October 2015
Japan’s H-IIA rocket: beautiful, accurate, and on-time
... developers considered the repeat use of a vehicle to reduce the cost of transportation. The orbiter and solid rocket booster motor case were both reused. Later, when the Shuttle was used for practical missions, the...
October 2015
From the kitchen… to the stars?
... LNG; The developing S5.86 engine with a 7.5 ton thrust can be used alone or in conjunction as the main engine in prototype boosters and upper stages of launch vehicles; The positive results of firing tests have confirmed the feasibility of further...
February 2016
Nuclear Flashlamps in Space
.... There is no method that is more completely effective than detonating them somewhere safe. Strapping on a few solid rocket boosters to each missile could generate enough thrust to achieve escape velocity and send them as far away as possible...
January 2017
Elon Musk and Mars - looking for a snowball effect
... constrained budget, but we’re going to try and make as much progress as we can on the elements of the interplanetary transport booster and spaceship. There’s a good chance we won’t succeed, but we’re going to do our best and try to make as much...
January 2017
Blueprint for NASA’s journey to Mars
... operations. An ascent abort test will certify Orion’s Launch Abort System by performing an ascent abort off a test booster launched from Cape Canaveral. Mars Rover 2020 is critical for understanding the Mars surface and preparing...
November 2017
Reusable air-launch and the space access paradigm
... minimises mass margins while maximising reliability The rocket’s structure design requirements will also benefit so that booster wing area, which is not needed to lift the gross weight at low subsonic speed, can be made smaller...
