Flying it is very simple, just climb fast to 10-15km then level out, kill most of your vertical speed and gain velocity as high as possible. Climb slowly from 15k, preferrably within 10 degrees over the horizon, so that you can push the plane to the fastest possible speed without losing air.
Are SSTO planes possible?
To date, no Earth-launched SSTO launch vehicles have ever been flown; orbital launches from Earth have been performed by either fully or partially expendable multi-stage rockets. It is considered to be marginally possible to launch a single-stage-to-orbit chemically-fueled spacecraft from Earth.
Is a spaceplane possible?
All spaceplanes to date have been rocket-powered but then landed as unpowered gliders. Three types of spaceplanes have successfully launched to orbit, reentered Earth’s atmosphere, and landed: the Space Shuttle, Buran, and the X-37. Many more spaceplanes have been proposed, but none have reached flight status.
Is the space shuttle a SSTO?
As for Earth orbit, there have not been any true single-stage-to-orbit launches since the vehicle should not jettison any components to be considered true SSTO. However, both the Atlas-B and Space Shuttle did carry the first stage to orbit in some sense (sometimes referred to as “stage-and-a-half” configuration).
Are space planes efficient?
It is shaped like a conventional (cylinder body) rocket, which attains orbit with 28% hydrogen fraction at take off; mission average propulsive efficiency probably > 0.9; and a mission average thrust-to-drag ratio of probably about 4.0.
Will NASA ever build a new shuttle?
Orion is NASA’s new spacecraft, built to take humans farther into space than they’ve ever gone before. It will carry the crew to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew and provide a safe return to Earth.
What’s the flight path for a SSTO Arqade?
The initial climb and acceleration phase are similar – first climb to 10,000 ASAP (not to waste any fuel on prolonged climb), then accelerate to about 1000m/s in a mostly horizontal, possibly somewhat climbing flight. Then comes the decision depending on the construction of your SSTO. There are two fundamental “schools” of making them:
Is the SSTO Arqade good for passenger flights?
It’s good for passenger flights or bringing small satellites into orbit, but it’s hard to execute with anything bigger as the drag will overpower the limited thrust of LV-N.
How does the SSTO Arqade work in space?
Once they start losing power (your speed stops climbing or climbs very slowly) activate the nukes and keep a very shallow ascent profile – around 5 degrees, or less. As you gain speed, your lift increases allowing you to climb higher, and your gravitational drag drops as you approach orbital speed.
What kind of propulsion is needed for SSTO?
Nuclear engines reached advanced stages of development as early as the 1960s. Thermal nuclear propulsion would provide thrust by relaxing hydrogen through the heat of a reactor. This would result in a strong thrust, but which remains insufficient to propel a first stage or a SSTO vehicle.
