Posted on 03/11/2009 8:28:54 PM PDT by KevinDavis
Launching into orbit could become a little easier and cheaper, thanks to a futuristic space plane that looks like it might have flown straight out of a Star Wars film.
The European Space Agency and British government have awarded $1 million euros ($1.28 million dollars) to Reaction Engines Limited (REL), a British aerospace company, as part of a multi-million dollar development program for an air-breathing rocket engine that could power the Skylon spaceplane. The unpiloted, reusable vehicle is designed to take off from an airstrip, deliver cargo into orbit and return to the same runway.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
I'm no rocket scientist, but even to my very limited knowledge of such things it seems an air-breathing anything would be seriously challenged in space.
Plenty of air to breathe for the first 100,000 feet. One of the great inefficiencies of traditional staged-rocket to orbit is the need to drag a lot of heavy oxidiser through the atmosphere.
Can it just soar into orbit from 100,000 feet if it has enough inertia from the powered phase of the flight?
Interesting. Thanks for the info. Love stuff like that, but have little real knowledge of it.
Gotta remember to make a reservation at a Holiday Inn Express. I’ve got several areas of expertise that need honing.
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.
Come to think of it, Orbital Sciences Corp’s “Pegasus” rocket uses this technique to put small satellites in Low Earth Orbit. Their original launch platform was a B-52; I believe they’re now using an L-1011.
Does the US have any plans for delivery and return from space; Space Rope?
I wonder if any of the money for such an endeavor made it into any of the Spending Bills? I kinda dount it.
Whatever you’ve posted, it’s extremely stealthy. I can’t see it at all. :(
OK, let me see if I can find another source.
What is that thing on teh back of that SR-71?
IIRC, it was intended to be used once, and crashed at high Mach numbers at the end of its mission.
(Since then we've figured out how to land an RPV)...
Was it faster than the 71?
No idea. (OTOH I don’t know how fast an SR-71 was either)...
It looks like something out of Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon. But why is it unmanned? This looks like the next stage of the space shuttle.
Queen Amidala called, she wants her yacht back.
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