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Rutans' X-prize Entry Tested In Re-Entry Configuration

Posted by timothy on from the one-among-many dept.

evenprime writes "Burt Rutan's X-Prize entry has completed another drop test. This is the second drop over-all, and the first with its wings locked into their re-entry position. The flight results are here."

27 comments

  1. Pictures! by elvesRgay · · Score: 5, Informative
    This article really needs a link to some cool pictures. So here they are.

    Scoll down to the bottom to get to the newest pictures. Hope the server doesn't get hammered.

    1. Re:Pictures! by bananahammock · · Score: 3, Informative

      Perhaps like others (and maybe this point has been raised previously), I was curious why this "spaceship" has umpteen windows. Searching the Scaled website, this is addressed under FAQs. For those interested:

      "The windows must be small to keep the weight of the vehicle down and they must be round to minimize the structural loads. This configuration is also the least expensive to manufacture. Each portal consists of two windows to provide redundancy for the integrity of the pressure vessel should one window crack or fail. The number and location of the windows were selected to provide the pilot a view of the horizon throughout SpaceShipOne's mission profile."

  2. Drop-test? by El · · Score: 2, Funny

    Now if I could just get a laptop that would survive a drop-test from 47,000 feet...

    --

    "Freedom means freedom for everybody" -- Dick Cheney

    1. Re:Drop-test? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Why? Why would your laptop be dropped from such a height? The only times my laptop has fallen, it's been from a height of no greater than 10 feet. What the fuck are you doing with yours?

      I know you're trying to be funny but you've failed. I mean, what the fuck is the joke here? I don't get it.

    2. Re:Drop-test? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dear AC troll: the joke is that usually "drop test" is a term used in Consumer's Report-style testing, wherein devices are dropped from a distance of a few feet to see if they survive. This is the first time I've ever heard the term used in the context of aeronautics. Have you considered a sense-of-humor transplant? Clearly you're lacking one. What a sad, pathetic life you must lead, that you feel it necessary to inform the world that you "don't get it"!!!

    3. Re:Drop-test? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I'd be happy for 4.7 feet without having to buy a so-called "ruggedized" (what a lame "word") laptop that has half the CPU and twice the price tag of its competitors.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  3. NASA by iCat · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If I worked for NASA, I might consider a change of employer.

    1. Re:NASA by turgid · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I think we're still in the very early stages yet, so don't be too hasty. Many more people will lose their shirts before things really get going. Maybe in 5 years time things will be more promising. If I worked for NASA, especially doing something technical, I'd be proud and happy working for such a hi-tech employer and getting all that experience and knowledge.

      --
      Stick Men
  4. If you read it really quickly... by Ieshan · · Score: 1

    It almost sounds like:

    "Lock your X-foils in attack position"...

  5. I don't think Carmack is going to win the X-prize by Rhinobird · · Score: 1

    I don't think Carmack is going to win the X-prize.

    --
    If Mr. Edison had thought smarter he wouldn't sweat as much. --Nikola Tesla
  6. Steamrolling by annisette · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Very little has slowed down Mr. Rutan from anything he wants to accomplish. This is a great accomplishment as all others he has worked on.

    --
    I eat my grapes at room temperature, cuz the cold ones hurt my teeth
  7. the others are keeping too quiet by Spudley · · Score: 2, Insightful

    How come this seems to be the only project that's getting any attention?

    Is it because it's the only one that's doing anything? Or is it more like it's the only one that's making all their results public?

    (or quite possibly, in true slashdot tradition, it could be just because it's the one that looks the coolest? ;-))

    --
    (Spudley Strikes Again!)
    1. Re:the others are keeping too quiet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Check out Rutan. He and his company, Scaled Composits, have done a tone for aviation. He's like Frank Lloyd Write for airplanes.

    2. Re:the others are keeping too quiet by kalidasa · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Rutan's got a good reputation, and it seems like he's ahead of the other contestants. For the moment, anyway.

    3. Re:the others are keeping too quiet by snake_dad · · Score: 1
      How come this seems to be the only project that's getting any attention?

      Are you kidding? How about Carmack's Armadillo Aerospace?

      --
      karma capped .sig seeking available Slashdot poster for long-term relationship.
    4. Re:the others are keeping too quiet by at_kernel_99 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      How come this seems to be the only project that's getting any attention?

      Is it because it's the only one that's doing anything? Or is it more like it's the only one that's making all their results public?

      (or quite possibly, in true slashdot tradition, it could be just because it's the one that looks the coolest? ;-))

      To address your last point first, I'd say that, on slashdot anyway, Carmack is getting a lot more coverage & support than Rutan. I think mostly because he's famous for videogames, though I'm personally more impressed that he's willing to dedicate resources to a grassroots effort, because he's looking for a new challenge/hobby.

      Rutan, on the other hand, has the resources as well as the vision. Frankly, I think his primary motivation is fed from some inner child still inspired by the science fiction of the 50's and the space race of the 60's. Lucky for him, he has the talent, experience & team to be able to chase that dream.

