On 7/14/2011 6:30 AM, Jeff Findley wrote:


All of this silliness is in pursuit of SSTO. Fully reusable TSTO would
be far easier to implement than this because it would require no new
technologies (i.e. fundamentally new engine) to be developed.


I can't see why Lockheed didn't just take their VentureStar design and
stick a "V" shaped drop tank on it like there 1960's Star Clipper design
was going to use. Since the VentureStar design was only failing
marginally as a SSTO, the external tankage wouldn't need be that large,
and you would have just eliminated the need for the Shuttle's large
SRB's, and would only be losing the fairly cheap drop tank on each mission.

Pat