http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2008/01/25/space-ship-two-eerily-familiar%e2%80%a6/ LiveScience Blogs | Science, Technology, Health & Environmental News Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:26:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2008/01/25/space-ship-two-eerily-familiar%e2%80%a6/#comment-43180 galantz Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:01:37 +0000 http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2008/01/25/space-ship-two-eerily-familiar%e2%80%a6/#comment-43180 There's even more history in the configuration of SS1 and SS22 itself. Dean R Chapman wrote a NACA Technical Paper 4276 that described a reentry via shuttlecock configuration that either ejected or reconfigured for a glide back. (http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930085059_1993085059.pdf). Everything Rutan needed to size the vehicle for his mission can be found in that technical report. I suspect that he didn't "invent the wheel again", but rather he took the approach of using old technology to solve a new problem. It's ws what any good engineer would and should do. There’s even more history in the configuration of SS1 and SS22 itself. Dean R Chapman wrote a NACA Technical Paper 4276 that described a reentry via shuttlecock configuration that either ejected or reconfigured for a glide back. (http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930085059_1993085059.pdf). Everything Rutan needed to size the vehicle for his mission can be found in that technical report. I suspect that he didn’t “invent the wheel again”, but rather he took the approach of using old technology to solve a new problem. It’s ws what any good engineer would and should do.

]]> http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2008/01/25/space-ship-two-eerily-familiar%e2%80%a6/#comment-43092 madhu thangavelu Mon, 28 Jan 2008 19:16:45 +0000 http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2008/01/25/space-ship-two-eerily-familiar%e2%80%a6/#comment-43092 In the near term, TSTO is the way to go, if we are planning to make it to orbit using airlaunch. Now add a LEO transit lounge/hotel to the Myasishchev/Rutan architecture and voila !, we have the next dimension in rapid, commercial aviation !...and very timely too given the humming antipodal economies. In the near term, TSTO is the way to go, if we are planning to make it to orbit using airlaunch. Now add a LEO transit lounge/hotel to the Myasishchev/Rutan architecture and voila !, we have the next dimension in rapid, commercial aviation !…and very timely too given the humming antipodal economies.

]]> http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2008/01/25/space-ship-two-eerily-familiar%e2%80%a6/#comment-43083 Claudio Bruno Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:32:32 +0000 http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2008/01/25/space-ship-two-eerily-familiar%e2%80%a6/#comment-43083 Well, there have been a number of Russian concepts based on a TSTO strategy, whereas the first stage is airbreathing (look at the older MAKS and Tu-160 + Burlak concepts, for instance). To assume the idea was 'stolen' precisely from the Myasischev bureau is restrictive... There have been also US-born concepts of the same sort, but they were/are classified. Concepts based on TSTO and where the first stage is driven by airbreathing engines have been discussed at many IAC Congresses; it is intuitive that to save on launcher costs you may want to use airbreathing propulsion in some form, be that SCRJ, RJ or GT. So Rutan may have invented the wheel again, for all we know, but quite independently and certainly not yet to insert crewed payload into orbit. Well, there have been a number of Russian concepts based on a TSTO strategy, whereas the first stage is airbreathing (look at the older MAKS and Tu-160 + Burlak concepts, for instance).
To assume the idea was ’stolen’ precisely from the Myasischev bureau is restrictive…
There have been also US-born concepts of the same sort, but they were/are classified.
Concepts based on TSTO and where the first stage is driven by airbreathing engines have been discussed at many IAC Congresses; it is intuitive that to save on launcher costs you may want to use airbreathing propulsion in some form, be that SCRJ, RJ or GT.
So Rutan may have invented the wheel again, for all we know, but quite independently and certainly not yet to insert crewed payload into orbit.

]]> http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2008/01/25/space-ship-two-eerily-familiar%e2%80%a6/#comment-43030 a3k_2_aa@yahoo.com Sun, 27 Jan 2008 15:07:02 +0000 http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2008/01/25/space-ship-two-eerily-familiar%e2%80%a6/#comment-43030 You might want to look at the "He 111Z" aircraft from Germany in World War II. They took 2 He 111's and joined them together in a similar fashion to create a single plane that was large enough to pull their giant assault gliders. the center wing was fitted with 1 or 3 engines, depending on the situation, and they looked at also using it to carry "monster bombs" and rockets between the fuselages. Very similar. Maybe this is where the Russians got their inspriation? You might want to look at the “He 111Z” aircraft from Germany in World War II. They took 2 He 111’s and joined them together in a similar fashion to create a single plane that was large enough to pull their giant assault gliders. the center wing was fitted with 1 or 3 engines, depending on the situation, and they looked at also using it to carry “monster bombs” and rockets between the fuselages. Very similar. Maybe this is where the Russians got their inspriation?

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