5 amazing spacecraft which never launched

[Jamie McKane]

5 amazing spacecraft which never launched

You may think that Elon Musk's BFR launch system is ridiculous, but there were even crazier spacecraft which we almost launched into orbit.

The history of space exploration is filled with adventurous designs and risky decisions, especially during the space race between the United States and Soviet Russia.

 

[garyc]

So most people realized that spacecraft pretending to be planes were a bad idea (as proven by the shuttle).

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

So most people realized that spacecraft pretending to be planes were a bad idea (as proven by the shuttle).

so spaceshipone is a bad idea then?

maybe if Nasa had used its brains a bit more and realized the SCA 747 could have been used to launch a shuttle, just as easily as ferrying that overgrown delivery truck.
from andrews back to Kennedy.

nasa has great ideas, poorly executed.

 

[Compton_effect]

so spaceshipone is a bad idea then?

maybe if Nasa had used its brains a bit more and realized the SCA 747 could have been used to launch a shuttle, just as easily as ferrying that overgrown delivery truck.
from andrews back to Kennedy.

nasa has great ideas, poorly executed.

Nope. Doesn't work that way. They studied that for the Space Sortie Vehicle


Note the rocket engine in the tail. And what you don't see is the big-ass cryogenic tanks in the fuselage. They would have pumped the fuel and oxidizer into the drop tank moments before launch, else the drop tank's insulation would have made it to heavy to work.
It was cancelled after it was deemed too expensive - only had a payload of 1300 kg.

And someone finally listened to the engineers about how bat**** crazy you have to be to launch from the back of a plane.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Nope. Doesn't work that way. They studied that for the Space Sortie Vehicle
View attachment 530573

Note the rocket engine in the tail. And what you don't see is the big-ass cryogenic tanks in the fuselage. They would have pumped the fuel and oxidizer into the drop tank moments before launch, else the drop tank's insulation would have made it to heavy to work.
It was cancelled after it was deemed too expensive - only had a payload of 1300 kg.

And someone finally listened to the engineers about how bat**** crazy you have to be to launch from the back of a plane.

so then explain to me why they trying this exact idea currently with spaceshipone and whiteknight aircraft?,
and even before that with the soviet space shuttle like buran and the AN225 that its original purpose was launching the soviet space shuttle.

I get it, its hard to launch into space, or even sub orbital (100 KM), as many have pointed out to me numerous times.
but surely there has to be another way? if not expendable rockets and space planes, what else hasn't been tried?

 

[garyc]

so spaceshipone is a bad idea then?

maybe if Nasa had used its brains a bit more and realized the SCA 747 could have been used to launch a shuttle, just as easily as ferrying that overgrown delivery truck.
from andrews back to Kennedy.

nasa has great ideas, poorly executed.

SpaceShipOne is turning out to be a bad idea. It first flew in 2003 and they are still trying to get it to work properly. There has also been a fatal accident as part of the development. The video of a recent development flight inside the atmosphere shows it to be prone to roll stability problems.

 

[garyc]

so then explain to me why they trying this exact idea currently with spaceshipone and whiteknight aircraft?,
and even before that with the soviet space shuttle like buran and the AN225 that its original purpose was launching the soviet space shuttle.

I get it, its hard to launch into space, or even sub orbital (100 KM), as many have pointed out to me numerous times.
but surely there has to be another way? if not expendable rockets and space planes, what else hasn't been tried?

The Scaled Composites people can carry their spacecraft up on the WhiteKnight aircraft since they do not have the same low temperature requirements on the fuel that the shuttle had. Their rocket basically burns a solid plastic liner while passing nirous oxide over it. And BTW, they have already killed several of their employees with this rocket.

The Buran was never meant to launch off the back of that aircraft. This spacecraft was reliant on the rocket engines of the Energia launch vehicle and was not capable of operating on it's own power.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

The Scaled Composites people can carry their spacecraft up on the WhiteKnight aircraft since they do not have the same low temperature requirements on the fuel that the shuttle had. Their rocket basically burns a solid plastic liner while passing nirous oxide over it. And BTW, they have already killed several of their employees with this rocket.

The Buran was never meant to launch off the back of that aircraft. This spacecraft was reliant on the rocket engines of the Energia launch vehicle and was not capable of operating on it's own power.

so essentially ANY space enterprise that tries to use a airplane to launch a spacecraft will fail?
so these guys with their 2X 747's adapted to carry a rocket will never work?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratolaunch_Systems

and buran why didnt that work? was almost an exact clone of Nasa's delivery truck?

 

[ToxicBunny]

so essentially ANY space enterprise that tries to use a airplane to launch a spacecraft will fail?
so these guys with their 2X 747's adapted to carry a rocket will never work?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratolaunch_Systems

and buran why didnt that work? was almost an exact clone of Nasa's delivery truck?

Its a bad idea from a load point of view.... Its been tried a good number of times and the complications it brings are not worth it...

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Its a bad idea from a load point of view.... Its been tried a good number of times and the complications it brings are not worth it...

ok, lets hear it, what is the best way (that you believe) to carry cargo and people into suborbit/orbit as cheaply and safely as possible?

