Boeing Studies X-37B Evolved Crew Derivative

"Boeing is studying scaled-up variants of the
reusable X-37B orbital test vehicle (OTV) for
potential delivery of cargo and crew to the
International Space Station (ISS) and other
low-Earth-orbit destinations.

The development plan is believed to be aimed
at providing a larger cargo adjunct to the
company’s CST-100 crew vehicle as well as
a possible longer-term, crew-carrying
successor. The plan builds on the ongoing
OTV demonstration with the U.S. Air Force,
the first phase of which ended when the
classified, unmanned OTV-1 demonstration
flight concluded in December 2010 with an
autonomous landing at Vandenberg AFB,
Calif., following 244 days in orbit. A second
mission, OTV-2, is under way."

See:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/gener...hannel=defense

wrote in message
...

"Boeing is studying scaled-up variants of the
reusable X-37B orbital test vehicle (OTV) for
potential delivery of cargo and crew to the
International Space Station (ISS) and other
low-Earth-orbit destinations.


Now that's a shock (not).

Y'all been moaning and groaning about the
poor 'ol space program going away. Like I've
been saying, it didn't disappear, it just went
black.


singin'

"I hope that the man discovers
What's driving the people wild.
Military madness.
Is killing your country..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czUx2gvjdJk



s

On Oct 6, 3:08*pm, wrote:
"Boeing is studying scaled-up variants of the
reusable X-37B orbital test vehicle (OTV) for
potential delivery of cargo and crew to the
International Space Station (ISS) and other
low-Earth-orbit destinations.

The development plan is believed to be aimed
at providing a larger cargo adjunct to the
company’s CST-100 crew vehicle as well as
a possible longer-term, crew-carrying
successor. The plan builds on the ongoing
OTV demonstration with the U.S. Air Force,
the first phase of which ended when the
classified, unmanned OTV-1 demonstration
flight concluded in December 2010 with an
autonomous landing at Vandenberg AFB,
Calif., following 244 days in orbit. A second
mission, OTV-2, is under way."

See:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/gener...s/asd/2011/10/....

Smells like a program that sees an end to funding on the horizon. It
has been an interesting technology demonstration effort, but I've
never understood its mission, nor the need to spend extra for the
runway recovery. Unless it was a Glomar Explorer type effort to
retrieve something from the other guys - or preemptively from one of
our own, possibly older, spy satellites.

- Ed Kyle

On 10/07/2011 04:40 PM, Ed Kyle wrote:
On Oct 6, 3:08 pm, wrote:
"Boeing is studying scaled-up variants of the
reusable X-37B orbital test vehicle (OTV) for
potential delivery of cargo and crew to the
International Space Station (ISS) and other
low-Earth-orbit destinations.

The development plan is believed to be aimed
at providing a larger cargo adjunct to the
company’s CST-100 crew vehicle as well as
a possible longer-term, crew-carrying
successor. The plan builds on the ongoing
OTV demonstration with the U.S. Air Force,
the first phase of which ended when the
classified, unmanned OTV-1 demonstration
flight concluded in December 2010 with an
autonomous landing at Vandenberg AFB,
Calif., following 244 days in orbit. A second
mission, OTV-2, is under way."

See:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/gener...s/asd/2011/10/...

Smells like a program that sees an end to funding on the horizon.

I smell the same. It's like MDAC at the end of Gemini, coming up with
all sorts of Gemini variants to try to grab some business here and there.

"Jorge R. Frank" wrote in message
...
On 10/07/2011 04:40 PM, Ed Kyle wrote:
On Oct 6, 3:08 pm, wrote:

"Boeing is studying scaled-up variants of the
reusable X-37B orbital test vehicle (OTV) for
potential delivery of cargo and crew to the
International Space Station (ISS) and other
low-Earth-orbit destinations.

The development plan is believed to be aimed
at providing a larger cargo adjunct to the
company's CST-100 crew vehicle as well as
a possible longer-term, crew-carrying
successor. The plan builds on the ongoing
OTV demonstration with the U.S. Air Force,
the first phase of which ended when the
classified, unmanned OTV-1 demonstration
flight concluded in December 2010 with an
autonomous landing at Vandenberg AFB,
Calif., following 244 days in orbit. A second
mission, OTV-2, is under way."

See:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/gener...s/asd/2011/10/...


Smells like a program that sees an end to funding on the horizon.


I smell the same. It's like MDAC at the end of Gemini, coming up with all
sorts of Gemini variants to try to grab some business here and there.


Not to me. The X-37b makes perfect sense. It's essentially a scale
version of the shuttle, except it can stay in orbit 8 months, instead
of a week or two. And can make very large changes in it's orbit.
Exactly what the military would need in a war with the Chinese.

When the Chinese shot down their satellite, they showed
that any space hardware already in orbit would be lost
on the first day of a war. So which side can deploy the fastest
after a first strike wins. Just like the X-37b.

Hell, they already have two of 'em, there's supposedly one in orbit
right now. Maybe in a few short years they could have a small
constellation of them, with lasers in the payload bay, and zap anything
the Chinese or Iranians or Koreans dare launch at us, and as
it comes up.

"Directed Energy Directorate"

"Long Range Strike - Identify, communicate and attack
time critical targets anytime; anywhere"
http://www.kirtland.af.mil/library/f...et.asp?id=7971


Or maybe in a few years it could be replacing a destroyed constellation
of orbital mirrors our Starfire Optical laser range was using to bombard
....any point on Earth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfire_Optical_Range

I mean, it's not like they're keeping it a secret or anything.
All the talk of going back to the Moon the last few years
looks like nothing more than a civilian over story. While
all that time the Pentagon quietly spirited the X-37b away
from NASA and made it operational in just five short years.
And by an agency that specializes in 'rush' orders.

Rapid Capabilities Office
http://www.af.mil/information/factsh...et.asp?id=3466


Smells to me like a program that has a blank, and black, check.


Jonathan

s

On Fri, 7 Oct 2011 20:48:55 -0400, "Jonathan" wrote:

When the Chinese shot down their satellite, they showed
that any space hardware already in orbit would be lost
on the first day of a war. So which side can deploy the fastest
after a first strike wins. Just like the X-37b.

Do you have an Atlas V in your back pocket?

Brian

The X-37 is a carrier for miniature rods from God concept - kinetic
energy weapons made of tungsten - with micro-fusion explosives.
Unlike the open discussions that talk about tungsten telephone poles,
these small tungsten spears are capable of flying through solid rock
at orbital speeds! High speed tungsten rods hitting soil and rock at
these speeds vaporizes it and pushes it out of the way. The tungsten
erodes, but not before the missile moves 100x or more the erosion
depth. Think of a super advanced version of the Russian VA-111 Shkval
supersonic torpedo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VA-111_Shkval

Both missiles create a void volume behind the shock wave which
eliminates much of the drag. According to some this allows the
placement of fission free micro-nukes 10 km deep or more in the Earth,
creating artificial earthquakes and tsunamis on demand!

Coincidence of Earthquake and X-37B
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UruWtJM0nfU

And that the Asians have struck back at the USA with their own version
of this technology.

Asian Strike against US Underground Bases
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8wVBIZ6dK0

Who knows?

The X-37B has a payload bay that's 4 ft in diameter and 7 ft long.
About the size of a telephone booth. It masses 10,500 lbs, carries
about 1,500 lbs of useful payload - to orbit and back.

This is large enough for a single person to be carried to orbit -
think of a Mercury capsule life support system.

Putting a 10,500 pound payload through an idealized delta vee of
23,254 mph using a 7 element launcher, with all parts recovered -
built around seven RL-10 A pump sets, each powering an aerospike
nozzle at the base of what appears to be a tiny External Tank.

Each tank element is 32 ft long and 5 ft in diameter and weighs 937
pounds empty. The base houses a zero height aerospike engine built
around an RL-10 pump set. This engine produces 15,000 lbs of thrust
at lift off.

Immediately above the engine is a 354.8 cubic foot section that's 18.1
feet long that carries 1,540.2 lbs of liquid hydrogen. Forward of
that is a 6.7 foot long nose tank occupying 130.8 cubic feet carrying
9,241.1 pounds of liquid oxygen.

