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More SpaceShipTwo Details
Anonymous Coward from Manitoba writes "BBC news is reporting more details about Burt Rutan's proposed SpaceShipTwo. Apparently the new flyer will include five to eight passenger seats and have the 'same diameter crew cabin as a Gulfstream V business jet'. It will fly much higher than SpaceShip One - up to '135-140 km' that will permit an additional 90 seconds of microgravity. This will be important, since 'we want this roller coaster-type bar that you fold out of the way and you can float around'. They are also planning to 'have the option of landing in a different place from where they took off'. I can't wait until we can ride SpaceShipThree across the Atlantic in 20 minutes!"
It seems like they are making the thing bigger, but at the same time, suddenly they can go higher... it must mean there will be more than one engine or a much longer burning engine. It seems like if they put the same engine on the same ship they have now, they could go even higher... like for instance to the space station... I still wonder if they could ever pack enough fuel to go into orbit then have enough to deorbit so they don't have to use the heat-shield method of returning.
This is the kind of "kick in the butt" that NASA has been needed. Bravo to the SpaceShip team for the continuing development of their fleet.
I'm still waiting for it to grow and to become capable of reaching 500 km in altitude. If it can reach the altitude with a small payload launching capability, then a on-the-cheap space experiment becomes possible in future. I think that could change the way we think about space research.
What alternatives exist to combusting various gasses and solid fuels? Do explosives like TNT pack more potential energy if it could just be exploited usefully? Some sort of series of shaped, small, explosions every tenth or every second? With some sort of backplate to protect the ship?
So they are gonna pay how many tens of thousands of $$$ for exactly how many SECONDS of something close to weightlessness???
A half hour flight I could see...
This??? A classic example of early adopters getting royally screwed?
Mod me up, mod me down, flame me, praise me -- whatever you do, you help prove I exist...
I think it is absolutely amazing that ordinary people will be able to experience space and zero gravity. But I also think that we need to look into the environmental aspects of this development.
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If we will come to see daily flights of maybe hundreds of planes it might have a significant impact on the ozone layer and thus our health. It is therefore important to get an estimate of the impact on the ozone layer so that cleaner fuels and other measures can be taken to prevent this.
Here is a bit of background info on the ozone layer and the impact of the space shuttle and high flying aircraft and rockets on it:
http://www.aero.org/publications/crosslink/summ
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/ozone-depletion/intro/
TNT has an energy density of around 4.6 MJ/kg, a 1:8 H2/O2 mixture achieves 13 MJ/kg. Hydrogen has little density however (even the liquid), so volume is a major problem there.
Much higher energy densities require more exotic techniques, with Uranium (235) fission at 90 TJ/kg. This is 6 magnitues beyond regular fuels.
Antimatter/matter annihilation is the most energy dense fuel possible so far, and would be 1000 times denser in energy compared to U235.
Hmmm, i'll take your comment as is, and not as a rhetoric one.
"...and imagine still wasting one hour travelling to the air/spaceport"
Perhaps. Spaceport commute time would completely depend on your proximity and capability of transit transport infrastructure. By the same argument, commuting to the office everyday takes as much time.
"three ours in check-in and security lanes"
Three hours is a tad high, IMHO, except in rare situations. Check-in time, even for international travel usually takes an hour, in my experience. Airport security check in Israel is an exception though.
I agree with the core point of your comment though. However, in spite of the non-travel time lossage, one would save bigtime on travel fatigue. After say a 12 or 20 hour flight, one needs to be a superhuman to not take a day off. However, a total travel time of say 6 hours is not too bad, except for the jet lag.
If you want to experience freefall its going to be much cheaper to take a ride on the "Vomit Comet" or just spend fifty bucks at an indoor skydiving facility for a go in the vertical wind tunnel. But I guess the views and bragging rights wouldn't be anywhere near as good. experience is similar
wasting one hour travelling to the air/spaceport, three [h]ours in check-in and security lanes, half an hour on the other end to get your luggage back, and yet one hour travelling off the port
The ground travel is an unavoidable item of overhead (unless you live at the [space,air]port). The security lines for international flights (including customs) are also unavoidable. Travel light and you won't have to worry about the baggage claim; check-in is usually faster when you are not checking luggage.
Anyway, I think you are missing the bigger picture: if I could fly from Europe to the US in twenty minutes - instead of 7+ hours - I would happily do so riding in the overhead bin. Drawbacks include getting delayed on the runway and the difficulty in receiving beverage service in the bin, but overall the time savings would be worthwhile. YMMV.
I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
Err... where exactly do you think HTPB, a polymerized hydrocarbon does come from, from rubber trees? It's made from oil.
This comment does not exist.
As a general rule I won't pay for first class service, but I would pay at least twice my usual amount for 'fast' class.
