Thermal Protection Scaled Composites

[quote="Ekkehard Augustin"]At one point Burt Rutan is speaking more concretely: [quote]Looking back on SpaceShipOne, Rutan said the focus was on safety, on recurring cost, and asking the question: “When we’re done with this, if it worked, could it lead right into flying the public? Could it be safe? I don’t think that’s been done to go to orbit,â€

Just thinking about the aspect that I have been told that the size of the surface is of meaning the thought came to my mind if this might alow for a staged concept.

The thought has to do with application at reentry from orbit.

What about providing a large surface a portion of which is only for application of Scaled's concept?

After the peak of the heating the surface migt be reduced by separation of portions of that surface. This would make the remainder lighter.

Another idea of course might to let return those portions of the vehicle apart from the remainder of the vehicle - those portions that are of no use at reentry.



What about the thoughts?



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