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One Step Closer to Reusable Rockets
FortKnox writes: "One of the larger hurdles that reusable rockets have seen is the destruction the heat causes when in use. Scientists have developed a new thermal plating that hopes to eliminate that problem. The plating is called 'Adaptable, Robust, Metallic, Operable, Reusable TPS', or ARMOR for short. With talk of returning to the moon or landing on Mars, reusable rockets would give NASA a little breath of relief in the funding department..."
I think the most visible problem with reusable rockets is that they will be hit by the tiny rocks that are flying around in space. Sure, a tiny ding here and there doesn't cause any problem, but multiple flights through the atmosphere and in space is just about guaranteed to cause a little more damage than a couple dings eventually. What happens when the ARMOR hull is banged up to the point that its aerodynamics are all messed up?
Great. So, when is anyone not affiliated with NASA - and who is actually working on ways to drive down launch costs, not just throwing lots of money at the problem without much results - going to be able to get their hands on it?
u rity
Never, you say? It's too expensive/complicated/restricted-for-national-sec
to let us ordinary folks get our hands on it? Why, in the IT industry I come from, son, we have a word for that: "vaporware".
Scientist will develop a true marvel: the reusable condom.
I'm really getting sick of reusing this damn stiff ranky thing every night.
How about Metallic, Interesting, Thermal Harm Resistant Intermediate Layer
While this is a very interesting idea, I don't see how NASA will hope to implement this or the 2nd gen RLV initiatives.
With their budgets not growing, lots of that budget earmarked for things other than direct space and aeronautical research. NASA has had to stop the research into hypersonic vehicles (X-43 project) among other projects.
It is good to see that ideas are being created, it's too bad that they might not be implemented
Not "Science"
"Marketing"
You have to look for the key words.
robust, temperature-thwarting, easily maintainable, economically viable, fast turnaround times, durable, increases the flight envelope of the vehicle, safer, reliable, less expensive, high flight rates, quick turn-around, three different features, almost a snap, bigger, lower density vehicles, step in the right direction, comprehensive, long-term plan, intentional, step-by-step approach.
GAG!
The current shuttle tiles may be in need of replacement but the way they are plaintively marketing ARMOR, you would think that it is competeing against a better idea from someone else. Perhaps something with some technical merit.
If voting were effective, it would be illegal by now.
In other words, the lucrative one-shot launch vehicles would be defunded. (Even the NASA shuttle requires so much refurbishment that it is practically one shot.) It is therefore a threat to the gov't gravy train for NASA project managers and prime contractors. Remember that these people habitually block X projects, and they're the ones who destroyed the DC-X.
-- ;-)
Kuro5hin.org: where the good times never end.
The real problem is not how to deal with the heat, but how to stop producing all that heat in the first place.
And the answer to that is to get away from this whole notion that to get something into space you have to ignite a whole load of chemicals in the general direction of the ground to get pushed in the general direction of space.
Only when the "rocket" idea is re-evaluated and ultimatly ditched can we get affordable, reusable and efficient space vehicles. It wasn't really a good idea to start with - now it's just really bad, if people had realised that from the start we could already be using something like Magnetic Lauches .
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A Damn Amazing Metallic Armor Needed To Improve Uber Missiles
These ideas are making into production. They are simply being funneled into Military, rather than into civilians hands (think of the X-33).