Skylon Spaceplane passes Key Review

[Abaddon]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13506289

Skylon Spaceplane passes Key Review​

A revolutionary UK spaceplane concept has been boosted by the conclusions of an important technical review.

The proposed Skylon vehicle would do the job of a big rocket but operate like an airliner, taking off and landing at a conventional runway.

The European Space Agency's propulsion experts have assessed the details of the concept and found no showstoppers.

They want the next phase of development to include a ground demonstration of its key innovation - its Sabre engine.

This power unit is designed to breathe oxygen from the air in the early phases of flight - just like jet engines - before switching to full rocket mode as the Skylon vehicle climbs out of the atmosphere.

It is the spaceplane's "single-stage-to-orbit" operation and its re-usability that makes Skylon such an enticing prospect and one that could substantially reduce the cost of space activity, say its proponents.

Skylon would operate from a runway​

Another contender in the ever-increasing busy world of space flight.

Space a tourist destination for the middle class, in our lifetime?

 

[wapamingo]

Space a tourist destination for the middle class, in our lifetime?

Would one pay $2,000 for a 15 minute or 1 hour for that matter orbit run? I don't know. I want more for my middle class money. Maybe a 7-day orbital cruise with a 0-g pool and water slide. Space walks. The whole nine yards.

 

[Perfection]

Would one pay $2,000 for a 15 minute or 1 hour for that matter orbit run?

I sure as hell would.

 

[GoodGame]

Space a tourist destination for the middle class, in our lifetime?

Intuitively, it seems riskier to me than launching vertically. But maybe one step closer to Serenity!

 

[Abaddon]

Would one pay $2,000 for a 15 minute or 1 hour for that matter orbit run? I don't know. I want more for my middle class money. Maybe a 7-day orbital cruise with a 0-g pool and water slide. Space walks. The whole nine yards.

Hell yes I would! An its a trip that would only become cheaper with time.

Intuitively, it seems riskier to me than launching vertically. But maybe one step closer to Serenity!

But, but, planes do it every day, millions of them.. they seem to manage it a lot safer than strapping yourself to a rocket?!

 

[GoodGame]

Hell yes I would! An its a trip that would only become cheaper with time.



But, but, planes do it every day, millions of them.. they seem to manage it a lot safer than strapping yourself to a rocket?!

IDK, but the planes have wings and aerilons to maintain lift and control. How do you keep a horizontal rocket from going into a spin and negative Y-axis (boom!)?

 

[El_Machinae]

Hell yes I would! An its a trip that would only become cheaper with time.

Like airplane flights, though, it has a lower level of where the price will sit. While technology & innovation & regulations are a great deal of the total price, there will also be a required cost of fuel, construction, and investor payback that cannot be avoided.

 

[emzie]

Would one pay $2,000 for a 15 minute or 1 hour for that matter orbit run? I don't know. I want more for my middle class money. Maybe a 7-day orbital cruise with a 0-g pool and water slide. Space walks. The whole nine yards.

Yes, yes I would. In fact, I would take out a loan against my house to do so, if needed (assuming the price tag is higher than 2k here, obviously).

 

[Michkov]

IDK, but the planes have wings and aerilons to maintain lift and control. How do you keep a horizontal rocket from going into a spin and negative Y-axis (boom!)?

Skylon has wings aswell as a vertical stabiliser plus canards which act as ailerons.

 

[deanej]

Like airplane flights, though, it has a lower level of where the price will sit. While technology & innovation & regulations are a great deal of the total price, there will also be a required cost of fuel, construction, and investor payback that cannot be avoided.

I wasn't aware that the average airline flight cost anywhere near $2000/flight.

I huge part of the cost that you left out is demand. There are very few ways for non-astronauts to get into space currently. I'm sure that once the patents on these things expire and a zillion firms are making them the price will drop like a lead brick.

 

[El_Machinae]

The current market price is $200,000. I honestly cannot imagine them going to ~$2,000, but I'm ready to be surprised. That's two orders of magnitude, and if we can shave that much off of suborbital flights, I'll happily buy my own.

 

[Nick Carpathia]

International flights are in the $2000 ballpark, though that of course varies depending on distance and season. So your $2000 figure sounds ridiculously low. But yeah, a rocket that doesn't need to burn its oxidizer inside the stratosphere sounds like a good idea, hopefully that saves the cost/kilogram of lugging whatever mass you want into LEO.

 

[Samez]

I guess I would give it a try even if it's 20000$. If I would have the choice between a new car and a spaceflight, the choice would definitely be the spaceflight. 20k is an affordable amount for fulfilling a childhood dream. So if it's about the prize of a car I'd do it, if it's the prize of a house.. well then the answer is "not atm".

 

[El_Machinae]

Peter H. Diamandis (who helped start the X-Prize) also had the same childhood dream, and he figured that it was easier to get the cost to come down than to compete to qualify to get sent up on an expensive flight.

I really enjoy when he gives a guest lecture, and would (if you're the type) recommend watching any of his longer talks on youtube. And he gives some ideas on how to help create innovation.

 

[Narz]

Space a tourist destination for the middle class, in our lifetime?

We'll be lucky if we even have a middle class in 20 more years, let alone a middle class going to space.

Pretty cool looking little sucker though!

Would one pay $2,000 for a 15 minute or 1 hour for that matter orbit run?

Not a chance.

 

[Neonanocyborgasm]

The novelty of space tourism is going to wear off very quickly, and I doubt that spaceplanes will last long if that is the only intent. Rather, I believe that when such vehicles do become operational, they will be used in place of aircraft on some flights, such as intercontinental flights. The advantage will be time and convenience to passengers. For a higher price, a passenger can book a flight from London to Tokyo that would last only a couple of hours. Furthermore, this offers greater access to other space-based destinations. For example, if commercial orbital stations are ever built, it could transport passengers there. If other planets are ever colonized, it could act as a ferry to a much larger orbital spaceship that would make the long journey.

 

[emzie]

The novelty of space tourism is going to wear off very quickly, and I doubt that spaceplanes will last long if that is the only intent. Rather, I believe that when such vehicles do become operational, they will be used in place of aircraft on some flights, such as intercontinental flights. The advantage will be time and convenience to passengers. For a higher price, a passenger can book a flight from London to Tokyo that would last only a couple of hours. Furthermore, this offers greater access to other space-based destinations. For example, if commercial orbital stations are ever built, it could transport passengers there. If other planets are ever colonized, it could act as a ferry to a much larger orbital spaceship that would make the long journey.

Anyone know how much more was a concord flight compared to normal jets?