Posted on 06/17/2022 8:47:00 AM PDT by Red Badger
Yes. I don’t know much about planes, but that one is ugly.
What it launches isn't ugly.
“Is there really a need?”
The US, and the world, has been working with hypersonic vehicles since before WW II. A hypersonic vehicle is defined as being able to travel in excess of mach 5. Even the German V2’s in WW II were hypersonic at 3800 MPH.
So the need I see is the launching of weapons. The leaders in this field right now are the US, Russia, and China. And China since the 1990’s has become a concern with Clinton, Hughes, and Loral giving them the MRV, their targeting capacity has greatly improved.
wy69
🤦‍♂️👌................................
The plane would stay still and the ship would be launched backward.
You should see the elevator that takes it down to the lower decks!
Think how useful Mach 5 will be getting those ballots to precisely where they are needed at 3 AM. No more slow trucks in the wee hours.
Looks like Shamu.
“Design wingspan 1,120 ft.”
Were they going to assemble it in the air?
I was fortunate enough to see it in person the first day of its Roll-Out. It’s home (where Peter Allen built it) is in the California desert at the Mojave Space Port just east of Tehachapi, CA
It is not very far from Edwards AFB.
Just imagine the cost of the tire replacement (28)!
Nonetheless, it is serving a need and more power to it!
Or maybe a ROK.
Reading the title of this article of highest altitude I was curious the altitude. Turns out it was less than I expected. It was only 27,000 feet meaning it couldn’t even get over mt. Everest at 29,000 feet.
It certainly shows the huge effect of altitude on flying.
“Design wingspan 1,120 ft.”
Were they going to assemble it in the air?
—
Due to the immense wingspan of over 1,200 ft, the designers came up with an even crazier idea how to get the CL-1201 in the air; they planned to use 182 747 turbojet engines to allow for vertical takeoff (VTOL). Those 4 massive engines on the tail were just for use at altitude and were driven by a nuclear reactor.
Crazy stuff.
Here is a video that gives a good overview of the planned aircraft...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7KgjObskvM
But that doesn't change the fact that the Stratolaunch is one of the most extreme engineering projects ever built. It is the first (and as yet the only) airplane ever built with a wingspan longer than the Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose."
The major engineering challenge lay in the fact that the wings outboard of the twin fuselages pull up while grabity is pulling the external load in the middle of the center wing down. They're opposing forces trying to fold the center wing in half. With a max external payload the bending moment in the middle of the center wing approaches 800 million inch-pounds, the equivalent of a large male African elephant standing on the end of a diving board one mile long.
Which is why it needs four wing spars. And why those four wing spars make up very nearly half of the airplane's nominal weight. Which means all the rest of the airplane, the twin fuselages, landing gear with 28 wheels, six jet engines and those long, spindly wings only weigh about 260,000 lbs between them (without the spars). Ridiculously light, which was one of Rutan's greatest strengths.
Now that there comment is funny.
Read through the excerpt, and nowhere did I see the number which represents the highest altitude yet.
Had to go to the page and somewhere down further it said "World's largest plane soars to its highest altitude yet "27,000 feet".
So the highest altitude is 27,000 feet? No wonder they didn't post it in the title.
That's not terribly high for a purpose built aircraft.
ATC: flight 2-0-niner you’re cleared for takeoff. Captain Oveur: Roger! Roger: Eh? ATC: LA departure frequency 1-2-3 point niner. Captain Oveur: Roger! Roger: Huh? Victor: Request vector, over. Captain Oveur: What? ATC: Flight 2-0-niner cleared for vector 3-2-4. Roger: We have clearance, Clarence. Captain Oveur: Roger, Roger, what’s our vector, Victor? ATC: Tower radio clearance, over. Captain Oveur: That’s “Clarence Oveur”, over. ATC: Roger! Roger: Huh? ATC: Roger, over. Roger: Huh?! Captain Oveur: Who?!
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