Each tank not only feeds its aerospike engine, but also is capable of
cross-feeding adjoining tanks.

The seven tanks are clustered together

(1)(2)
(3)(4)(5)
(6)(7)

With the OTV placed on the nose of tank #4.

All engines fire at lift-off, producing 105,000 pounds of thrust,
lifting the 87,000 lb vehicle into the sky. Four of the seven tanks
feed all the engines. These form the first stage. These are tanks
1,2,6 & 7.

At the end of this firing period the vehicle is traveling 6,400 mph.
The four empty tanks separate. The three remaining engines continue
to fire accelerating the vehicle further. The four empties re-enter
downrange, and are recovered by aircraft loitering in the recovery
zone for each of the tanks.

Two of the three remaining tanks 3 and 5 continue to feed the three
engines at the base of the three tanks. The vehicle's total weight
right now 40,156 lbs. When the two tanks are emptied, the vehicle is
moving 13,640 mph. The two empty tanks separate and the remaining
tank, #4, continues on to orbit. The two empty tanks are recovered by
aircraft loitering downrange near the recovery zone for these two
tanks.

The one remaining tank, with the OTV atop it, masses 16,718 pounds.
This last tank adds 9,614 mph to the speed ending up at 23,254 mph.
The OTV separates from the #4 tank and the OTV's engine circularizes
its orbit. The empty tank re-enters as it approaches the launch
center and is recovered.

The system launches payloads and is completely reused.

Total development cost - less than $400 million.

On Oct 7, 7:48*pm, "Jonathan" wrote:
"Jorge R. Frank" wrote in messagenews:PKOdnXv4vdH0EhLTnZ2dnUVZ5q6dnZ2d@gigan ews.com...
Not to me. The X-37b makes perfect sense. It's essentially a scale
version of the shuttle, except it can stay in orbit 8 months, instead
of a week or two. And can make very large changes in it's orbit.
Exactly what the military would need in a war with the Chinese.

When the Chinese shot down their satellite, they showed
that any space hardware already in orbit would be lost
on the first day of a war. So which side can deploy the fastest
after a first strike wins. Just like the X-37b.

I would recommend studying what happened when China (a much weaker
China than today) and the U.S. battled in Korea. Bloody stalemate
even then. Mass attacks at night by the sound of bugles on one side,
carpet bombing on the other, neither side giving in. Piles of dead
Marines, Army soldiers, and Peoples Liberation Army soldiers
everywhere, not to mention all of the civilians. Then read up on the
Great Patriotic War (we call it WW II) between Germany and the USSR.
27 million dead just on the Soviet side - one in every seven people -
in a total war, which is what a China-U.S. war would be. O.K. Take
that and multiply times two, or ten.

No, any war between China and the U.S. would not be decided merely by
an X-37B or two. It would be decided by bombs and shells and bullets
and knives and fists.

War between these two countries is unthinkable. China and the U.S.
must remain friends!

- Ed Kyle

http://www.spacelaunchreport.com

Fred J. McCall wrote:

Brian Thorn wrote:

On Fri, 7 Oct 2011 20:48:55 -0400, "Jonathan" wrote:

When the Chinese shot down their satellite, they showed
that any space hardware already in orbit would be lost
on the first day of a war. So which side can deploy the fastest
after a first strike wins. Just like the X-37b.

Do you have an Atlas V in your back pocket?

No, he's just happy to see you....

Actually, he hasn't finished taking a ****! :-) He's a Jupiter Child.

Dennis

In article , Jonathan
wrote:

When the Chinese shot down their satellite, they showed
that any space hardware already in orbit would be lost
on the first day of a war. So which side can deploy the fastest
after a first strike wins. Just like the X-37b.

Hell, they already have two of 'em, there's supposedly one in orbit
right now. Maybe in a few short years they could have a small
constellation of them, with lasers in the payload bay, and zap anything
the Chinese or Iranians or Koreans dare launch at us, and as
it comes up.

I'd expect any of them in orbit would be taken out the first day of the
war

--
Chris Mack "If we show any weakness, the monsters will get cocky!"
'Invid Fan' - 'Yokai Monsters Along With Ghosts'