New Entry in Space Tourism Industry

nec208 · Mar 28, 2008

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California aerospace company plans to enter the space tourism industry with a two-seat rocket ship capable of suborbital flights to altitudes more than 37 miles above the Earth.The Lynx, about the size of a small private plane, is expected to begin flying in 2010, according to developer Xcor Aerospace, which planned to release details of the design at a news conference Wednesday.The company also said that, pending the outcome of negotiations, the Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded it a research contract to develop and test features of the Lynx. No details were released.Xcor's announcement comes two months after aerospace designer Burt Rutan and billionaire Richard Branson unveiled a model of SpaceShipTwo, which is being built for Branson's Virgin Galactic space tourism company and may begin test flights this year.Xcor intends to be a spaceship builder, with another company operating the Lynx and setting prices.The Lynx is designed to take off from a runway like a normal plane, reach a top speed of Mach 2 and an altitude of 200,000 feet, then descend in a circling glide to a runway landing.Shaped something like a bulked-up version of the Rutan-designed Long-EZ home-built aircraft, its wings will be located toward the rear of the fuselage, with vertical winglets at the tips.Powered by clean-burning, fully reusable, liquid-fuel engines, the Lynx is expected to be capable of making several flights a day, Xcor said."We have designed this vehicle to operate much like a commercial aircraft," Xcor Chief Executive Officer Jeff Greason said in a statement.Greason said the Lynx will provide affordable access to space for individuals and researchers, and future versions will offer improved capabilities for research and commercial uses.Rich Pournelle, Xcor's director of business development, said initial testing of the Lynx will be conducted at the Mojave Airport north of Los Angeles.Xcor is also negotiating with various spaceports to set up franchises, "and New Mexico is at the top of the list, based on the significant financial commitment the state has made towards the spaceport," he said.A planned $198 million Spaceport America complex would cover 27 square miles near southern New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range, where the U.S. launched its first rocket after World War II.Xcor has spent nine years developing rocket engines in a facility down the flight line from Rutan's Scaled Composites LLC at the Mojave Airport. It has built and flown two rocket-powered aircraft.Virgin's SpaceShipTwo is being developed on the success of SpaceShipOne, which in 2004 became the first privately funded, manned rocket to reach space, making three flights to altitudes between 62 miles and 69 miles and winning the $10 million Ansari X Prize.Powered by a hybrid engine — the gas nitrous oxide combined with rubber as a solid fuel — SpaceShipTwo will be flown by two pilots and carry up to six passengers who will pay about $200,000 apiece for the ride.Like its predecessor, SpaceShipTwo will be taken aloft by a carrier airplane and then released before firing its rocket engine. Virgin Galactic says passengers will experience about 4 1/2 minutes of weightlessness and will be able to unbuckle themselves to float in the cabin before the craft returns to Earth as an unpowered glider.Xcor's Lynx also is intended to return as a glider but with the capability of restarting its engine if needed. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g4ObtqVBGOx6m6ZZd3U3mSRT49jQD8VL915O0  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

nec208 · Mar 28, 2008

So it takes of like a jet and use the jet engine to altitude x than the rocket fires up and takes them to space?One problem I see with this and spaceship-one is its only good for earth orbits.Jut like the space shuttle,clipper  ,x-33.DC-X and other x programs.Where is the program that will take people to the moon or Mars.And its okay the private sector is doing it , but that's get the government doing it.  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

scottb50 · Mar 28, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>So it takes of like a jet and use the jet engine to altitude x than the rocket fires up and takes them to space?One problem I see with this and spaceship-one is its only good for earth orbits.Jut like the space shuttle,clipper  ,x-33.DC-X and other x programs.Where is the program that will take people to the moon or Mars.And its okay the private sector is doing it , but that's get the government doing it.  Posted by nec208</DIV>None of these examples got beyond LEO and neither Space Ship 1 or 2 or this new entry are capable of returing from LEO orbit, let alone reaching it. The basic vehicle could get to orbit, if they had enough propellant, but couldn't return.The best idea for the moon or Mars is systems like these that can put payloads into LEO that can be integrated with others to go to the moon or Mars. The Spaceship2 should be able to put a couple of thousand pounds into orbit.Getting back is another problem and if we concentrate on getting to orbit rather then a round trip it might solve bothe problems.   <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

nec208 · Mar 28, 2008

None of them go beyond low earth orbit and why can't they return from low earth orbit?   <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

