How bout we finish what we started. Venture Star SSTO launch vehicle. How bout we finish what we started. Venture Star SSTO launch vehicle.
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The reason they stopped venture star is quite simple, it doesn’t work and it never would have worked.
After some real engineers got a hold of the proposed designs the math worked out that the thing would have never gotten off the ground with the proposed payload and from a safety stand point it sucks.
Imagine having to coat the entire bottom of that goliath with today’s heat shielding and the weight involved, then factor in the distributed fuel throughout the body and the systems involved integrating all that fuel to the engines to burn it.
What eventually ended up happening was that the fuel expense got larger, the payload smaller and safety goes down the drain.
We don't currently have a fuel source, outside of Nuclear, with a high enough specific impulse to make this thing work.
Now if you think we can get nuclear powered rockets through all the rigmarole and greenies then this design is doable, only you probably won't want to anymore, why go with a lifting body and waste all that weight on structure?