Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-02T22:31:23.213Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The prospects for European aerospace transporters

Part III: Applications of aerospace transporters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2016

D. M. Ashford  and
P. Q. Collins
D. M. Ashford
Affiliation:
Almondsbury, Bristol
P. Q. Collins
Affiliation:
The Management School, Imperial College, London
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

This, the third part of the paper on aerospace transporters, considers their applications. It is concluded that a small nearterm vehicle would be useful for launching small satellites, for servicing satellites in orbit, for supplying space stations and as a lead-in to larger and more advanced vehicles. The latter have a potential cost per flight about 1000 times less than that of the Space Shuttle, given traffic levels sufficient to enable design and operational maturity to be achieved. Space tourism, (i.e. the making of short flights to Earth orbit by fare-paying passengers), would appear to be the first application likely to provide these traffic levels. Given high priority and an immediate start, the first space tourism flights could possibly take place this century.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 93 , Issue 923 , March 1989 , pp. 77 - 87
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 1989 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Koelle, D. E. and Kuczera, H. ‘Sänger - an Advanced Launcher System for Europe.’ IAF-87-207. Presented at 38th IAF Congress, Brighton, October 1987.Google Scholar
2. Sänger, E. ‘Rocket Flight Engineering,’ NASA TT F-223, September 1965 (Translated from Raketenflugtechnik, Berlin, 1933).Google Scholar
3. Cornog, R. ‘Economics of rocket-propelled aeroplanes’ Aeronaut Eng Rev, September 1956.Google Scholar
4. Dornberger, W. R. ‘The Rocket Propelled Commercial Airliner', University of Minnesota, Institute of Technology, Research Report No 135, November 1956.Google Scholar
5. Eggers, A. J., Allen, H. J. and Niece, S. E. ‘A Comparative Analysis of the Performance of Long-Range Hypervelocity Vehicles', NACA TN4046, October 1957.Google Scholar
6. Koelle, H. H. ‘Assessing re-usable space vehicles', Astronaut Aeronaut, June 1964.Google Scholar
7. Ashford, D. M. ‘Boost-glide vehicles for long range transport' J R Aeronaut Soc, July 1965, 69, (655) 448–458.Google Scholar
8. Collins, P. Q. and Ashford, D. M. ‘Potential Economic Implications of the Development of Space Tourism’ IAA-86- 446, presented at 37th IAF Congress, Innsbruck, October 1986.Google Scholar
9.Society Expeditions. ‘Space Tourism Could Drive Space Development’ Proc. AAS Space Development Conference, 1985.Google Scholar
10. Ashford, D. M. ‘Space tourism - key to the Universe?’ Spaceflight, May 1984.Google Scholar
11.‘Tank Land: A Conversation with Thomas F. Rogers’ Space World August 1987.Google Scholar
12. Aviation Week 10 November 1986, p 43.Google Scholar