More on XS-1

bomber, future projects, hypersonic, launch vehicles, nukes, rockets, spacecraft, spaceplane No Responses »

Sep 182013

Experimental Spaceplane Shooting for “Aircraft-Like” Operations in Orbit

To help address these challenges, DARPA has established the Experimental Spaceplane (XS-1) program. The program aims to develop a fully reusable unmanned vehicle that would provide aircraft-like access to space. The vehicle is envisioned to operate from a “clean pad” with a small ground crew and no need for expensive specialized infrastructure. This setup would enable routine daily operations and flights from a wide range of locations. XS-1 seeks to deploy small satellites faster and more affordably, while demonstrating technology for next-generation space and hypersonic flight for both government and commercial users.

“We want to build off of proven technologies to create a reliable, cost-effective space delivery system with one-day turnaround,” said Jess Sponable, DARPA program manager heading XS-1. “How it’s configured, how it gets up and how it gets back are pretty much all on the table—we’re looking for the most creative yet practical solutions possible.”

DARPA seeks ideas and technical proposals for how to best develop and implement the XS-1 program. The agency has scheduled an XS-1 Proposers’ Day for Monday, October 7, 2013. The agency also plans to hold 1-on-1 discussions with potential proposers on the following day, October 8, 2013. Advance registration is required; more information is available at http://www.sa-meetings.com/XS1ProposersDay. Registration closes on Tuesday, October 1,2013, at 12:00 PM EDT. For more information, please email DARPA-SN-14-01@darpa.mil.

The DARPA Special Notice describing the specific capabilities the program seeks is available at http://go.usa.gov/DNkF. A Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for XS-1 is forthcoming and will be posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website.

Note that the DARPA artwork depicts the XS-1 here in a global strike configuration, equipped with an upper stage and a warhead, either a conical MIRV_style, or perhaps a lifting HTV-type. In either event, the basic layout sure seems familiar… hmmm…

Textron AirLand Scorpion

bomber, fighter, future projects 5 Responses »

Sep 162013

A new ground attack plane is actually being built in the US:

http://www.scorpionjet.com/

Seems like a reasonable design for a subsonic bushfighter, though the decision to have the engines in nacelles *that* close to the wings, but not faired into them, seems odd. That area looks draggy. At first glance it would seem that fairing that spot over wouldn’t increase drag but would decrease weight.

It has six underwing hardpoints and an internal payload bay. first flight is by the end of the year, pretty quick by normal aerospace standards (development began in early 2012). With the DoD buy a combat aircraft that was not developed to their specifications?

Aircraft Length	43 ft 6 in
Wingspan	47 ft 4 in
Height	14 ft 0 in
Standard Empty Weight	11,800 lbs
Max Takeoff Weight	21,250 lbs
Max Internal Fuel Load	6,000 lbs
Max Internal Payload Bay	3,000 lbs
Thrust	~8,000 lbs
Max Speed	450 KTAS
Service Ceiling	45,000 ft
Ferry Range	2,400 NM

Experimental Spaceplane XS-1

future projects, hypersonic, launch vehicles, rockets, spaceplane No Responses »

Sep 152013

DARPA To Start Reusable Launch Vehicle Program

Short form: a spaceplane to fly 10 times in 10 days (which would necessitate a system that is reliable, rugged and needs relatively little and cheap maintenance) that can fly up to Mach 10 (ouch… harsh) and carry a payload that could eventually translate into an upper stage capable of putting 1,800 kilograms into orbit for no more than $5M per launch.

DARPA released a few bits of concept art showing winged vehicles, but the XS-1 need not be winged… a DC-X clone might do the job. Illustrations taken from the presentation HERE.

The Mach 10 requirement is odd and confusing. The math on launch vehicle design rarely requires that a multistage launcher stage off the first stage much faster than Mach 5.

An Industry Day is coming in early October.

“Big Onion”

launch vehicles 3 Responses »

Sep 152013

During the heady days of the late 1970’s/early 1980’s Solar Power Satellite program, a number of fairly large launch vehicles were designed to haul the vast amounts of material needed in orbit. One that received a fair amount of press was a Boeing single stage to orbit design. Basically shaped like a Mercury capsule, this design became known as “Big Onion.” It’s unclear exactly how it got that name, and by whom; no official Boeing model number is known for it.

The Big Onion and the other heavy lifters of the time were not as powerful as the Post-Saturn vehicles studied a decade earlier. Where the earlier designs had million-pound payloads, “Big Onion” and its ilk topped out at around half a million. The purpose was low cost transport of vast quantities of material, not the largest possible payload in one shot.

