Posted on 08/20/2011 2:16:06 AM PDT by MBT ARJUN
New Delhi: The Americans recently retired their one of the most successful space shuttles, the Atlantis. Now, India is working towards realising its dream - to create a re-usable satellite launch vehicle.
An engineering model of what scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) call the re-usable launch vehicle, is currently housed at a secure and secret facility in Kerala. Covered with special heat resistant tiles, soon it will roar skywards.
"We are working for a fully re-usable vehicle, there are several elements we need to understand as of now we have a technology demonstrator," said Dr K Radhakrishnan, Chairman, ISRO.
The unmanned Indian space shuttle will be initially launched vertically like a rocket and in the first few flights it will be dropped back into the sea, but later it will make a landing like any other aircraft.
The Americans have retired the space shuttle as it was just too expensive to fly, the Russian version called Buran was abandoned almost 20 years ago, but India - the new kid on the space block - is forging ahead with its plans to launch an Indian shuttle in a few years.
ISRO feels this technology will drastically reduce the cost of launching satellites to space. Indeed ISRO is dreaming big.
I don’t envy them. Its going to cost them a lot. I rather we have more spacex type private companies who can build spacecraft
X-37
They jacked the tech.
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-701&va=x-37
< dude>Ever since obama got elected we suck man.</dude>
Well, at least they are going to use it. It looks like the next spacefaring nations are going to be India and China.
They have high tech engines that run on curry powder and goats milk.
Thanks MBT ARJUN.
This way it’s “fair”.... BJ Clinton and the Fraud are all about the demise of America because of our “unfair advantages.”
Was the MIT craft going to be unmanned?
That, it seems to me, is the key to their eventual success.
The cost and weight saved (meaning more payload capacity with same fuel costs, or reduced fuel costs for current payload ability of a manned shuttle) will pay off.
The shuttle will be able to sustain greater damage than a manned shuttle, ergo would survive longer.
The ISS could have manned tugboats that provided staging and docking of the unmanned shuttles after they 'park' themselves in a nearby orbit. This would ensure maximum safety for the manned crew of the ISS.
I wish them great success.
We spent 60 some years 'jacking' German technology. Where do you think our 'rocket technology' came from? Where did the designs of most every airplane and jet you have seen originate? There are VERY FEW aircraft designs in use, even today, that the Germans had not already drafted plans for back in the 1940's.
The entire internet is about 'jacking' someone else's technology.
The way to succeed is to imitate someone who is succeeding (or was, in our case).
Yep. Agree. Met some of the NAZIs I did. Spot on.
Thank you for the response. I apologize for assuming you didn’t know.
Here is a site that gives the designs they had.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.