is an internal view
http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=h_silver_dart_schem_02.jpg&cap=A+schematic+of+the+Silver+Dart+spacecraft%2C+an+orbital+vehicle+designed+to+deliver+eight+people+to+space+and+back%2C+under+development+by+PlanetSpace+and+Canadian+Arrow.+Credit%3A+PlanetSpace%2FCanadian+Arrow.+Click+to+enlarge.+