XS-1. DARPA's concept reusable manned SSTO.

[Aethon]

In the spirit of .24 stickin' it on the runway and getting dem funds back.

http://www.universetoday.com/113259/darpas-experimental-space-plane-xs-1-starts-development/#more-113259

[horndgmium]

This is sweet and all but funding it should be fun haha

[Exclipse]

Huh this is the first I have seen of this, time to google.

[Redjoker]

I hate to break this to you but, according to the article this will not be a SSTO.

From the article:

They envision that a reusable first stage would fly to hypersonic speeds at a suborbital altitude. Then, one or more expendable upper stages would separate and deploy a satellite into low Earth orbit (LEO). The reusable first stage would then return to earth, land and be prepared for the next flight.

This sounds like they are in actuality developing a hypersonic air-launch platform. It seems that the plane will launch, reach high altitude and speed, and launch a rocket to carry the payload into orbit

[Aethon]

I hate to break this to you but, according to the article this will not be a SSTO.

It's DARPA. They never reveal all their secrets.

K. Maya missed something there, but I'm watchin' for this update to drop, plus we're trying to launch a ship to space IRL in another thread ( not allowed to cross post )...

meanwhile I'm dating a virgin (Seinfeld rocked).

edit- Wow I read somewhere the XS-1 was SSTO. My bad.

Edited July 16, 2014 by Aethon

[Skyler4856]

I hate to break this to you but, according to the article this will not be a SSTO.

From the article:

They envision that a reusable first stage would fly to hypersonic speeds at a suborbital altitude. Then, one or more expendable upper stages would separate and deploy a satellite into low Earth orbit (LEO). The reusable first stage would then return to earth, land and be prepared for the next flight.

This sounds like they are in actuality developing a hypersonic air-launch platform. It seems that the plane will launch, reach high altitude and speed, and launch a rocket to carry the payload into orbit

While such a system is certainly possible, I just don't see the practicality when weighed against a SpaceX type system, where both stages are reused

[jwenting]

one word: Venturestar...

"It's DARPA. They never reveal all their secrets."

Brilliant excuse to invoke a deus ex machina. "oh, it's DARPA so what they say isn't really the case, in reality it's what I want it to be but it's so secret they're not telling".

[NASAFanboy]

one word: Venturestar...

"It's DARPA. They never reveal all their secrets."

Brilliant excuse to invoke a deus ex machina. "oh, it's DARPA so what they say isn't really the case, in reality it's what I want it to be but it's so secret they're not telling".

It's aiming a little lower (Suborbital), and VentureStar almost made it. If VentureStar was funded by the DOD, it would not have been cancelled, due to "National Security" and all that. Also, the technology used to build this XS-1 is much more advanced than the ones that the VentureStar engineers had at hand.

[Redjoker]

While such a system is certainly possible, I just don't see the practicality when weighed against a SpaceX type system, where both stages are reused

There are two routes to cheaper space travel, you can either mass produce a cheaper rocket or you can reuse it. The upper stage are likely designed to be cheap and can be mass produced. Also, I could be wrong, but I don't remember spacex plan on recovering upper stages.

one word: Venturestar...

"It's DARPA. They never reveal all their secrets."

Brilliant excuse to invoke a deus ex machina. "oh, it's DARPA so what they say isn't really the case, in reality it's what I want it to be but it's so secret they're not telling".

I did see an article a few months ago about a university, I believe, had developed a material that could overcome the problem with the venturestar's fuel tank issues.

[Skyler4856]

There are two routes to cheaper space travel, you can either mass produce a cheaper rocket or you can reuse it. The upper stage are likely designed to be cheap and can be mass produced. Also, I could be wrong, but I don't remember spacex plan on recovering upper stages.

An excerpt from Wikipedia

The project's long-term objectives include returning a launch vehicle first stage to the launch site in minutes and to return a second stage back to the launch pad following orbital realignment with the launch site and atmospheric reentry in up to 24 hours. Both stages will be designed to allow reuse a few hours after return.

The reuse of the second stage isn't as widely publicized due to the fact that the testing program is currently only applied to the first stage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_reusable_launch_system_development_program

[jwenting]

I did see an article a few months ago about a university, I believe, had developed a material that could overcome the problem with the venturestar's fuel tank issues.

yes, a working tank was 90% complete when NASA pulled the plug. New materials that would have made it easier to manufacture (and weigh less as well) was developed a few years later, would have been in time for the production vehicles.

[sojourner]

The tanks weren't the only problem with Venturestar.

[78stonewobble]

It looks great ... but I'm rather firmly in the mass produced disposable rocket camp, until we have some even lighter weighing and stronger unobtanium, that can survive ie. a 1000 cycles of liftoff and reenty, with no problem what so ever.