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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.)
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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.)
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