Blue Origin photo

[radarredux]

That looks obscene.

 

[MeteorWayne]

It looks Zuney <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[josh_simonson]

Unlike the scaled composites suborbital craft, though, this one is a more or less direct step in the direction of an orbital craft. It's easy to picture the above with a second stage instead of a crew cabin.<br /><br />Dragon isn't a LV, it's more approprate to compare the dragon to the crew capsule, or compare the new shepard to the dragon plus F9 second stage, but even there we have different craft for different jobs.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Short article about this today in the NY Times Science Times section.<br />" A Secretive Aerospace Company Sheds a Bit of Light on It's Rocket Program"<br /><br />nytimes.com/space<br /><br />MW <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[john_316]

Well I hope they get things up and going more often and wish them a lot of success. Perhaps this technology will improve as they progress. I imagine things will fair well for them in the new year...<br /><br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br />

 

[no_way]

BTW. Phoenix Martian polar lander, slated to launch august, 2007, will be the first one to manage powered landing ( if successful ) on mars after the Vikings, i.e. several decades later. Hardware built by LM, 6 ultra-pure hydrazine thrusters. Primary device to slow down is parachute which will be jettisoned about a kilometer high proceeding to powered soft landing on thrusters.<br />Detailed reading:<br />http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/060404_phoenix_tech.html<br /><br />I wish it was using LOX/methane and carrying an experiment to refill its tanks from atmosphere aboard.... <br />EDIT:<br />Half of which, of course, was developed as a flight-ready hardware for 2001 surveyor lander ..<br />http://web.archive.org/web/20060422045528/stl.ame.arizona.edu/mip-ogs/ogs_intro.html

 

[dreada5]

http://us.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/03/21/flying.pod/index.html<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>This year, engineers will attempt to push Goddard, which uses concentrated hydrogen peroxide as a propellant, to an altitude of 2,000 feet.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote>

 

[vulture2]

Beal proposed a large three-stage ELV using peroxide/kerosine. The combinatoin is reasonable where storability without refrigeration is required (i.e. for landing after a few days in space) however its sea-level ISP (273) is lower than LOX (300) and I cannot see any way it would be sufficient for SSTO. I would guess an additional stage is under consideration.

 

[rocketman5000]

BO's orbital version replaces the crew compartment with a second stage

 

[gunsandrockets]

"BO's orbital version replaces the crew compartment with a second stage"<br /><br />Must be a pretty small stage then, hardly more than a sounding rocket with less than 100 kg payload?

 

[docm]

Goddard & New Shepard @ astronautix.com;<br /><br />http://astronautix.com/craft/newepard.htm<br /><br />I hate to say this, but it looks like a *** toy <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[rocketman5000]

thanks for posting the link<br />