2 ms·

Thanks for the insights. Any links for simple folk like myself to see what the right way might look like?

• V_Terranova_Jr 4y ago
  I'm not sure how accessible this is for the layperson, but I thought this report was pretty well done: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20150015837 https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20150015837 Also, I didn't really answer your question directly before, but SpaceX-style iteration in this arena is unlikely. Unlike launch, which has high margins, commercial supersonics would be competing by trying to "build a better mousetrap" where "better" means "faster, but more expensive to develop, operate, and has a smaller addressable market". Iteration could build design team competence, but iterating the design itself would be extremely expensive and wouldn't have enough potential payoff to merit the necessary $Billions of pre-production investment.
  • pstuart 4y ago
    It was a wee bit dense, but I appreciate the effort. My naivete as a software guy is that the advancements and cost drop of computational modelling, ML/AI, and 3D printing could enable a small team of smart people the opportunity to "think outside the box".