Space news /comments
- Thread starter Winner
- Start date
Winner
Diverse in Unity
I simply don't see it as a significant step forward. It's basically a spy-satellite with wings.
"Upscaling" it? And what would that accomplish? You still need a conventional booster to lift it up, only bigger and more expensive, there is no room or lift capacity for any significant cargo, so in the end it's just the military trying to get its own parallel space programme.
Well, forgive me for not being particularly excited.
Snorrius
Librivorator
It just seem that Mars colonization will be unfortunately postponed due to world financial crisis and going of USA and Europe by SU route (cutting of scientific funds due to the lack of money).
Unfortunately Russia did not happen to have a colony in French Guayana... Will have to stick to Far East probably...
It'd have a use as crew shuttle into LEO(if it can be manrated). There is no need for it to carry much cargo, we got conventional luanchers and transporters for that(Progress, ATV, Dragon etc). What's missing is a cheap and reliable crew vehicle. I still doubt the X37 will be a basis for that though
Winner
Diverse in Unity
There's plenty of crew vehicles in service or in development. The thing is, something like Dragon-Falcon will probably always be much cheaper than any X37 derivative launched by a ULA rocket. So again, what's the point?
Lillefix
I'm serious. You can.
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2003
- Messages
- 5,699
What about buying a few square kilometers of a deserted shoreline in Somalia. Can't be that expensive. I'm surprised that the Chinese haven't already done it.
Winner
Diverse in Unity
China Shenzhou-9 spacecraft makes first manual docking
-> China is practising techniques necessary for connecting large modules in space.
Why would they? They are building their own large space centre in Hainan, which is reasonably far down south (closer to the equator than Cape Canaveral) and practically next door to the factories where the rockets are made.
-> China is practising techniques necessary for connecting large modules in space.
Why would they? They are building their own large space centre in Hainan, which is reasonably far down south (closer to the equator than Cape Canaveral) and practically next door to the factories where the rockets are made.
X37 seems to have a cross country range, something very hard to implement into a capsule which fall almost ballistic. Also it can land on any conventional landing strip.
Winner
Diverse in Unity
Yes, but this is generally far outweighed by the additional mass you need to lift to LEO (wings, landing gear, etc.). The STS was in fact a heavy lift system capable of lifting about 120 tonnes to LEO. Unfortunately, the Orbiter spacecraft was so heavy than only about 20-25 tonnes of that was useful cargo.
I know, I'm not a fan of the STS. Too many compromises went into the design and it ended up too heavy as a personal shuttle and not strong enough to carry stuff into orbit. As I said before for heavy payloads conventional rockets are good enough. But I'd like to see a crew delivery vehicle in the style of Kliper,Hermes,Dynasoar. That's why the X37 flight excites me.
Winner
Diverse in Unity
I'd like to see a fully reusable two-stage-to-orbit system, which is in my opinion far easier to do than a true SSTO like, say, Skylon. If you have to lift a winged spacecraft with a conventional booster rocket, I think it defeats the purpose of having a winged spacecraft in the first place.
History_Buff
Deity
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2001
- Messages
- 6,529
Oh man, wouldn't that be deliciously ironic.
Winner
Diverse in Unity
Not likely. US government and US companies are prohibited by law from using Chinese hardware.
Kozmos
Jew Detective
Russia still has Baikonur on lease no? Vostochny is back-up for now.
Working prototype of "Selenokhod" rover will be ready this summer.
Selenokhod is the only Russian company, participant of Google Lunar X-Prize contest. The goal is to send a rover on the Moon by 2015.
http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/teams/selenokhod/blog/assembly-and-testing-our-robotic-lunar-rover
The artist's impression of mission:
Link to video.
Selenokhod is the only Russian company, participant of Google Lunar X-Prize contest. The goal is to send a rover on the Moon by 2015.
http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/teams/selenokhod/blog/assembly-and-testing-our-robotic-lunar-rover
The artist's impression of mission:
Link to video.
Winner
Diverse in Unity
Good news about Skylon
The progress is closely observed by ESA (BBC)
Reaction Engines video
-> It seems that the first precooler test was a success. There will of course be a lot more testing, but it appears that the key piece of technology enabling the Skylon spaceplane is viable.
The British government has already noticed and is working to update European regulatory framework to allow the introduction of reusable spaceplanes. The European Space Agency is also following the progress that's being made with great interest.
(yes yes yes
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The progress is closely observed by ESA (BBC)
Reaction Engines video
-> It seems that the first precooler test was a success. There will of course be a lot more testing, but it appears that the key piece of technology enabling the Skylon spaceplane is viable.
The British government has already noticed and is working to update European regulatory framework to allow the introduction of reusable spaceplanes. The European Space Agency is also following the progress that's being made with great interest.
(yes yes yes
)
Snorrius
Librivorator
They will have to fight with conventional air lobby to get necessary licenses. But indeed a good sign of progress.
