UK Space Activities - Discuss

[diamondspaceguy]

Guys

Here are a few interesting links about some UK space efforts! For those people who dont know much about it
Most of these links are from the private space scene. What do you think about the current state of UK space travel?

Reaction Engines

British Rocket Company Blazes a Trail to the Future

Bristol Spaceplanes

Starchaser

There is also Virgin Galactic! but would you consider this british as the design and spaceport is american?

Anyways, some interesting progress for the UK who has been a long way behind for a long time!

I look forward to hearing what you think about the current state of UK space activities!

 

[VirginiaPhillips]

Hi, diamondspaceguy,

It's funny you should bring this subject up - and I applaud you for it - because, since the middle of last week, I personally have been very excited by the UK's space activities.

That is, since reading The _ Chef's thread in this forum: "British Space Plane Concept", dated 12th March [see here: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=16810] I have been very excited, especially about the Skylon Space Plane, designed in "concept" only (so far) by Reaction Engines Limited, Oxford, UK [here: http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/skylon_vehicle.html].

Wow! I love this "vehicle". And I can't wait for future development on it (through the European Space Agency [ESA] alone? Or might NASA get involved? As long as someone builds and utilizes it (transporting: cargo to satellites and colonies; workers to space stations and terraforming sites; civilians to new habitats in "New Worlds"), I don't really think it matters who.

The Skylon Space Plane seems so clean... Now, I don't know much about mechanics and, even less, about engines, but this idea of using liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and atmospheric air as energy, well, that's got to be: a-heck-of-a-lot better than depleting any more of this planet's fossil fuels; far less damaging in terms of pollution; less costly financially, and, eventually, an alternative we must consider in order to progress.

Anyway, I leave it up to those interested to check out the above links and, like me, get to learn more (I became a huge fan of Reaction Engines Ltd. [Rolls Royce engineers - my grandfather used to work for RR in Derby - have been involved since its inception] after exploring their website!). And I'll go off to look at the other links you gave, diamondspaceguy - thankyou.

Amazingly, I believe the UK will have a lot to offer the future space industry. And for once (for something other than literature), I'm proud!

Virginia

 

[annodomini2]

...Now, I don't know much about mechanics and, even less, about engines, but this idea of using liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and atmospheric air as energy, well, that's got to be: a-heck-of-a-lot better than depleting any more of this planet's fossil fuels...
Virginia

Most Hydrogen is acquired via one of two methods:

1. Most common, extraction from existing fossil fuels.

2. Electrolysis, Hydrogen extracted from water using electricity.

Where does most electricity come from??

You're not getting away from it.

Yes there can be other sources, but the energy required to extract the hydrogen compared to what you get out of it is approximately 35:1.

The benefit to rockets and their motors is something called ISP or Specific Impulse and is an effective measurement of the capability of a rocket motor the higher the better.

Hydrogen in general results in a higher ISP for a liquid rocket motor, this is why it is chosen and has nothing to do with the environment.

Additionally, the whole CO2 gumph is based on the belief that CO2 causes water to be retained in the atmosphere raising global temperatures as the mass of the atmosphere is higher.

On that theory, therefore buring hydrogen with oxygen will produce water, which is released into the atmosphere, result is no benefit, if not worse.