From: "Adam Flinton" 

I quite like the Hotol thing & think that the Aussies etc have got a
better idea in terms of jast jet bleeding into pure rocket.

Needs to takes off normally from a runway & to use aerodynamic &
oxygen from the air to get high & then use rockets.

Needs to have a good cargo hold.

Could be piloted remotely if required.


Adam


"Raymond Chuang"  wrote in message
news:3e3d6c8f{at}w3.nls.net...
> "Adam Flinton"  wrote in message
> news:3e3d594d{at}w3.nls.net...
> > Face facts the shuttle is/was an experimental craft from 40 years ago.
It
> is
> > vastly too expensive to operate as it was originally pitched. Why not
just
> > start building the next generation vehicle now?
>
> Maybe it's time to revive the aerospace plane? After all, before the
project
> was shelved in 1995 Lockheed Martin and Boeing demonstrated it was
possible
> to store large quantites of hydrogen slush or liquid methane fuel safely
on
> a large flying vehicle.
>
> If the rumors of Lockheed building the "Aurora" spyplane are
true during
the
> 1980's it's possible that we already have the technology needed to build
an
> aerospace plane where the acceleration with the scramjet engine takes the
> plane to around Mach 24 at 81 statute miles off the ground and the final
> acceleration to orbit is done by smaller on-board rocket engines.
>
> --
> Raymond Chuang
> Mountain View, CA USA
>
>

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