[six7]

Getting used to saying this lately... nice 'craft Void!

[Snowstorm]

Interesting design! Never know what might come out of a dream

What frightens you the most; dreaming of a plane so immense that you can build it in x-plane afterwards, or; making the so very detailed plane in x-plane after you've dreamt of it?

[Voidhawk9]

Thanks for the comments! Flew a flatter path and it didn't get nearly as far as I had hoped (California to Texas). It needs more fuel, and realistically more can't be carried by a ship this size (if you could see how much structure there isn't between the crew and the heat of re-entry...). I'll have a go at scaling it up a bit, and see what happens from there.

This post has been edited by Voidhawk9: 10 April 2006 - 04:35 PM

[Henrickson]

Perhaps you can use SRBs for the first 30,000-40,000 ft...? (however the recovery of those boosters remains another issue)

[Voidhawk9]

I have used SRBs before to give a boost at the top of the atmosphere, but here I am trying to achieve a simple 'land, refuel, takeoff' precedure.

[Have Blue]

External tanks?

[Voidhawk9]

It was still less than 40ft long, just too small. Been preliminary testing of a scaled-up version today. Initial tests showing more promise...

EDIT:
And so it did. But an almost complete redesign is doing still better (with a little help from XFCS! Thanks Nils!). Using the same engines, and outboard fuel pods, otherwise new, and those parts that are unchanged will not remain so!
I got it from Minneapolis to Jacksonville with ease. Or almost ease, it was a glider from around the Florida state border!


Standard launch profile, rockets need a small re-alignment for pitch control.


Cruising over the top at Mach 10. Homeland Security might have something to say about this...
XFCS doesn't seem to realize that I can point the aircraft in any direction without exceeding the G-limits here!


Once back in the atmosphere, I relit the jets and cruised at an average speed of Mach 3.6 until flameout. Some clear-sky thunder in the area...


Safe landing at Jacksonville, only minor disruption to the usual air traffic.

This post has been edited by Voidhawk9: 11 April 2006 - 12:48 AM

[Mogzilla]

Had a vivid dream of a SSTO spaceplane last night, and so I set to work trying to re-create it in X-plane today...

Sometimes we dream in incredible detail.... One time I played a song on piano perfectly because I dreamed that I practiced it all night....

I especially love your high-res wing shape! That is cool!

Could you make two versions? Like a personal jet that looks like the first one, and a commercial jet like the newer version?

EDIT: For pitch control you can try varied thrust to change direction via the rocket engines.
I think when XFCS for pointing the plane in any direction, I think it realizes that, I think the problem may be you pointing the aircraft above the AOA limits.

This post has been edited by Mogzilla: 13 April 2006 - 06:36 PM

[Voidhawk9]

I've added more fuel, more thrust, an external SRB... and still no-where near orbital velocity. I have at least gained a greater appreciation for the sheer energy required for space launches!
A jet-only version makes an interesting "Aurora Killer" though...

[Viper2000]

If you're using jet fuel and a non-cryogenic oxidiser then you're probably limited to a specific impulse of about 200 seconds.

Using 210 s equals 17.143 lb/lb/hr. These things rapidly turn into flying fuel tanks if you want any range...

Oxidiser selection is something of a problem; most of the sensible options are rather nasty, with Nitric acid or High Test Peroxide being the traditional favourites.

BTW, as regards orbital energy, since orbital velocity is about 8 km/s, it's a simple calculation to come up with 32 MJ/kg. To this basic figure you've got to add gravitational and aerodynamic losses, which can be a real pain.

Even if you just take the 32 MJ/kg at face value, the LCV of JP-8 is about 45 MJ/kg, which means that even in a perfect world with 100% efficiency, assuming that your engine is air-breathing for the whole burn, over 71% of the vehicle's mass must be fuel in order for orbit to be reached. Don't forget that you've got to use some of that spare 29% to buy structure and engines...

This post has been edited by Viper2000: 14 April 2006 - 09:50 AM