SpaceShipOne - One step closer to the X Prize

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

[Young Werther]

The first "feather" conversion of Scaled Composites' SpaceShipOne rocket plane was achieved during its second gliding flight on Aug. 27 (AW&ST Aug. 18, p. 32). Officials plan to make the first showing of inflight video at the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) symposium in Los Angeles Sept. 25-27 (www.setp.org).

After being dropped from its mother ship at 48,200 ft. and 105 kt., pneumatic actuators raised SpaceShipOne's aft wing and tail booms up to a 65-deg. angle, placing the vehicle in a high-drag angle of attack of about 70 deg. in a near-vertical descent exceeding 10,000 fpm. This high-drag configuration is intended to slow the rocket plane in the upper atmosphere as it returns from a 100-km. (328,000-ft.) vertical space journey.

The body attitude initially pitched up steeply as the tails continued to fly straight, then slowly dropped to near horizontal as the flight path fell. The pitchup caused the most "pucker factor" of the flight. "It didn't seem like it was going to fall away," general manager and test pilot Mike Melvill said. There was some rolloff during the feather entry but it was easily controlled and he felt any residual angle would be damped out by the stable configuration. He reported that rudders were most effective in turning the aircraft but differential elevator (aileron) also had an effect, and that normal elevator had little effect on the stable flight path. There was buffeting, which was expected. Indicated airspeed was about 60 kt.

After about 70 sec., Melvill commanded the actuators to return the vehicle back to normal glider configuration, which made the nose drop about 30 deg. below the horizon and airspeed increase to 120-125 kt., at which point the feather downlock was actuated. The feather maneuver was started at 43,000 ft. and 90 kt., and ended at 30,000 ft. It was preceded by a full stall test, which showed a 70-kt. stall speed at 19-deg. angle of attack at a forward center-of-gravity light weight with no propellant on board.

The remainder of the busy 10.5-min. flight included expanding the envelope to 200 kt. and 3.4g, and performing a 360-deg. roll. A wind shift prompted a change in landing runway from 30 to 12, which was handled readily by the avionics providing guidance to the new high key point. The winds shifted again, giving a slight tailwind on final, and Melvill used the brakes for the first time on rollout, reporting that they had good directional control.

[Moonman62]

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

During reentry the vehicle reaches its peak speed of about Mach 3. However, due to the low dynamic pressures on the spacecraft, the vehicle never exceeds an “equivalent” airspeed of 285 kmph. The heating on the spacecraft is also limited during reentry—the stagnation temperature at peak heating is just under 600°C—meaning the spacecraft needs only a limited thermal protection system (TPS). “We have designed the structure so that the crew is not in jeopardy if the TPS fails,” Rutan said, although he added that the vehicle would require repairs if the TPS failed.

[Moonman62]

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

The only application I can think of is to soak the taxpayer. It'd be like trying to hit a fly with a very expensive and very large sledge hammer.

[Moonman62]

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.

Oh sure, they'll eyeball it and fly by the seat of their pants just like they do in the comic books.

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

When nickel and iron hit $10,000 an ounce, let me know.

[King Prout]

Think: "AP. Breaking news... Mecca and Medina laid waste by asteroid impacts. Radiotelescopes have identified inbound asteroids headed for Qum, Beijing, Pyongyang. Scientists at a loss to explain the mysterious shower of large space rocks."
It'd have to be a "black" op, but damn...

[Moonman62]

The soon to be operational airborne laser might be able to pulverize that rock they worship, without anyone being none the wiser.

[RightWhale]

Lunar Mass Driver. Tell me such a thing has no worthy military applications.

We'll use it to build L-5, but military applications? Forget it.

[irv]

Oh sure, they'll eyeball it and fly by the seat of their pants just like they do in the comic books.

Isn't that the way everything gets done? Ren and Stimpy - Space Warriors! (Okay, that's a cartoon, but the principle's the same)

[Moonman62]

Satellites can be knocked out by using missiles fired from fighter jets flying at high altitude. It's already been done and tested years ago. There are also other unmanned options. Going to the expense of a manned space flight just isn't worth it. There would be so many different orbits for multiple satellites, that carrying enough fuel on a manned flight would be a problem. Plus, if we use something like the Shuttle, we'd have to surrender if there were sprinkles at the launch site.

[King Prout]

the power throughput of any conceivable laser is totally insufficient to do significant damage to robust solid masonry.
Moon rocks at mach15, on the other hand...
Besides, the irony'd be delightful in itself.

[King Prout]

see 44 and 49.
are your objections due to the "unthinkable" nature of such a use, or do you know some reason why a launcher capable of launching multiton rocks from the lunar surface could not be used as the ultimate in catapultic technology?

[Moonman62]

I think Dick Rutan should partner with Christo to wrap the Moon in pink fabric. That'd really freak them out.

[RightWhale]

Such artillery is Maginot Line indefensible: it would not survive long enough to be used even once.

[Brett66]

I wonder what Burt's plans are beyond Spaceship One. He could make an uber-SS1 and have it dropped from a huge plane like an Antonov or he might make a hypersonic carrier plane to boost a SS1 variant to the edge of space before separation. It will be fascinating to watch all of these unique designs flying around.

[JoeSchem]

What a piece of poppycock! Man will never fly! Er, I mean, get a horse!

[poindexter]

The suits at NASA would never even _dream_ of such a spacecraft. They would spend years and billions to "prove" it couldn't be done, meanwhile lauching a shuttle with pieces shedding off.

[King Prout]

That seems a very poor analogy. The Maginot Line was useless because the enemy never presented himself before the guns to get shot at - he wisely went around another way. Earthbound enemies do not have that option. Moreover, there are extremely few who have the capacity to strike at such a system. If they had insufficient information as to its existence and exact whereabouts (to within a few hundred meters) on the lunar surface, even they could do nothing but look up to the heavens in trepidation.

[King Prout]

Dude.
That'd freak ME out.

[irv]

Going to the expense of a manned space flight just isn't worth it.

Just for that purpose, you're probably right. But if you have people in space anyway, and war breaks out, you'll use them to whatever capacity is possible.

And a totalitarian government like China could very well set up an orbital or lunar colony just to prove they can. In that case, they'llhave so many assets in space that, even if it is inefficient, they'll still win.

War WILL move into space. Just watch.

[Moonman62]

And a totalitarian government like China could very well set up an orbital or lunar colony just to prove they can.

China has 30% unemployment and can barely feed its people. All those manned space assets are costly in economic terms. Trying to keep up with our manned space program is one of the major factors that broke the Soviet Union.

[irv]

Trying to keep up with our manned space program is one of the major factors that broke the Soviet Union.

A good point, but not necesarily relevant. It could just as easily work the other way: That China sees space as a way to siphon off those unemployed and claim they're employed. And if a real lot of them die in the process ... the Chinese rulers have a long history of not caring about things like that.

Timing is everything. If the Chinese government collapses tomorrow, fine, there's no problem in space (for now). If they hang on another 20 years, we may see things get very nasty indeed.