[diamondgeezer]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3610755.stm

Go Burt go!

[Nico]

That rocks

[J3Vr6]

So does it have to be launched from the ground or can it be released from an airborne ship?

[diamondgeezer]

Spaceship One will be lofted to high altitude on the back of White Knight, a jet plane which takes off and lands conventionally

[J3Vr6]

Is that what the future of leaving earth will be like?  In the future, would we ever launch from the ground again?  I'm not up to date on all the latest innovations or whatever.

[Liberator]

Strange that it's looks kind of like Farscape 1.

[diamondgeezer]

Originally posted by J3Vr6
Is that what the future of leaving earth will be like?  In the future, would we ever launch from the ground again?  I'm not up to date on all the latest innovations or whatever.

Small rocket craft are probly better off launched from a plane or other platform. But this is only one way of doing things. And a biggie like a Moon or Mars shot would never be lifted by any jet aircraft on Earth

[karajorma]

Originally posted by diamondgeezer

Small rocket craft are probly better off launched from a plane or other platform. But this is only one way of doing things. And a biggie like a Moon or Mars shot would never be lifted by any jet aircraft on Earth

Unless they assembled it in space of course.

[diamondgeezer]

That's just showing off

[Liberator]

Cheaper though.  During the Apollo Program in the 60s and 70s, something like 95% of the Saturn Vs thrust potential was used exclusively for escaping Earth's gravity well.  Any interplanetary vehicle constructed in space could use much more of it's potential thrust to accelerate toward the destination and thus shorten the trip.

[mikhael]

The problem with that, though, Lib, is that you still have to get the raw materials into LEO, unless you're already mining asteroids. The moon is great for nickel-iron, but not for many other metals, and certainly no good for volatiles, so you're not going to be putting a general purpose foundry there any time soon.

For the forseeable future (IE until asteroid mining is a reality), heavy lift is going to going to have to be relegated to Big Dumb Boosters.

[Darkage]

I only hope that it doesn't use windows to guide the craft:p

[Liberator]

Well, we could use MagCats(Magnetic Catapults) for LEO insertions.  They're kinda big, but a better long term solution, especially if/when spaceflight becomes a more privatized affair.

[Carl]

yes, and it would kill anyone aboard.

[mikhael]

People can stand a lot of Gs, Carl, but that's unimportant. You use mag-cats for moving raw materials and shock resistant components. You put squishies up on something like SpaceshipOne or the classic Shuttle.

[Corsair]

I've been following SpaceShipOne for about a year now...and what they're doing is awesome.

I first heard about it here: http://www.popsci.com/popsci/aviation/article/0,12543,444888,00.html

I've got a subscription to PopSci and I have to say it's a great magazine.