Posted on 01/02/2006 12:11:06 PM PST by KevinDavis
NEW YORK: PlanetSpace, the commercial space travel company launched by Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria has announced the selection of a design that would provide a solid foundation for an orbital fly back spacecraft.
According to a media release on the company's website, Canadian Arrow, partner in PlanetSpace has been collaborating with Prof Paul Czsyz, a well known hypersonic glider expert, to evaluate and select the design. After four years of research, Canadian Arrow has decided to base its next rocket vehicle on a hypersonic glider developed in the early '60s known as the Flight Dynamics Laboratory #7. The PlanetSpace version of the FDL-7 is a 45 ft long eight person hypersonic glider called the Silver Dart.
"The Silver Dart allows us to build on the work we are now doing with our Canadian Arrow rocket," said Geoff Sheerin president and CEO of PlanetSpace. "A cluster of 10 Canadian Arrow rocket engines provide the 700,000 lbs of thrust required to boost the Silver Dart to orbit. PlanetSpace is one of only a handful of organizations that can provide this kind of thrust in a booster vehicle."
After the first manned flights of the Canadian Arrow rocket, PlanetSpace will focus on development of the heavy lift booster to pave the way for the first flights of the Silver Dart to orbit. Early tests will include the completion of a suborbital version of the Silver Dart.
"The specifications for the Silver Dart were finished back in 2001 in anticipation of a requirement for a space station transport vehicle for use by NASA and other private initiatives. We can see in NASA’s recent announcements this requirement is fast becoming a reality," said Sheerin.
(Excerpt) Read more at indiapost.com ...
What do they call this? Lawn Dart?
Isn't this the guy who ran for the Republican nomination for senate in 2004 in Illinois? I think he's running for Lt. Governor of Illinois this year.
There's a lot of vaporware, but there's a lot of competition, and somebody will be successful. There will be failures too.
It is unfortunate as a choice for a commercial product, but happens often enough when a foreign producer is not up to date on the latest local slang. Chevy Nova was hilarious to some in Latin America, even funnier than it was at home.
Siver Dart was chosen to commemorate Canada's first aeroplane, developed by a team led by Alexander Graham Bell and first flown in 1909.
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