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Boeing Suggests Possible Manned Version of the X-37B Space Plane

Posted by Unknown on from the zoom-out-enhance-scale-up dept.

garymortimer writes with an article in sUAS News. From the article: "A Boeing chief has suggested that the company's mysterious unmanned space-plane, called X-37B, developed for the US Air Force, could be scaled up and modified to carry astronauts. The company's X-37B project chief Art Grantz revealed that at least two more versions of the 9-meter long space-plane are under investigation – one of which involves adding a crew to a much-enlarged version of the space drone, New Scientist reported. If built, the new version would give the US back its ability to shuttle people to the International Space Station."

1 of 87 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Let's try actually staying in space this time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The wings and the fuse and all the rest were indeed a problem with the shuttle, because they amounted to dead weight and reduced the lifting capacity by quite a bit.

    Wrong the body of the shuttle generates lift so it needs less fuel to reach orbit. After the shuttle launches it performs a roll maneuver. More of the engine power is used to achieve orbital velocity and not elevation. The body of the craft creates lift. This increases the amount of mass that the shuttle can send into orbit.
    http://stason.org/TULARC/science-engineering/space/53-Why-does-the-shuttle-roll-just-after-liftoff.html

    Second on reentry, the wings produce a hole in plasma that can be used to communicate with satellites.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_blackout