4 ms·

UK Skylon spaceplane passes key review

44 points by timthorn 15y ago

smackay 15y ago
Three cheers for Alan Bond's dogged determination to get this to reality and for pursuing private backing rather than the vested interests in the corporate sector or government. Perhaps this time the UK can innovate and reap the rewards too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Bond_(rocket_developer) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Bond_(rocket_developer) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Streak_(missile) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Streak_(missile)
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
suprgeek 15y ago
The "Skylon" name makes me very nervous for some reason :)
- stcredzero 15y ago
  They should install a visible red-light scanner in front that sweeps back and forth. EDIT: Seriously, if they can manage $1000/kg, someone calculated a launch cost target of $336/lb for the viability of solar power satellites. That's $740/kg, so they'd be within spitting distance of some truly disruptive capability.
  - hugh3 15y ago
    That sounds rather optimistic, given that it's hard to even make solar cells pay for their own manufacturing cost when you stick 'em on Earth, let alone launch 'em into space. And there's not that much more sunlight in space.
    - stcredzero 15y ago
      This is pretty contextual. The market price for power in a 1st world industrialized nation does not apply everywhere in the world.
      - hugh3 15y ago
        Interesting. Where can we beam down power at a high price?
        stcredzero 15y ago
        Remote military bases. Running those trucks with jerry-cans of diesel is expensive and sometimes perilous. A rectenna array for military purposes could be concealed in a specially constructed tent and be of much smaller dimensions than a solar photovoltaic array of similar power.
    - sorbus 15y ago
      In space, there's no interference from the atmosphere - no clouds, nothing blocking portions of the spectrum. You have constant sunlight whenever you're facing the sun. The difference between getting 12 hours of light unless it's cloudy and 24 hours of light is huge. Just that doubles the per-day output of a solar cell (you would have to get it into an orbit that keeps it facing the sun, but that's not especially hard).
      - stcredzero 15y ago
        you would have to get it into an orbit that keeps it facing the sun, but that's not especially hard From where we're sitting, it's daunting. But once there's power-producing and power-beaming infrastructure in orbit, then we can power tugs with plasma thrusters to transfer material from LEO to GEO.
- drats 15y ago
  The naming of this project should put you at ease then. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skynet_(satellite) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skynet_(satellite)
wazoox 15y ago
This is reminiscent of the HOTOL of the 80s : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HOTOL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HOTOL
hugh3 15y ago
It's nice to know that these things are progressing, but the details don't get me too excited: Skylon has been in development in the UK in various guises for nearly 30 years. And what's the latest milestone? The UK Space Agency (UKSA) had commissioned Esa to evaluate the design, and the European organisation's staff reported on Tuesday that they had not seen any obvious flaws. Well that's just great, guys! So you'll let me know when there's a working prototype, right? Great. I also liked: But REL says it has developed an anti-frost solution that will allow the heat exchanger to run and run. Esa's technical staff have witnessed this "secret technology" on the lab bench and can confirm it works. I wonder whether this fuel-system de-icing system is also a disk operating system and genetic lifeform.

44 points by timthorn 15y ago

Three cheers for Alan Bond's dogged determination to get this to reality and for pursuing private backing rather than the vested interests in the corporate sector or government. Perhaps this time the UK can innovate and reap the rewards too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Bond_(rocket_developer) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Bond_(rocket_developer) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Streak_(missile) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Streak_(missile)

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

suprgeek 15y ago

The "Skylon" name makes me very nervous for some reason :)

stcredzero 15y ago
They should install a visible red-light scanner in front that sweeps back and forth. EDIT: Seriously, if they can manage $1000/kg, someone calculated a launch cost target of $336/lb for the viability of solar power satellites. That's $740/kg, so they'd be within spitting distance of some truly disruptive capability.
- hugh3 15y ago
  That sounds rather optimistic, given that it's hard to even make solar cells pay for their own manufacturing cost when you stick 'em on Earth, let alone launch 'em into space. And there's not that much more sunlight in space.
  - stcredzero 15y ago
    This is pretty contextual. The market price for power in a 1st world industrialized nation does not apply everywhere in the world.
    - hugh3 15y ago
      Interesting. Where can we beam down power at a high price?
      - stcredzero 15y ago
        Remote military bases. Running those trucks with jerry-cans of diesel is expensive and sometimes perilous. A rectenna array for military purposes could be concealed in a specially constructed tent and be of much smaller dimensions than a solar photovoltaic array of similar power.
  - sorbus 15y ago
    In space, there's no interference from the atmosphere - no clouds, nothing blocking portions of the spectrum. You have constant sunlight whenever you're facing the sun. The difference between getting 12 hours of light unless it's cloudy and 24 hours of light is huge. Just that doubles the per-day output of a solar cell (you would have to get it into an orbit that keeps it facing the sun, but that's not especially hard).
    - stcredzero 15y ago
      you would have to get it into an orbit that keeps it facing the sun, but that's not especially hard From where we're sitting, it's daunting. But once there's power-producing and power-beaming infrastructure in orbit, then we can power tugs with plasma thrusters to transfer material from LEO to GEO.
drats 15y ago
The naming of this project should put you at ease then. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skynet_(satellite) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skynet_(satellite)

wazoox 15y ago

This is reminiscent of the HOTOL of the 80s : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HOTOL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HOTOL

hugh3 15y ago

It's nice to know that these things are progressing, but the details don't get me too excited: Skylon has been in development in the UK in various guises for nearly 30 years. And what's the latest milestone? The UK Space Agency (UKSA) had commissioned Esa to evaluate the design, and the European organisation's staff reported on Tuesday that they had not seen any obvious flaws. Well that's just great, guys! So you'll let me know when there's a working prototype, right? Great. I also liked: But REL says it has developed an anti-frost solution that will allow the heat exchanger to run and run. Esa's technical staff have witnessed this "secret technology" on the lab bench and can confirm it works. I wonder whether this fuel-system de-icing system is also a disk operating system and genetic lifeform.