AHC/PC: SSTO - "Single Stage to Orbit" vehicle

[RanulfC]

"SERV-ing" up another concept... (Ok, I'll stop... maybe )

A vehicle in the range I'm thinking about was the General Dynamic/Aerojet "Millennium Express" mentioned here:
http://www.spacefuture.com/archive/...d_landing_concept_technology_challenges.shtml

Which 'lost' out to the DC-X/Delta Clipper concept but was arguably the better, if a bit more speculative, design. Pretty much checks all the same boxes but I note it starts off with a 'modular' payload ability which the competing designs lacked. (They both had dedicated 'cargo bays') And it also uses the 'plug nozzle' to it's best advantage whereas DC was planned to enter 'nose first' with all the aerodynamic issues that entails. Would like to see more study on 'alternative' propellants, (for example methane) but given the time period (still at the peak of "hydrogen-uber-alles" after all) I can understand the lack. Funny enough it was in fact 'known' at the the time that the RL-10 (for example) could be run on methane but given how disparate and scattered the information was, (and lets face it the RL-10 was tested with such godawful stuff as FLOX!) it's also understandable that the 'common knowledge' was there were no engines available other than kerolox of hydrolox.

Still as noted it checks enough boxes for consideration, but SDIO and NASA, (reluctantly) choose different so what might make them change their minds?

Oh and on the general subject of SSTO's and "other" developers I ran across this little item:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CORONA_(SSTO)

Anyone else familiar with it?

Randy

 

[RanulfC]

And, speaking of SSTO's in general I found these on the SDASM archives site:

And

Which is the Convair "Aerospaceplane" concept model from the late 50s. This was a "combined cycle" air-breathing and rocket vehicle that at one point was making LOX from the HYPERSONIC (above Mach-5) airflow to fill it's propellant tanks! Along with turbojets, ramjets and rocket engines all hanging out together on the same airframe

And note this was NOT the 'crazyist' concept at the time either! IIRC the Douglas concept had TWO vehicles doing 'in-flight' refueling, (of liquid hydrogen mind you) at speed in excess of Mach-6 IN THE ATMOSPHERE and no one thought it very 'out-there' at the time

Randy

 

[Michel Van]

Actually this is more than a bit of a 'straw-man' argument; NSWR was never suggested or even considered for any application OTHER than 'deep space' (beyond Cis-Lunar actually)

For those who not understand term NSWR, its stands for Nuclear Salt Water Rocket (engine) and is idea of Robert Zubrin
it propellant is in form salty Water but with salts of 20 percent enriched uranium or plutonium. The solution would be contained in a bundle of pipes coated in boron carbide to prevent that salty Water goes critical.
once the Engine is activated, the salty Water leave the tanks into reaction chamber were goes direct into nuclear fission and water vapor & nuclear particles are expelled through a nozzle to generate thrust

Actually Its riding a constant nuclear explosion...