Swampcat · Mar 28, 2008

"Where is the program that will take people to the moon or Mars.And its okay the private sector is doing it , but that's get the government doing it." -- nec208SpaceX Dragon.The government is working on it...sort of.http://www.spacex.com/dragon.php <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> ------------------------------------------------------------------- "I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."Thomas Jefferson </div>

Cygnus_X_1 · Mar 28, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> None of them go beyond low earth orbit and why can't they return from low earth orbit?  Posted by nec208</DIV> none go into orbit.  They are suborbital  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

MeteorWayne · Mar 28, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> None of them go beyond low earth orbit and why can't they return from low earth orbit?  Posted by nec208</DIV> Without protection for the heat of reeentry, it would fry. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

trailrider · Mar 28, 2008

Commercial space tourism has to start somewhere, and, like Earth-borne commercial efforts that followed Columbus, Lewis & Clark, et al, will be behind government funded and run exploration programs for awhile.  Commercial programs must attract funding...in some cases from the Federal Government, but mostly from investment sources.  Until these efforts prove they can (1) be run with lower risk, and (2) make a run at making a profit, they won't be able to attract such funding. In other words, commerical space operations, whether in cargo hauling, tourism, or whatever, has to crawl before it walks, and walk before it runs.Eventually, commercial space companies MUST go into Earth orbit, and then to the Moon, set up bases, and make a profit, whether from developing mineral resources, tourism, or whatever.  Governments, including NASA, cannot do this on a sustained basis...NOR SHOULD THEY!Some of these commercial startups will fail.  Hopefully some will succeed! Right now, we are about where the aircraft industry was in the early-to-mid 1920's.  I wish it were further along, but it isn't, and we can just hope that the coming administration and Congress will see fit to perservere with our exploration program beyond LEO. Ad Luna! Ad Ares! Ad Astra!

nec208 · Mar 28, 2008

"Where is the program that will take people to the moon or Mars.And its okay the private sector is doing it , but that's get the government doing it." -- nec208SpaceX Dragon.The government is working on it...sort of.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The US want's to go to the moon and China want's  to go into space.But the UK or old USSR does not seem to be interested in space. There has bean lots of plans in the USSR but nothing.There where way too many cutbacks in the 80's in the USSR. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some of these commercial startups will fail.  Hopefully some will succeed! Right now, we are about where the aircraft industry was in the early-to-mid 1920's.  I wish it were further along, but it isn't, and we can just hope that the coming administration and Congress will see fit to perservere with our exploration program beyond LEO.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Why where they not interested in space 10 or 15 years ago? Doing what they are doing now?And it could take them 15 or 20 years to catch up. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

PistolPete · Mar 28, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>So it takes of like a jet and use the jet engine to altitude x than the rocket fires up and takes them to space? Posted by nec208</DIV>From the video that was released by XCOR today, it doesn't look like it will have jet engines.  It will ignite its rocket engines on the ground and use those all of the way up.  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> So, again we are defeated. This victory belongs to the farmers, not us.-Kambei Shimada from the movie Seven Samurai </div>

nec208 · Mar 30, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>From the video that was released by XCOR today, it doesn't look like it will have jet engines.  It will ignite its rocket engines on the ground and use those all of the way up.  Posted by PistolPete</DIV>Looking at the size it looks like it would need some boosters to get up there.I just don't see how it can be done like that.  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

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