SpaceShipOne - One step closer to the X Prize

Aviation Week and Space Technology ^ | Sept 1, 2003 | Aviation Week and Space Technology

[KevinDavis]

I have given up on NASA.

[uglybiker]

Now if we could just get the gov't to give up on NASA and let private industry loose, you just might get your dream.

[irv]

Aside from LEO, there won't be many people in space for a long time to come

From LEO everything else is gravy. And once someone like the Chinese or even the Brazilians puts someone in orbit for reasons other than national pride (e.q. war or money) there will be a mad scramble by the rest of the world to catch up.

Watch. You'll see. It may take twenty years or so, but it will happen.

[Moonman62]

With the tail raised at 100 knots, the airplane flies nearly ballistic. What about when it returns from 100 kilometers? Will it be so controllable at a much higher speed?

I believe the speed at altitude will still be relatively slow. Remember, they are going into space, not orbit.

[Moonman62]

And once someone like the Chinese or even the Brazilians puts someone in orbit for reasons other than national pride (e.q. war or money) there will be a mad scramble by the rest of the world to catch up.

But even our own military has given up on the idea that manned spaceflight is militarily advantageous. The Brazilians only interest in rockets is to get into the nuclear blackmail business. If the Chicoms ever get a man into space it will be on Russian hardware, and forty years behind schedule.

[anymouse]

I still have dreams of going into space. The bad part it is not going to happen :(

You obviously don't want to go bad enough to get rich enough to make it happen either through buying a ticket on a Soyuz or investing in many of the struggling commercial space launch companies trying to make space access more affordable.

Blindly supporting doomed NASA programs is pushing you away from your alledged goal of traveling into space.

[irv]

But even our own military has given up on the idea that manned spaceflight is militarily advantageous.

They'll change their minds when they realize that a couple guys in a decent space plane or shuttle, can knock out half the satellites we have in a few days.

Or when someone brings home some minerals drilled out of asteroids, and starts shooting at anyone else who tries to do the same thing.

[KevinDavis]

We need to pressure our government officials to open up space travel to private industry.

[RightWhale]

Watch. You'll see. It may take twenty years or so

Been there, done that. In '65 I was actually in the space program. It's somebody else's turn.

[RightWhale]

the speed at altitude will still be relatively slow

It's going to hit the atmosphere at 3000 mph. That would strip the chrome right off the front bumper of my Chevy.

[Brett66]

You'll get your chance to go. It may take about 25-30 years, but you should be able to simply buy a ticket by then and get a shot at staying at a large,rotating, 2001esque station too. I just finished reading "Spaceflight Revolution" written by David Ashford, CEO of Bristol Spaceplanes. He believes within 20-30 years that a "mature" RLV spaceplane will be possible that will enable orbital transport for $5,000 per person.

Spaceflight Revolution

[irv]

In '65 I was actually in the space program.

It was worth being part of then. Thank you for having put in the effort.

[al baby]

looks like that thing steve austine crashed in you
pitch is out coming forward with the side stick then we can rebulid him we have the technoligy........

[yhwhsman]

Please add me to the space ping list.

[King Prout]

3 words for the US Military: Lunar Mass Driver.
Tell me such a thing has no worthy military applications.

[King Prout]

This Mike Melvill character has some large stainless ones... good LORD - freefalling in an unpowered and essentially untested prototype vehicle from a drop altitude of nine miles...
Huge, shiny, chrome-plated ones.

[Iris7]

You are correct irv, though I would have said "war and money!"

There are two choices, dominate the high ground, and slavery.

Hard to guess when, but certainly sooner or later! Twenty years or less seems about right.

[Iris7]

I look at those machines and get an inkling of Rutan's thought. Beautiful. I look at a feature for a few minutes, trying to get into Burt's head, and sometimes I see. Notice the X-1 shape, copied from the old .50 projectile noted for it's smooth transition to and from supersonic flow. Notice the lack of stress risers, even in the windows. Burt is getting ready to build a full fledged re-entry vehicle!

Spaceship One may be controllable on reentry with very slight movement of the hinging rear assembly, giving lift enough to fly at the edge of the atmosphere at 18,000 miles an hourwith those high cord wings, flying higher to avoid over heating and lower as speed drops, a Sanger "Antipodal Bomber" reentry, with none of this 3,500 degree reletively low altitude, high air turbulance reentry of the Shuttle!

[Iris7]

I look at those machines and get an inkling of Rutan's thought. Beautiful. I look at a feature for a few minutes, trying to get into Burt's head, and sometimes I see. Notice the X-1 shape, copied from the old .50 projectile noted for it's smooth transition to and from supersonic flow. Notice the lack of stress risers, even in the windows. Burt is getting ready to build a full fledged re-entry vehicle!

Spaceship One may be controllable on reentry with very slight movement of the hinging rear assembly, giving lift enough to fly at the edge of the atmosphere at 18,000 miles an hourwith those high cord wings, flying higher to avoid over heating and lower as speed drops, a Sanger "Antipodal Bomber" reentry, with none of this 3,500 degree reletively low altitude, high air turbulance reentry of the Shuttle!

And remember Zenit is ready to be launched by the six huge turbofans of a Antonov 225, way, way cheaper per ton than the Shuttle to LEO! We can do this now!

[Iris7]

Sorry about the two nearly identical posts. Must have been a senior moment and a few beers!