Rutan hits 200k feet! Almost there!

"Steve Hix" wrote in message
...
In article . net,
"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...

The earlier flights were not done in a re-usable spacecraft.

So what?

So that is a large part of what makes it different from the single-shot
suborbital flights of the past.

Not to mention the thousands of man-hours and cast of thousands needed
to turn around the shuttle.

One step on the road to non-government, gold-plated, decades-long
development projects type spaceflight.

The problem is that merely reaching the altitude is only a
part of the problem. The real issue is achieving orbital velocity
and the Rutan aircraft doesnt achive much more than 15%
of the velocity required to put something in orbit.

Keith

"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message
...

The problem is that merely reaching the altitude is only a
part of the problem. The real issue is achieving orbital velocity
and the Rutan aircraft doesnt achive much more than 15%
of the velocity required to put something in orbit.


Why is that an issue? Reaching the altitude is all they're trying to do.

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
nk.net...

"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message
...

The problem is that merely reaching the altitude is only a
part of the problem. The real issue is achieving orbital velocity
and the Rutan aircraft doesnt achive much more than 15%
of the velocity required to put something in orbit.


Why is that an issue?

Because without reaching orbit you cant do anything useful.

Reaching the altitude is all they're trying to do.

Thats obvious

Keith

In article ,
"Keith Willshaw" wrote:

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
nk.net...

"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message
...

The problem is that merely reaching the altitude is only a
part of the problem. The real issue is achieving orbital velocity
and the Rutan aircraft doesnt achive much more than 15%
of the velocity required to put something in orbit.


Why is that an issue?

Because without reaching orbit you cant do anything useful.

So much for sounding rockets. Let's shut down Wallops Island and White
Sands...

Reaching the altitude is all they're trying to do.

Thats obvious

Keith

"Steve Hix" wrote in message
...

So much for sounding rockets. Let's shut down Wallops Island
and White Sands...


I don't think the X Prize was offered in order to find a replacement for
sounding rockets.

"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message
...

Because without reaching orbit you cant do anything useful.


Have you followed all of this thread? That's my point.



Thats obvious


Is it? Your message suggested you were not aware of that.

In article ,
"Keith Willshaw" wrote:

The problem is that merely reaching the altitude is only a
part of the problem. The real issue is achieving orbital velocity

No, it's not.

http://www.xprize.org/teams/guidelines.html

"3. The flight vehicle must be flown twice within a 14-day period. Each
flight must carry at least one person, to minimum altitude of 100 km
(62 miles). The flight vehicle must be built with the capacity (weight
and volume) to carry a minimum of 3 adults of height 188 cm (6 feet 2
inches) and weight 90 kg (198 pounds) each. Three people of this size
or larger must be able to enter, occupy, and be fastened into the
flight vehicle on Earth's surface prior to take-off, and equivalent
ballast must be carried in-flight if the number of persons on-board
during flight is less than 3 persons."

--
cirby at cfl.rr.com

Remember: Objects in rearview mirror may be hallucinations.
Slam on brakes accordingly.

"Chad Irby" wrote in message
.com...
In article ,
"Keith Willshaw" wrote:

The problem is that merely reaching the altitude is only a
part of the problem. The real issue is achieving orbital velocity

No, it's not.

http://www.xprize.org/teams/guidelines.html


I'm aware of the rules of the X prize. Lots of posters in this thread have
made
comparisons with NASA and alluded to civilian space flight.
You need to achieve orbital velocity to do that.


Keith

From: "Keith Willshaw"
Date: 5/14/2004 3:26 PM Central Daylight Time
Message-id:


"Steve Hix" wrote in message
...
In article . net,
"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...

The earlier flights were not done in a re-usable spacecraft.

So what?

So that is a large part of what makes it different from the single-shot
suborbital flights of the past.

Not to mention the thousands of man-hours and cast of thousands needed
to turn around the shuttle.

One step on the road to non-government, gold-plated, decades-long
development projects type spaceflight.

The problem is that merely reaching the altitude is only a
part of the problem. The real issue is achieving orbital velocity
and the Rutan aircraft doesnt achive much more than 15%
of the velocity required to put something in orbit.

Keith

The X-prize doesn't require orbital flight. Only that it reach a certain hight
with 3 persons aboard and is repeated with the same craft within a specified
period.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

In article ,
"Keith Willshaw" wrote:

"Steve Hix" wrote in message
...
In article . net,
"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...

The earlier flights were not done in a re-usable spacecraft.

So what?

So that is a large part of what makes it different from the single-shot
suborbital flights of the past.

Not to mention the thousands of man-hours and cast of thousands needed
to turn around the shuttle.

One step on the road to non-government, gold-plated, decades-long
development projects type spaceflight.

The problem is that merely reaching the altitude is only a
part of the problem. The real issue is achieving orbital velocity
and the Rutan aircraft doesnt achive much more than 15%
of the velocity required to put something in orbit.

That's not the point of this particular exercise.

Lindbergh didn't take any passengers, or significant cargo, either.