US Bomber Projects #04 Available

bomber, Dyna Soar, hypersonic, launch vehicles, nukes, rockets, spacecraft, spaceplane, stealth, US Bomber Projects 1 Response »

Sep 112013

Issue number 4 of US Bomber Projects is now available (for background, see HERE). This issue includes:

McDonnell System 464L: McDonnell’s entry into the initial Dyna Soar contest, 1958
Lockheed-Martin Falcon: A recent design for an unmanned hypersonic global range bomber
Lockheed Senior Peg: Lockheed’s competitor to the Northrop B-2
Boeing Mobile Missile Carrier: A giant hydrogen fueled amphibian
Boeing Model 701-273-4: A very asymmetrical supersonic predecessor to the B-59
Lockheed Cruise Missile Carrier: A large nuclear-powered cargo plane converted to carry 90 cruise missiles
Boeing Model 462-5: A six-turboprop B-52 ancestor
Martin Model 223-4: A twin-fuselage design on the road to the B-48

USBP#04 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4.25:

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US Bomber Projects #03 Available

bomber, Dyna Soar, hypersonic, jetliner, launch vehicles, nukes, rockets, spacecraft, spaceplane, transports, US Bomber Projects No Responses »

Sep 112013

Issue number 3 of US Bomber Projects is now available (for background, see HERE). This issue includes:

Rockwell D 645-4A: A compact stealthy flying wing

Lockheed System 464L: Lockheed’s entry into the initial Dyna Soar program, 1958
Convair Mach 4 “Rollover:” A Mach 4 seaplane with a unique approach
Boeing Model 701-273-3: An asymmetrical supersonic precursor to the B-59
Boeing HSCT Model 1080-854: A late 1980’s missile carrier derivative of a commercial supersonic transport
Martin Model 223-3: A canard antecedent to the B-48
Boeing Model 462: A large six-turboprop ancestor of the B-52

USBP#03 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4.25:

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MC-747

bomber, jetliner, nukes, rockets No Responses »

Sep 112013

A Boeing artists impression of a 747 modified to launch ICBMs (probably Minuteman IIIs). Dates from 1974. Missile load appears to be at least 4. Given how far aft the missiles are dropped, there would likely be an impressive pitch even upon drop.

From an old ebay auction.

Dual Keel Space Station

space station No Responses »

Sep 102013

An admittedly rather awful-quality CAD diagram of the “Dual Keel” space station configuration as studied by NASA sometime in the late 1980’s. This drawing is noteworthy for sowing what appears to be a very large parabolic antenna, probably a radio antenna or radar dish (seems far too large to be the reflector for a solar power system).

Scanned from a slide at the NASA HQ historical archive.

S-IVb Space Station

launch vehicles, space station, spacecraft 2 Responses »

Sep 082013

A piece of artwork (from an ebay auction some time back) depicting a Douglas concept for a space station attached to a S-IVb stage. Unclear if the launcher was a Saturn Ib or a Saturn V; if it was launched complete, it would have had to have been a Saturn V. Logistics transport is provided by Gemini capsules. This was likely part of a Douglas MORL study.

1000 Megawatt Fusion Powerplant

nukes No Responses »

Sep 042013

Fusion power has been about 10 years away for the last 50 years or so. Still, experts in the field have from time to time gone ahead and designed operational reactors based on then-current assumptions. One such design study was done in 1972 by staff at the Oak Ridge National Lab, reported on in early 1973. This was a 1000 megawatt commercial fusion powerplant based on the Tokamak torus-type reactor. The work was sponsored by the US Atomic Energy Commission.

A 30,000 gauss superconducting toroidal electromagnet would serve as the deuterium and tritium containment and compression field, driving up pressure and temperature to fusion levels. Neutrons spit out by the reaction would be absorbed by a thick blanket of liquid lithium; absorption of the neutrons would cause the lithium to fission and create tritium at a rate higher than tritium is consumed in fusion, thus making the system self sustaining as far as tritium. While a reactor like this, if made workable, would not have the sort of safety issues associated with fission reactors (see: Chernobyl, Fukushima), there would still be the potential issue of many tons of molten lithium. At the best of time lithium and the oxygen in air do not get along well; melt the lithium and expose it to oxygen – say, via a split weld or a broken pipe – and you’d have one spectacular magnesium-like fire that would probably reduce the entire plant (including the concrete structure) to smoldering ash.

Needless to say, no commercial powerplant like this has been built. One like it is… at least 10 years away.

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