British invention is out of this world Skylon Spaceplane

Unlike NASA's Shuttle, Skylon can take off from an airport runway, fly into orbit then land again - and even carry TOURISTS.
The new UK Space Agency is hosting a two-day workshop next week to look into developing it commercially.
The 270ft-long craft can be turned round for a new flight in hours and will slash the cost of space travel.
Skylon has no external rocket tanks and works thanks to an engine discovery on a par with Frank Whittle's jet.
Two engines suck hydrogen and oxygen from the atmosphere to fire it 18 miles up at over five times the speed of sound.

SKYLON Spaceplane SSTO designer Alan Bond talks to Flight International

Linkthelasttradition.blogspot.com...

Well this sounds promising looks a little similar to the not so secret space plane.

SKYLON Spaceplane: Mission Animation


SKYLON Spaceplane Passenger Logistics Module Movie


I think its a long way off but looks very promising what do you think about this

Thankyou

NUCLEAR LAUNCH DETECTED! Sorry, been playing too much starcraft 2. I can't see why this hasn't been tried already.

Originally posted by SmokeandShadow. I can't see why this hasn't been tried already.

How do we know that it hasn't well we know NASA build one that got took over by the military.

Thankyou

I shall call it the SR 73 LOL yep looks like the dod have been using
similar tech for a while now.

i like it. nice graphics to.do have a s & f my good man.

Very cool if they can make it work. It's a huge sized spacecraft, that, I think is the biggest stumbling block.

I will be watching the progress on this project.

Got a little more to add to this.

2.bp.blogspot.com...

This bits from 2009.

Skylon spaceplane gets cash boost

An innovative UK launcher concept is to get 1m euros (£900,000) of investment from the European Space Agency (Esa).
The Skylon spaceplane would take off from a conventional aircraft runway, carry over 12 tonnes to orbit and then return to land on the same runway.
The money will help prove the vehicle's core technologies, including its Sabre air-breathing rocket engine.

Link news.bbc.co.uk...

And Reaction Engines website

www.reactionengines.co.uk... A lot more on skylon at this link.
Hope you like

Thankyou

reply to post by stealthyaroura


Yes it dose look similar but this as the potential to be way better than the X-37B.
The difference is the X-37B is up and running or should i say flying just don't know what its mission is.

And the Skylon can take off from a runway no need for rockets.
It's just a long way off but that time could be shortened who knows after all NASA can not have all the fun.

Thankyou

reply to post by mars1

I read a liile about this a while back-but nowhere like the info you presented mars1,good thread buddy.
Looks awsome,with these new engines making massive savings on the amount of fuel required to get to orbit,but why do you think they have built it so huge-surely it could be a bit shorter and still carry the same modules?

I'm only thinking in saftey terms-a smaller craft would be easier to build strong enough for the stresses involved.

Guess theres some proper reason they have gone for that shape/size though.
Anyway I hope theres a few different types of this sort of craft selling tickets to space by 2020-nothing like a bit of competition for getting prices lowered!

reply to post by Silcone Synapse


I don't know why its this size i presume it will change as time goes on just like NASA's X-37B changed after all most things end up different than they started this is no different.

And thank you for the complement i appreciate that

Thankyou

looks like the first step towards producing homegrown ufos
that is if we haven't already

Its happening people.

Just look at the glint in Richard Bransons eyes when he speaks of the "commercial applications" of space travel.
Fantastic I say.Use that financial wad for something visionary-It seems the only way to acheive such a thing in todays world is to have serious money-enthusiasm is a bonus now sadly.
RB ain't the only one,other mega corporations are getting with the idea,in Russia The USA,Japan,UK and all over.

When big business sees a profit,its all systems go for space touism,and beyond.

Its happening allright,and we will be the first folks to witness it,so long as no crazy leaders push the world into further strife.

WHY have wars when we could do this stuff instead???

Its a no brainer IMHO.

WTF are we doing...Lets get up there already,and don't go saying we can't send folks to space because they may die-thousands of folks die in cars every year,in accidents.

But that is considered acceptable-well so should be mass human space travel IMO.

So say we all.

reply to post by Silicon Synapse


Could not agree more silcone synapse the problem is most people could never afford the cash for a trip a rich mans toy.

But that's the way it starts well i am 40 now so by the time its affordable it will be too late for me but my kids will love it

Thankyou

reply to post by mars1


Yeah its a bit of a shame our generation may just miss the advent of cheaper space travel,but I think you're right-our kids generation will get to see it(Although my dad claimed that by the time I was 21 there would be moonbase tourism-he was off by a generation I think.)

Never know though-some bright spark may yet find a really cheap way to get lots of people into space by the time we get to retire.

That would suit me,retire to mars for some low grav golfing.

What would this be using for fuel?
and why wouldn't NASA have used it already
sucking it from the air? what does it use when it is in space?

This is GREAT news!


NASA is so far behind the curve that its actually shaming!

It's not anything yet. Is there even a prototype? Nope because the project was from the '90s and was cancelled in 1995.

www.astronautix.com...

Originally posted by mars1

Unlike NASA's Shuttle, Skylon can take off from an airport runway, fly into orbit then land again - and even carry TOURISTS.
The new UK Space Agency is hosting a two-day workshop next week to look into developing it commercially.
The 270ft-long craft can be turned round for a new flight in hours and will slash the cost of space travel.
Skylon has no external rocket tanks and works thanks to an engine discovery on a par with Frank Whittle's jet.
Two engines suck hydrogen and oxygen from the atmosphere to fire it 18 miles up at over five times the speed of sound.

SKYLON Spaceplane SSTO designer Alan Bond talks to Flight International

Linkthelasttradition.blogspot.com...

Well this sounds promising looks a little similar to the not so secret space plane.

SKYLON Spaceplane: Mission Animation

SKYLON Spaceplane Passenger Logistics Module Movie

I think its a long way off but looks very promising what do you think about this

Thankyou

edit on 063030p://2010-09-17T06:40:03-05:00179 by mars1 because: (no reason given)

Great info...I just love seeing concept craft like this that blow the lid off of traditional lift off/ rocket launching tech.

Questions:

-Even with the short wing-span, isn't that an awful high surface-area to total area ratio for re-entry? basically, 2/3 to 3/4 of the ship's total area would be heat shield

-What's the deal with the curved engines? Is that part of the airflow design?

-The application for passenger flight is fantastic, but if they want' to impress me, quit designing craft to put more crap in orbit, and design something to help clean up up there. The opening sequence to "Wall-E" anyone? Or, imagine this plane up there, full of Gazillionaire passengers, getting slammed into by a crescent wrench going 17,000mph.

CDS

How come nobody called BS on these statement in the OP?

Two engines suck hydrogen and oxygen from the atmosphere

Just how much hydrogen is there in the atmosphere we breath???

Bleh.

reply to post by pacific_waters


All i know is what i linked nothing more this is new to me if the project was cancelled it must have been brought back to life.

An innovative UK launcher concept is to get 1m euros (£900,000) of investment from the European Space Agency (Esa).

Linknews.bbc.co.uk...
If you look this article is from 2009 so is not a dead project.

And to buddhasystem sorry i do not have the knowledge to answer that.

Thankyou

i thought most of the hydrogen in our atmosphere escapes out into space ??