SR-72 replica

[quasarrgames]

I don't always make replicas (because frankly i don't have much interest in them)...

...but when i do, i'm slightly proud of them.

But i was interested in the SR-72, a hypersonic concept plane that, with its tri-stage jet engine, is capable of going up to mach 6 (or about 1750m/s)

Since it's basically impossible to make a jet capable of going 1750m/s, i just made it an SSTO.

So, here it is.

Cleaves through the sound barrier like butter it's so sleek.

Really easy to fly, too. Just point at 25 degrees right after takeoff and BURN! and circularise (such a steep trajectory is required so it doesn't vaporise itself)

Gets to orbit with about 850m/s of delta v.

 

Since this is my first replica, gentle but constructive criticism would be awesome, as i will probably be refining the design.

 

Edited January 27, 2016 by quasarrgames

[Raptor9]

Very nice  

I built one a few months back (called mine the "X-18 High Supersonic Flight Test"), but mine couldn't reach orbit, it was strictly an airbreather.  I wanted to experiment with altitudes and airspeeds to see where the most heat generation happened.  I knew that if you went higher you could go faster before you would overheat since there was less air, but you would also loose engine thrust for the same reason.  Quite the double-edged sword, but it helped me narrow down a few things for building and flying my first successful SSTO spaceplanes.  Another thing I learned was that above 1,250m/s (Mach 4.20) the tail cone piece that we both used as the nose of our aircraft overheats within moments.  The Mk1 spaceplane cockpit has a slightly higher heat tolerance at the same altitudes, so it can go faster, but is also heavier.  The X-18 helped me narrow down some important design principles for my spaceplanes I built afterwards.

Edited January 27, 2016 by Raptor9

[andrew123]

Nice! I built one a few years ago, and xok knight used it as his midair refueling lab.

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

On 1/27/2016 at 2:52 PM, quasarrgames said:

[...]

Since this is my first replica, gentle but constructive criticism would be awesome, as i will probably be refining the design.

I like it!  The wing shape is right, and the mk2 fuselage is a good stand-in for that weird compound shape.  However, in pictures I've seen, the nose is a bit pointier than the tail connector thing.  However, it's likely that adding more draggy part would prevent it from being an SSTO.  That it is an SSTO is awesome too!