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Private, uncrewed, suborbital test flights to start this year.
On Jan 6, 4:42*am, Robert Clark wrote:
*All of Armadillo Aerospace, Blue Origins, and Masten Space Systems plan on making uncrewed suborbital test flights this year. And Blue Origins believes they can begin crewed suborbital test flights next year. This could be the time frame in which SpaceShipTwo will be making its first suborbital test flights. *See the links to the respective suborbital programs he Suborbital RLV.https://c3.ndc.nasa.gov/flightopport...rms/suborbital * Bob Clark Interestingly, though orbital flight has been considered much more difficult than suborbital flight, and indeed the "cost" in energy and velocity is much higher, surprisingly it can be done now actually at a lower monetary cost than at least that of the Virgin Galactic suborbital system. As I mentioned here a reusable launch vehicle can be constructed for an amount in the range of $10 million to $20 million: A Kerosene-Fueled X-33 as a Single Stage to Orbit Vehicle. http://groups.google.com/group/sci.s...Ed19932302b043 Compare that to the estimated $150 million to $200 million Virgin Galactic will be paying to develop the WhiteKnightTwo/SpaceShipTwo suborbital system. This reusable SSTO is of the DC-X powered-landing format not the X-33 lifting-body format and is derived from 1970's technology Delta Thor lightweight structures and NK-33 high efficiency engines, which is why I have argued SSTO's with significant payload capability have been possible for decades. However, to get the SSTO you need to use both weight optimized structures and high efficiency engines at the same time. Previously, and frustratingly still now, launchers have been given one or the other but not both. Of the suborbital flight companies mentioned Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have sufficient financing to easily build this SSTO. And indeed it is of such simple design an operational prototype could probably be flying by the time they have their manned suborbital flights in operation. As I said this SSTO is of the DC-X design. Since Blue Origin is already going to use this powered landing approach for their suborbital vehicle they may have a leg up in the race to first field this SSTO. However SSTO's of comparable size that used instead horizontal landing would work just as well. Then Virgin Galactic with partnerships both with Scaled Composites with the winged SpaceShipTwo and now with Sierra Nevada with the lifting-body Dream Chaser, http://www.newspacejournal.com/2010/...nies-on-ccdev/, could also easily field a horizontal landing type SSTO. Bob Clark |
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Private, uncrewed, suborbital test flights to start this year.
On Jan 7, 2:24*pm, Robert Clark wrote:
On Jan 6, 4:42*am, Robert Clark wrote: *All of Armadillo Aerospace, Blue Origins, and Masten Space Systems plan on making uncrewed suborbital test flights this year. And Blue Origins believes they can begin crewed suborbital test flights next year. This could be the time frame in which SpaceShipTwo will be making its first suborbital test flights. *See the links to the respective suborbital programs he Suborbital RLV.https://c3.ndc.nasa.gov/flightopport...rms/suborbital * Bob Clark Interestingly, though orbital flight has been considered much more difficult than suborbital flight, and indeed the "cost" in energy and velocity is much higher, surprisingly it can be done now actually at a lower monetary cost than at least that of the Virgin Galactic suborbital system. As I mentioned here a reusable launch vehicle can be constructed for an amount in the range of $10 million to $20 million: A Kerosene-Fueled X-33 as a Single Stage to Orbit Vehicle.http://groups.google.com/group/sci.s...ecf0850bfdaf5?... Compare that to the estimated $150 million to $200 million Virgin Galactic will be paying to develop the WhiteKnightTwo/SpaceShipTwo suborbital system. This reusable SSTO is of the DC-X powered-landing format not the X-33 lifting-body format and is derived from 1970's technology Delta Thor lightweight structures and NK-33 high efficiency engines, which is why I have argued SSTO's with significant payload capability have been possible for decades. However, to get the SSTO you need to use both weight optimized structures and high efficiency engines at the same time. Previously, and frustratingly still now, launchers have been given one or the other but not both. Of the suborbital flight companies mentioned Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have sufficient financing to easily build this SSTO. And indeed it is of such simple design an operational prototype could probably be flying by the time they have their manned suborbital flights in operation. As I said this SSTO is of the DC-X design. Since Blue Origin is already going to use this powered landing approach for their suborbital vehicle they may have a leg up in the race to first field this SSTO. However SSTO's of comparable size that used instead horizontal landing would work just as well. Then Virgin Galactic with partnerships both with Scaled Composites with the winged SpaceShipTwo and now with Sierra Nevada with the lifting-body Dream Chaser,http://www.newspacejournal.com/2010/...with-two-compa..., could also easily field a horizontal landing type SSTO. * *Bob Clark That last link should be: Virgin joins forces with two companies on CCDev. December 16, 2010, at 12:50 pm | Category: Orbital, Orbital Sciences Corp., Sierra Nevada Corp., Virgin Galactic http://www.newspacejournal.com/2010/...nies-on-ccdev/ Bob Clark |
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