How did they match NASA so cheaply? Well they haven't...yet

Be impressed The Antonov An-225 Mriya has a payload of 250-275 tonnes, internally or externally mounted. It was mooted as the launch stage for the MAKS shuttle.

http://members.lycos.co.uk/aerospace21/ ... n-225.html

Ok, the Antonov is definitely impressive

However, that does not necessarily mean it is practical. In my opinion, there are greater and smarter people than us working on launch technology, and that only one group of them decided to use air-borne launch says something about it.

Only one team that uses air-launch - right. But there other teams working on single stage concepts according to their websites. Their vehicle are planes using rockte engines - these concepts simly don't require air launches. One of this teams recently announced to be ready in 2007.

And Suborbital Corporation in Russia had in mind to use air-launch too. But they are suffering by lack of financial ressources as I remember.

So "only one team that uses air-launch" is to be relativated.



Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)

Not really. It shows us that rocket engineers build rocket-shaped things, and airplane engineers (like Rutan) build airplane-shaped things, and seldom do the two meet

There have been several design attempts by very clever people for air-launched orbital craft (MAKS, Sanger, the early Space Shuttle designs). These failed for budgetary and political reasons as much as technical ones.

Yeah. The only team to fly a fullscale vehicle and in the process WIN the X-Prize.

The NASA Advanced Planning and Integration Office (APIO) is requesting input for the development of high-level roadmaps.

Submissions are sought in the following areas:

15 key capability focus areas (submissions due November 16, 2004):

High-Energy Power and Propulsion
In-Space Transportation
Advanced Telescopes and Observatories
Communication and Navigation
Robotic Access to Planetary Surfaces
Human Planetary Landing Systems
Human Health and Support Systems
Human Exploration Systems and Mobility
Autonomous Systems and Robotics
Transformational Spaceport/Range
Scientific Instruments/Sensors
In Situ Resource Utilization
Advanced Modeling, Simulation, Analysis
Systems Engineering Cost/Risk Analysis
Nanotechnology
12 key strategic focus areas (submissions due December 10, 2004):

Robotic and human lunar expeditions.
Sustained, long-term robotic and human exploration of Mars.
Robotic exploration across the solar system.
Advanced telescope searches for Earth-like planets and habitable environments.
Development of an exploration transportation system.
Completion of the International Space Station and focusing its use on supporting space exploration goals.
Exploration of the Universe.
Exploration of the dynamic Earth system.
Exploration of the Sun-Earth system.
Advanced aeronautical technologies for next-generation aviation systems.
Using NASA missions inspire, motivate, and educate.
Utilization of nuclear systems for the advancement of space science and exploration.
Detailed description under:

http://fellowships.hq.nasa.gov/apio/Att ... _01_V5.pdf

Submissions are required to be a maximum of two pages and to focus on no more than two points each.

There is also a public workshop being held November 30, 2004 in Washington D.C. on the capability focus areas.



http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=14404

http://fellowships.hq.nasa.gov/apio/index.cfm