Ive mentioned my ideas with maglev rails (too expensive) and others have mentioned space elevators (too cumbersome)

 

[ToxicBunny]

ok, lets hear it, what is the best way (that you believe) to carry cargo and people into suborbit/orbit as cheaply and safely as possible?

Ive mentioned my ideas with maglev rails (too expensive) and others have mentioned space elevators (too cumbersome)

Currently?

Rockets...

In the future, who knows... maybe still rockets, maybe something different. If I knew the answer I'd be developing it and preparing to be the worlds first trillionaire.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Currently?

Rockets...

In the future, who knows... maybe still rockets, maybe something different. If I knew the answer I'd be developing it and preparing to be the worlds first trillionaire.

so you think that ANY idea that people come up with, will be pointless, as its too complex and too prone to disasters?
if people dont try these wacky ideas with airplanes launching spacecraft, or maglev rails accelerating objects into orbit.

how will the Right solution ever be discovered? how will somebody eventually stumble onto the correct solution?

one can think back to the beginning of human flight, with people trying to throw themselves off cliffs
and gliders and balloons.

all that "nonsense" eventually let the right solution being discovered, plenty of others could have discovered it, but 2 bike mechanics
nobody had ever heard of discovered the solution.

dont you think that if enough people try the crazy ideas like space airplanes and maglev rails, eventually somebody would discover the real solution
that Humanity as a whole needs to escape the prison that is earth.

 

[ToxicBunny]

so you think that ANY idea that people come up with, will be pointless, as its too complex and too prone to disasters?
if people dont try these wacky ideas with airplanes launching spacecraft, or maglev rails accelerating objects into orbit.

how will the Right solution ever be discovered? how will somebody eventually stumble onto the correct solution?

one can think back to the beginning of human flight, with people trying to throw themselves off cliffs
and gliders and balloons.

all that "nonsense" eventually let the right solution being discovered, plenty of others could have discovered it, but 2 bike mechanics
nobody had ever heard of discovered the solution.

dont you think that if enough people try the crazy ideas like space airplanes and maglev rails, eventually somebody would discover the real solution
that Humanity as a whole needs to escape the prison that is earth.

Yussie...

Ppl have TRIED the plane idea, and it was fraught with complications...

SpaceShipOne is just the best current example.

 

[Compton_effect]

Best solution so far.
Drop the complex wings and turbomachinery. Don't try to do everything at once. Just go straight up.
Build one rocket stage with the express function of getting up out of the thick atmosphere and to start building up velocity.
Now build a second stage designed to work in space and near vacuum.
Put only the stuff needed in orbit on it.

Once you got that working - try to recover only the stuff you need back.
Once you figure that out - try and recover the first stage.
Now try and bring back more parts. And try and make the parts simple to use multiple times.

Its not elegant. But it works, and its cheap.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Best solution so far.
Drop the complex wings and turbomachinery. Don't try to do everything at once. Just go straight up.
Build one rocket stage with the express function of getting up out of the thick atmosphere and to start building up velocity.
Now build a second stage designed to work in space and near vacuum.
Put only the stuff needed in orbit on it.

Once you got that working - try to recover only the stuff you need back.
Once you figure that out - try and recover the first stage.

Its not elegant. But it works, and its cheap.

so the idea that spacex has with self landing rockets and drone ships is a good idea?
as that is essentially that exact same idea.

 

[ToxicBunny]

so the idea that spacex has with self landing rockets and drone ships is a good idea?
as that is essentially that exact same idea.

Ummm he is talking of SpaceX....

 

[crackersa]

Ummm he is talking of SpaceX....

Lol

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Ummm he is talking of SpaceX....

never mentioned them, at least by name, but ok,

do you agree with that then? best hope for all of humanity to get into space is basically what spacex has been doing so far?

so all the crazy and wacky ideas are all pointless, even though they attack the problem with a hammer and not with science.

 

[ToxicBunny]

never mentioned them, at least by name, but ok,

do you agree with that then? best hope for all of humanity to get into space is basically what spacex has been doing so far?

so all the crazy and wacky ideas are all pointless, even though they attack the problem with a hammer and not with science.

He didn't have to mention them, his description is Space X to a tee...

And currently they are the best option... other options will arise over time, but currently what they are doing (and a few others) is the best option we have.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

He didn't have to mention them, his description is Space X to a tee...

And currently they are the best option... other options will arise over time, but currently what they are doing (and a few others) is the best option we have.

so all the other weird and wacky ways are just a waste of money and time?
ok, now we have established that,

dont you think that other options like maglev rail and spacecraft carrying airplanes and ballons carrying rockets are another alternative?
maybe with a bit or reworking? and something more realistic and cheaper?

so that the most wasteful and least efficient way to get into space is still the best, so appollo 11 with its saturn 5 is still the best.
and in all the time so far, nothing better has come around?

Im just confused, its like saying when the first balloons were launched
by these guys:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgolfier_brothers

that this was the best and only way, and NOTHING in the field of aviation is worth trying further.

I just find it hard to believe that ANYTHING we try in the field of getting into space is worthless.
besides the expensive rockets and its waste.