Who is new space

NUKE ROCKY44 · Senior Member

Who is new space

John · Senior Member

New space as defined on the show is mostly fun for rich guys! It's like sailboat racing. I wish them the best but it doesn't have much to do with what I'm focused. They will never get to Mars, etc.

NUKE ROCKY44 · Senior Member

I tend to agree. New space companies if successful will end up as LM and Boeing are now. Very limited in accessible space only in LEO operations not much beyond for HSF.

NUKE ROCKY44 · Senior Member

Need a chuckle? Check the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100403/ap_on_sc/us_mystery_spacecraft

Spooks burning funds on half baked projects. U.S. space program needs some direction 'cause it gets weirder by the minute.

John · Senior Member

As I understand it the X-37B will test a new thermal protection system. It will also demonstrate automatic landing like the Russian shuttle Buran. At least this is using DoD funds not NASA funds for a tech demonstration project.

A lot of the hypersonic programs may be weapon related, i.e. rapid strike. Ideas like that are sometinmes mentioned in the open literature. The scamjet concepts are an alternative to my latest concept. I've come to believe that it is just a major tech leap to get there and it is still unclear that if successful they will be cost-effective.

It is also possible that the DoD is losing confidence with NASA just like the New Space people are.

NUKE ROCKY44 · Senior Member

With the maturity of civil space well established by now 50+ yrs. To depend on DOD funding (trickle down effect) for civil space bodes badly for civil space an indication of how anemic civil space is currently. A healthy civil space program takes lead for appropriate use to DOD.
DOD projects are usually low key in literature and only surface in public literature when there's applicability to civil space use.

"It is also possible that the DoD is losing confidence with NASA just like the New Space people are."

I agree with quote...

Here a link on space policy kinda rushed today can you tell me what you think of this source?

http://spacepolicyonline.com/pages/

-- Edited by NUKE ROCKY44 on Monday 5th of April 2010 10:08:14 PM

John · Senior Member

It looks good to me at least for what it is. Perhaps it is still under development.

GoogleNaut · Guru

Just a quick comment on the X-37B: what I think that the X-37B represents is the Air Force's desire, probably in concert with the National Reconaissance Office, is to have a "Launch On Need" platform dedicated to optical and ELINT missions that can perform long duration, short duration, or most importantly, unpredictable LEO satellite reconaissance. I suspect that this isn't a space program per se, it is a program designed to surprise countries like China, North Korea, and Iran with a Reconaissance overflight that they cannot predict.

In this light, this platform is just about perfect for that. Look at the payload bay of the thing: the diameter is close to 2 meters, which is just about perfect for a very high resolution Schmitt-Maksutov telescope. I would imagine that with a full motion, IR capable CCD array, then multispectral video should be possible. That and stills from a 32 Megapixel CCD array made by Kodak...

With enough RCS propellant, the thing is menuverable, and unlike the 2 billion dollar KH-11/KH-12 series spy satellites, this thing can come home, be refurbished and refueled and sent back up.

John · Senior Member

Oh, my previous comment was about the space policy online website not the X-37B.

Ty, that is an interesting theory about the X-37B. Here is a link to an interesting article on this vehicle. I'm a little interest in that it look like a subscale prototype of "my" orbiter. Note the delta v of nearly 7,000 mph. Also, I read some where that it will be testing an advanced TPS.

http://spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av012/100402x37update/

NUKE ROCKY44 · Senior Member

The Air Force launched a secretive space plane into orbit last night from Cape Canaveral, Florida. And theyre not sure when its returning to Earth.

Perched atop an Atlas V rocket, the Air Forces unmanned and reusable X-37B made its first flight after a decade in development shrouded in mystery; most of the mission goals remain unknown to the public.

news link

So funny USAF trying newer tech with reusable philosophy on return X-37B has 15 day turnaround for system flight-that's a fast pit stop. Small caveat though why use solar power if all you want is a self contained craft without the use of fold out solar panels? One or two 110 W RTGS can fit this electrical bill. I guess the USAF wanted low key approach heading off media criticism of nukes on reentry stories was a better choice.

To me it seems like a USAF PR cave-in unless of course they say solar but use RTG ?

I guess USAF space division is the employer of the week nice recruitment poster for sure.

Damn, these military space jockeys always get the best stuff first!!

Note my jealousy...

-- Edited by NUKE ROCKY44 on Saturday 24th of April 2010 12:10:33 AM

-- Edited by NUKE ROCKY44 on Saturday 24th of April 2010 01:02:13 AM