    5. Re:the others are keeping too quiet by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      many of these guys are simply trying to keep quiet.
      They are trying to be number one and since they are coming from a neuratic business world, they think they have to be quiet here. Burt and John thrive on info and know that you need ppl to participate to some degree. Once these companies are off the ground, they will need customers.
      Remember that all of these guys are trying hard to create a business. I am guessing that Rutan is thinking ahead and almost certainly will be going up to orbit on the scaled up version. This version being flown is the test model that quite likely will win the prize. Hopefully, all of them will make money.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  8. The Trials of Space Exploration by Bob+Vila's+Hammer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Its interesting how well this picture depicts perfectly the dynamics of geekdom - the clear indictation is located 6 persons from the left.

    24 geeks, 2 super duper flying machines, one hot chick.

    --


    --"The perfect example of the man of action is the suicide." - William Carlos Williams
  9. All Geeky Chics by tqft · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ..are hot

    --
    The Singularity is closer than you think
    Quant
  10. Won't make a lot of money betting agains Rutan by jpellino · · Score: 1

    I wouldn't bet against:
    My mother
    A nun
    Paul MacCready
    Gene Krantz
    Steve Case until 2001
    Steve Jobs 1977-1983 & 2001-2003
    Any of the Rutans

    It just ain't smart.

    --
    "Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
  11. Can't Wait! by at_kernel_99 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    From the mission summary:

    Observers in the chase Starship were treated to a closeup bizarre view of the spaceship plunging downward in a rock-stable near vertical feathered descent. First public showings of these videos will be on 26 September at the annual SETP symposium in Los Angeles.
  12. I wouldn't bet on success by Anemomenous+Cowherd · · Score: 2, Informative

    These early flights are all well and good, but:

    1) They are low altitude flights

    2) They are low airspeed flights

    This is the easy corner of the flight envelope. The spacecraft will eventually have to go Mach 2+ and handle re-entry conditions. That will be the real test. The reasons I don't have a high degree of confidence they'll pull it off are:

    1) Only CFD was used for design and analysis, no wind tunnel testing. This is a cardinal sin. Orbital Sciences has been burned twice for doing this, once on the first flight of the Pegasus XL, and recently on the first flight of the X-43A.

    2) The thermal protection system consists of an ablative paint over the composite structure. Such a system has never been used on a re-entry vehicle. I do not believe it will provide sufficient protection.

    3) The high-drag re-entry configuration, with a potentially inaccurate aerodynamics model, could put the vehicle in a vastly different re-entry trajectory than planned. The vehicle could be subjected to thermal and aerodynamic loads far greater than anticipated.

    4) There are areas of the high speed/high altitude flight envelope that you can't just bite off one piece at a time. There can be uncontrollable speed/altitude regions in the flight envelope that require careful trajectory planning to avoid. Chuck Yeager found one of these regions in the NF-104A, that lead to a near fatal loss of control.

    Yes, I know what I'm talking about. I'm an aerospace engineer.

    1. Re:I wouldn't bet on success by roman_maroni · · Score: 1

      I wonder what the general concensus among other experienced aerospace folk is regarding success for this and other X prize contenders?

  13. Not quite... by Andy+Dodd · · Score: 1

    I think Rutan and Carmack are receiving approximately equal coverage.

    Carmack because of his fame within the community, Rutan because of his track record in aviation.

    Burt Rutan is aviation's equivalent of John Carmack. A genius who is a leader and driving force within his field.

    Someone else commented that he would not ever bet against either of the Rutans. (Burt is an amazing designer, Dick Rutan is an amazing test pilot.)

    XCor also gets coverage on /. occasionally. At least one of their employees is a /. reader and poster. XCor is odd - Their goals are suborbital flight, but they have not stated any intentions of winning the X-Prize. (XCor and the X-Prize have no relation.)

    --
    retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
  14. Cardinal sin? by Andy+Dodd · · Score: 1

    " 1) Only CFD was used for design and analysis, no wind tunnel testing. This is a cardinal sin. Orbital Sciences has been burned twice for doing this, once on the first flight of the Pegasus XL, and recently on the first flight of the X-43A."

    It's a known fact that Rutan is not in any way a proponent of windtunnel testing, and I'm not sure if ANY of his designs were windtunnel tested before first flight.

    Despite this, his track record is stellar. Burt Rutan is someone you don't want to bet against.

    --
    retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
  15. Re-entry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Re point 2, I feel it's somewhat inaccurate to compare a Mach 2 descent from 100,000m to the type of re-entry experienced by Shuttles and near-orbital ICBM warheads. SpaceShipOne travels at much lower velocity, and there's much less energy to be dissipated. Is there any reason why the heat situation will be any worse than that suffered by high performance supersonic jets flying at Mach 2?

  16. My early aerospace career by Latent+Heat · · Score: 1
    Seeing a picture of a rocket I had drawn as a child, my mom had asked me "are you going into space in that rocket." "Oh no, I am just the designer of the rocket, my younger brother is going to fly it."

    With that childhood memory, I always wonder about the Rutans and about sibling rivalry and all that.