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Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: FlamingCobra on June 16, 2012, 05:40:44 pm

Title: The US' OTHER spaceplane
Post by: FlamingCobra on June 16, 2012, 05:40:44 pm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47842589/ns/technology_and_science-space/
Title: Re: The US' OTHER spaceplane
Post by: headdie on June 16, 2012, 06:33:59 pm
I am struggling to get excited about this one, the article reads like the USAF playing cold war games in space which is nothing new and it still needs launching by rocket from what I can read so has all the same launch advantages/disadvantages of the shuttle,  the only remarkable thing about the vehicle is it's size and the fat that it is 100% remote operated, which for a orbit-return vehicle is new, we have been doing that with satellites for decades now.
Title: Re: The US' OTHER spaceplane
Post by: Thaeris on June 16, 2012, 06:52:42 pm
This is old news, broski.

http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=81031.msg1614091#msg1614091
Title: Re: The US' OTHER spaceplane
Post by: Dragon on June 16, 2012, 07:53:24 pm
I am struggling to get excited about this one, the article reads like the USAF playing cold war games in space which is nothing new and it still needs launching by rocket from what I can read so has all the same launch advantages/disadvantages of the shuttle,  the only remarkable thing about the vehicle is it's size and the fat that it is 100% remote operated, which for a orbit-return vehicle is new, we have been doing that with satellites for decades now.
Not even that (well, maybe in US). Buran has done remote controlled flight before (it was it's only flight, but it worked). I guess they didn't told the public about it just because nobody seen the need to. That's a nice ship, but nothing exceptional. The only new thing it achieved (that we know of) was proving that US could do what Russians did with Buran.
Title: Re: The US' OTHER spaceplane
Post by: FlamingCobra on June 16, 2012, 09:18:05 pm
I'm not excited about SLS or this. We need a dedicated SSTO.
Title: Re: The US' OTHER spaceplane
Post by: redsniper on June 17, 2012, 01:08:19 am
Yeah. Skylon. We had a thread about that too.
Title: Re: The US' OTHER spaceplane
Post by: Bobboau on June 17, 2012, 01:14:13 am
I thought 'other' in the thread title meant an alternative to this, because this is basically our only one at the moment.
Title: Re: The US' OTHER spaceplane
Post by: FlamingCobra on June 17, 2012, 05:39:19 pm
Yeah. Skylon. We had a thread about that too.

Skylon is European. The title clearly says US.
Title: Re: The US' OTHER spaceplane
Post by: redsniper on June 18, 2012, 12:14:41 am
Oh, well my bad then. I'm sure they'd let us buy a couple though. No need to be a dick about it. Sheesh. :doubt: