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Orion Space Shuttle
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Space Station Member  
Joined: Mon Apr 12, 2004 4:16 am
Posts: 322 
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 Posted on: Wed Sep 29, 2004 9:15 pmI wouldn't be too hard on the Iron Lady bout HOTOL.
quoting from the Astronautix link from above: The final design had serious operational disadvantages and a small payload. The only way the designers could continue to claim to put a reasonable payload into orbit was by specifying untried and speculative structural materials. Like I said.. unobtainium. |
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Spaceflight Participant  
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 1:42 pm
Posts: 59
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Posted on: Wed Sep 29, 2004 10:09 pm Speculative and untried in *1985*. Given advances in materials science, it ought to be worth another look.
Even if HOTOL couldn't make orbit as originally designed, an RB545-based vehicle might well make a useful point-to-point suborbital transport, or first stage of a TSTO. Besides, "speculative and untried" shouldn't be a curse. We've just seen a highly speculative design of rocketplane fly successfully to 100km. Twice. |
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