Rutan/Virgin plans?

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  • Dr Mordrid
    Moderator
    • Apr 2001
    • 26592

    #1

    Rutan/Virgin plans?

    During the Discovery Channel special "Black Sky" Sunday nignt Rutan showed some computer renderings that look like their followup systems. What got me is that he hinted that the SS1 followup is already in some stage of construction

    Here's some screen captures and what info I could gleen;

    Suborbital launch system (larger versions of SS1 & White Knight);



    Ship cutaway (top);



    Ship cutaway (front);



    Note that it carries 7 passengers vs. SS1's 3, has a much larger hybrid engine tube, several oxidizer tanks and presumably a couple of O2 tanks.

    Orbital launch system;





    "Hotel" + docked ship + "gravity ring";



    "Gravity ring" is a rotating station with .2 Earth gravity, very much like Von Brauns concept from the 1950's.

    WOW.....if they can pull this stuff off and still do cold re-entries it'll revolutionize manned orbital flight.

    Dr. Mordrid
    Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 4 October 2004, 22:36.
    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps
  • Jammrock
    The Berserker
    • Aug 1999
    • 8661

    #2
    Space tourism!!! And quicker than I thought.
    “Inside every sane person there’s a madman struggling to get out”
    –The Light Fantastic, Terry Pratchett

    Comment

    • K6-III
      Super MURCer
      • Dec 2000
      • 2253

      #3
      Hell yeah!
      Let us return to the moon, to stay!!!

      Comment

      • KRSESQ
        Super MURCer
        • Feb 2000
        • 3224

        #4
        Still got my TWA reservation to the moon around here, somewhere.

        C'mon, guys! Get off the stick! I wanna cash in this thing!

        Kevin

        Comment

        • az
          Moderator
          • Feb 2001
          • 9336

          #5
          I honestly read "I wanna crash in this thing!"

          AZ
          There's an Opera in my macbook.

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