1980's DOD spaceplane

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On Mar 9, 3:54?am, Pat Flannery wrote:
Dwayne Day has part 2 of his article on the Air Launched Sortie Vehicle
up on The Space Review:http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1580/1
(In case you missed it, part 1 is
hehttp://www.thespacereview.com/article/1569/1)
In this installment, General Dynamics and liquid fluorine arrive on the
scene.

Pat

I suspect some form was actually built although still secret. Heck
find a way to get the airplanes release altitude to 50,000 feet and it
would be doable.

Add air refueling to the carrier airplane, and new materials available
today to keep the space planes weight down.


Yup, I have always thought the TSTO concept would be the best way to get to
LEO, especially after the letdown of the NASP (anyone remember the buzz
about the Blackstar, which if it existed was basically a TSTO which may have
incorporated ramjets/scramjets or perhaps supersonic air launch?).
TSTO is the way.

On 4/21/2010 2:49 PM, Joseph S. Powell, III wrote:

I suspect some form was actually built although still secret. Heck
find a way to get the airplanes release altitude to 50,000 feet and it
would be doable.

Add air refueling to the carrier airplane, and new materials available
today to keep the space planes weight down.


Yup, I have always thought the TSTO concept would be the best way to get to
LEO, especially after the letdown of the NASP (anyone remember the buzz
about the Blackstar, which if it existed was basically a TSTO which may have
incorporated ramjets/scramjets or perhaps supersonic air launch?).
TSTO is the way.

Part 4 is now up, as Boeing sticks their design on top of the
rocket-boosted 747, and the Air Force decides the giant drop tank costs
too much per mission:
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1608/1

Pat