Quote:
Originally Posted by DJDD
perhaps i was confused but I thought there was a successor already designed/built/ready (?) to replace the shuttle in the next few years. hmmm...
i love the idea of a space elevator.
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DJDD: They did do a sizable amount of work on the X-33/X-34 program, if that's what you are talking about, however, the technology isn't there yet and won't be for some time. Among the list of issues, the motors (Linear Aerospike) and the carbon-carbon skin. The vehicles' fuel tanks, which will need to be 'Wet Wing' (Wet Body actually, since it's a 'Lifting Body'), in that there are no fuel bladders or solid tanks (most of the body is the tank), to maximise space useage, which means the airframe and carbon-carbon metal composite thermal skin must cope with -200 deg C internally, and +3000+ deg C on the re-entry phase. These are what I consider to be insurmountable technical difficulties which won't have solutions any time soon.
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches...el_010301.html
They then placed their hopes in the VentureStar project (next phase after the X-33 demonstrator), which was a bigger, revised X33. It used seperate LOX LH tanks (no wet wings), and Inconel (skin metal from X-15 days), no tiles on the skin, but really, different dog, same feas! Canned also.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_xT1Lluy5o
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2006/...ally-happened/
Shuttle replacement set to be the Orion/Constellation Project. Back to the old style of getting into space (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo programs).
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/co...sIx/index.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/co...ain/index.html
AresTV (good videos)
http://www.youtube.com/AresTV
Budget cuts will delay
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11112
As for testing – oh dear me!
http://www.space.com/common/media/vi...hute_test&mode=