Don't worry, even if you were willing to pay twice the cost for First Class service, you wouldn't get it. First Class costs more than twice of Business Class. Business Class in turn costs 3 to 5 times the cheap deal Economy Class tickets. (Tokyo - New York is what I'm quoting.)
Since I've personally experienced all three classes on this particular flight (don't ask...), I would agree that First Class isn't really worth it. Business Class, however, is well worth it. If I can't fly any faster, I would prefer to fly with more comfort, meaning I waste fewer days after arriving. In a business scenario, that's well worth the extra cost.
While I'm on the topic, I would also like to point out to the cheapskate whiners complaining about the cost on something like SS3. Even today, the very few people that fly First and Business class are footing most of the bill for each flight. The only reason the masses can travel via air on Trans-Atlantic/Pacific flights is because First/Business customers are willing to pay the non-proportional premium. Business Class seats take up a little less than twice the space of an Economy Class seat. First Class takes up a little more than 3 Economy Class seats. The cost, however, is MUCH higher than the equivalent number of Economy Class seats. Ex.: Tokyo Int'l to JFK round trip, All Nippon Airways: Economy = roughly US$1,000; Business = roughly US$5,000; First = roughly US$13,000. I quoted the going rate for Economy, while Business and First do NOT have discount tickets like Economy does.
If space was the only consideration, First Class should be around US$3,000. I hope no one seriously thinks that the extra hospitality, better dishes, and slightly better food is worth US$10,000.
For those that don't believe me that Business/First foots the bill for the flight, let's do some math. On a Boeing 747 flight, there are about 10 first class seats, 75 business class seats, and 180 economy class seats. At the rates given above, assuming an 80% booked flight, First Class (which in reality is usually booked 100%) costs US$104,000. Business class is US$300,000, and Economy Class is US$144,000. First and Business combined grosses US$404,000. That's almost 3 times economy. Business and First Class were pretty easy to estimate, since there are no significant discounts, but I am assuming that some people pay more than US$1,000, yet others pay less, and it averages out to be about US$1K.
So next time you see someone boarding Fist/Business class before you, or getting priority service elsewhere, you may want to consider thanking them for footing part of your bill before you curse under your breath. Same goes for SS2 and the rich assholes that will fly in it. If they weren't around, it's unlikely that development of SS2 would happen as soon as it is.
Hey, if it is over in 20 minutes I wouldn't mind! Long flights with annoying people are so bad because you cannot get away from them for long periods of time.
During long flights I have pondered the possibility of transporting people in stacked coffin-like caskets (i.e. lying down). Yes, it would be awkward to get in and out, but climbing over people is awkward too and at least these things you can close off... And who knows, the two-person version may actually become quite popular.
Or perhaps using a mild sedative to make everyone sleep through the flight? At least if the plane goes down you won't know about it until you wake up dead...
In case you hadn't realized, I don't really like flying ;-)
I saw this over on X Prize Space Race News, and figured it might be of interest:
STUDENTS AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS WANTED FOR THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME
The X PRIZE Foundation is issuing out a call to arms for those interested in getting their hands dirty to further the cause of private spaceflight. In a tribute to the majesty of SpaceShipOne, the X PRIZE Foundation will be creating several full-size mockups of the historic private spacecraft to be used as early as this summer for outreach and education.
We are offering 10 students and young professionals the chance of a lifetime to come to the World's First Inland Spaceport at Mojave, California, to build multiple full-scale mockups of the SpaceShipOne.
This amazing opportunity is only open mainly for students and young professionals as an educational project. We are also looking for a project lead with experience in composites and/or fiberglass lay-up to oversee the project to completion.
Working at Scaled Composites' facilities, this team will dive in and get their hands dirty as they learn the spaceship building business.
Using the original tooling and methods employed in fabricating the actual spaceship, this will be an opportunity unlike any other. The project will take off in mid-January 2005 and continue throughout the spring semester. This highly competitive program could count for academic credit and will provide students and young professionals with the outstanding experience of working with composites, fiberglass lay-up and other processes associated with the building of a spaceship.
"This is an extraordinary educational opportunity to actually build a copy of SpaceShipOne using Burt Rutan's original tooling," said Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, CEO and Chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation. "The folks who get chosen for this project will work within the Scaled Composites facility and have the opportunity of a lifetime. In fact, I hope to get out to Mojave to participate when I can as well."
Project timeline: Mid January - Mid May
Location: Mojave, CA
Compensation: N/A
Other: Physical work required - must be able to lift more than 40lbs
Security: Background check will be performed
Transportation: You must provide your own transportation
Individuals who wish to be a part of this project should send a resume and cover letter describing why you would like to participate to:
Brooke Owens, Director of Team Relations & Special Projects at brooke@xprize.org. Deadline for application is January 10, 2005, however, we will fill available slots on a rolling basis so please apply as soon as possible. Interested parties should be advised that this opportunity is unpaid, but rich in opportunity.