Possible new orbital crew delivery and retrieval system?

[bdewoody]

Why not man rate the Delta IV launcher and put an X-37 based crew vehicle on top? A while back I saw a drawings of a manned version of the X-37 that could carry up to 6 passengers or a small orbital payload or supplies for the ISS. The components appear to be robust and have been tested. Further development could be a private venture from LockMart and Boeing. I'd trust a space vehicle from them more than anyone else. And it wouldn't have to land under a bunch of parachutes.

 

[Skyskimmer]

Why not man rate the Delta IV launcher and put an X-37 based crew vehicle on top? A while back I saw a drawings of a manned version of the X-37 that could carry up to 6 passengers or a small orbital payload or supplies for the ISS. The components appear to be robust and have been tested. Further development could be a private venture from LockMart and Boeing. I'd trust a space vehicle from them more than anyone else. And it wouldn't have to land under a bunch of parachutes.

How much would that cost my only question.

 

[Gravity_Ray]

Why not man rate the Delta IV launcher and put an X-37 based crew vehicle on top? A while back I saw a drawings of a manned version of the X-37 that could carry up to 6 passengers or a small orbital payload or supplies for the ISS. The components appear to be robust and have been tested. Further development could be a private venture from LockMart and Boeing. I'd trust a space vehicle from them more than anyone else. And it wouldn't have to land under a bunch of parachutes.

I see that you really like the X37B as you have posted the idea of man rating this thing several times. Its doable, but everything I have read on it, says that the Air Force is not interested in that.

From everything that I read both accepted by the Air Force and not accepted by the Air Force, this thing is going to stay unmanned. Right now, the robotics and AI for unmanned drones is getting to a point that it can easily go to space as a smart robot. I think they will use it as a) A rail weapon of sorts, b) A spy space plane that due to its small size can easily approach enemy satellites and get very good intel on them right in orbit, and finally c) a test bed for various Air Force space weapons and intel capabilities.

It is a fine looking machine, and it does appear that it can be man rated, but as I said, the Air Force just doesn’t seem interested in that.

 

[bdewoody]

It doesn't have to be the Air Force unless they hold the patent on the design. Boeing could as a private company develope a manned version on their on. They are in a much better position to develope it as a private venture than say Space-X is their capsule. If it successfully de-orbits and comes to a landing on a runway I'd say it is the answer to the west's LEO delivery and retrieval vehicle.

 

[samkent]

Once the process of man rating the X37B started someone would get the idea of having it deploy and retrieve sats at the same time as carrying 6 astronauts. So the size bloat would start all over again. Which would mean additional agencies would have to contribute funding each with their own new requirements added.
Guess were it would all end up?

 

[Gravity_Ray]

Yeah, unfortunately that is how the shuttle became what it is now. The X37B looks very much like what the original shuttle was envisioned as.

I hope Woody is correct. I don’t think so, because Boeing is now vested in the CST-100 since Bigelow and the ISS will be happy to use that capsule, there is business there. Man rating the X37B will be a major project and currently without any investors.

I think Woody does have a great idea because I fully believe in the Shuttle TPS. That system works as advertised and its a mature technology. It can easily be applied to another LEO system. Problem is a winged space ship has very limited uses. Basically LEO astronaut delivery and retrieval. Its a very valid market, but a niche market never the less.

Lets see what happens, but I think the X37B is firmly under the wing of the Air Force for now, and they only want to use it for their own experimentations since they are totally locked out of the shuttle.

 

[bdewoody]

It seems to me that a derivitive of the X-37B would be an ideal LEO delivery vehicle for space tourists to Bigelo's space hotel.. If I were going up I'd rather come down on something with wings on a runway than in a capsule underneath parachutes in the ocean. Since it wouldn't be a NASA program Boeing could keep the concept in tact and not have to "bloat" it back into something that doesn't work so well. And in any event Boeing and LockMart have more resources than SpaceX and the other private venture start ups. People keep forgetting that although Boeing and LockMart and the other NASA contractors do work for the government they are still private companies.