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British Space Plane Concept Gets Boost
Space.com ^
| 03/11/09
| Jeremy Hsu
Posted on 03/11/2009 8:28:54 PM PDT by KevinDavis
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To: markman46; AntiKev; wastedyears; ALOHA RONNIE; RightWhale; anymouse; Brett66; SunkenCiv; ...
2
posted on
03/11/2009 8:29:17 PM PDT
by
KevinDavis
(No one should question our "Dear Leader"!)
To: KevinDavis
re: air-breathing rocket engine that could power the Skylon spaceplane.
I'm no rocket scientist, but even to my very limited knowledge of such things it seems an air-breathing anything would be seriously challenged in space.
3
posted on
03/11/2009 8:33:13 PM PDT
by
jwparkerjr
(God Bless America!)
To: jwparkerjr
Plenty of air to breathe for the first 100,000 feet. One of the great inefficiencies of traditional staged-rocket to orbit is the need to drag a lot of heavy oxidiser through the atmosphere.
4
posted on
03/11/2009 8:36:55 PM PDT
by
ArrogantBustard
(Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
To: ArrogantBustard
Can it just soar into orbit from 100,000 feet if it has enough inertia from the powered phase of the flight?
Interesting. Thanks for the info. Love stuff like that, but have little real knowledge of it.
Gotta remember to make a reservation at a Holiday Inn Express. I’ve got several areas of expertise that need honing.
5
posted on
03/11/2009 8:42:45 PM PDT
by
jwparkerjr
(God Bless America!)
To: jwparkerjr
Can it just soar into orbit from 100,000 feet if it has enough inertia from the powered phase of the flight? No ... but it takes a lot less rocket to go from 100kft to orbit than it does to go from 0ft to orbit. So the idea is to reach some desired altitude with jet engines, then light the rockets. The 'desired altitude' is usually more like 50kft, using turbojet or turbofan engines. A higher altitude could possibly be reached using something like the SR-71's combination turbojet/ramjet engines.
The USAF/NASA X-15 and Burt Rutan's Spaceship One used this technique to achieve sub-orbital spaceflight. You'd need something bigger to make orbit, but it could be done.
6
posted on
03/11/2009 8:49:40 PM PDT
by
ArrogantBustard
(Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
To: jwparkerjr
Come to think of it, Orbital Sciences Corp’s “Pegasus” rocket uses this technique to put small satellites in Low Earth Orbit. Their original launch platform was a B-52; I believe they’re now using an L-1011.
7
posted on
03/11/2009 8:51:57 PM PDT
by
ArrogantBustard
(Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
To: ArrogantBustard
Something like this?
8
posted on
03/11/2009 8:59:30 PM PDT
by
null and void
(We are now in day 51 of our national holiday from reality.)
To: KevinDavis
Cool looking design:
To: KevinDavis
Does the US have any plans for delivery and return from space; Space Rope?
I wonder if any of the money for such an endeavor made it into any of the Spending Bills? I kinda dount it.
To: null and void
Whatever you’ve posted, it’s extremely stealthy. I can’t see it at all. :(
11
posted on
03/11/2009 9:03:16 PM PDT
by
ArrogantBustard
(Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
To: ArrogantBustard
OK, let me see if I can find another source.
12
posted on
03/11/2009 9:05:12 PM PDT
by
null and void
(We are now in day 51 of our national holiday from reality.)
To: ArrogantBustard
How about this?
13
posted on
03/11/2009 9:11:16 PM PDT
by
null and void
(We are now in day 51 of our national holiday from reality.)
To: null and void
What is that thing on teh back of that SR-71?
To: mamelukesabre
It's a D-12 drone. An early RPV, it was to allow intel gathering where even the SR-71 feared to tread.
IIRC, it was intended to be used once, and crashed at high Mach numbers at the end of its mission.
(Since then we've figured out how to land an RPV)...
15
posted on
03/11/2009 9:46:25 PM PDT
by
null and void
(We are now in day 51 of our national holiday from reality.)
To: null and void
Was it faster than the 71?
To: mamelukesabre
No idea. (OTOH I don’t know how fast an SR-71 was either)...
17
posted on
03/11/2009 9:56:04 PM PDT
by
null and void
(We are now in day 51 of our national holiday from reality.)
To: incredulous joe
It looks like something out of Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon. But why is it unmanned? This looks like the next stage of the space shuttle.
To: Reaganesque
Queen Amidala called, she wants her yacht back.
19
posted on
03/12/2009 12:24:30 AM PDT
by
sinanju
To: KevinDavis
In researching demands in the airline industry for safer aircraft to combat terrorism Boeing has designed a new series of jets with redundant cockpits isolated from the fuselage.
20
posted on
03/12/2009 12:29:56 AM PDT
by
Eye of Unk
(How strangely will the Tools of a Tyrant pervert the plain Meaning of Words! SA)
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