Is it just me or are they ahead of their schedule?
http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/64645912.html
MCGREGOR (October 16, 2009)—SpaceX conducted a 30-second test of its Falcon 9 nine-engine rocket cluster Friday at its facility in McGregor west of Waco,
It was the second of two test-firings and it marks the completion of the final technical verification of the Falcon 9’s first stage before the rocket’s inaugural .........
Hopefully the Space X engine will be re-usable for at least as long as the Shuttle engine has achieved. That's why getting the engines back requires a TSTO vehicle. That you also need solids, or a lot of liquid rockets, to even get to orbit, it stands to reason you should bring the housings, or First Stage, back for refilling and re-use. Ejecting any liquid or solid fuel container would be a possibility either for safety or increased payload. Shedding tanks or solid Segments makes sense so you would basically save the nozzle assembly and dump the spent propellant Segments. Might be used for extremely heavy payloads or emergency situations, the primary idea is to get as much to orbit as soon as possible. To have tanks, nozzles and engines return for re-use would be a primary goal, but exceptions would be easily entertained.
I would think a First stage with the equivalent of two or four Delta common cores and two AREs equivalent booster housing would, along with a simple aerodynamic shell and crew Module work great. The idea is it gets well above Spaceship 1 or 2 altitudes and releases the Upper Stage, basically a re-thought Centaur with modification to reduce weight and increase payload but with the same basic engines. In orbit the Upper Stage would be refueled and used as a tug taking payloads and people from a central location to virtually anywhere else. Upper Stage tanks would also be used to build Stations and extended range vehicles, powered by the re-fueled upper stage engines with upper stage tanks. Refurbish the tanks and they become building blocks, refill them and they stay tanks.
A Medium and Heavy launch choice can be made, the aerodynamic structure stays the same just the number of holes filled determines the vehicle. Two or four liquid cores and two solid boosters being standard, but added First Stage add on boosters would be available, to further payload capability. Cheaper launches for smaller payloads.
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