First fully printed Inconel engines (Off-Topic)
by scarab 
, Tuesday, June 03, 2014, 10:48 (3617 days ago)
SpaceX are at it again with their latest Dragon craft: the Dragon V2.
- Powered landing with the accuracy of a helicopter. Plus backup shutes if engines fail.
- fully printed Inconel engines
- capable of autonomous docking
- holds 7 people for several days
- and just all round cool
But I think that the British are our best bet for Guardian style space planes.
Spaceplanes
Airbus recently staged a drop test on their version, looked a little destiny-like as well. Can't wait for this industry to really take off......lol
It looks a bit half-hearted compared to Skylon
by scarab , Tuesday, June 03, 2014, 14:26 (3616 days ago) @ Axelrod vK
Skylon's rockets can switch from air breathing to internal O2 tanks. It liquefies the incoming air in under a hundredth of a second and pumps that to the rockets. Or at least it will when it's built.
It looks a bit half-hearted compared to Skylon
by Mid7night 
, Rocket BSCHSHCSHSHCCHGGH!!!!!!, Saturday, June 07, 2014, 10:09 (3613 days ago) @ scarab
Skylon's rockets can switch from air breathing to internal O2 tanks. It liquefies the incoming air in under a hundredth of a second and pumps that to the rockets. Or at least it will when it's built.
"When"? No: IF. And I can't stress how BIG that "IF" is. Compared to SpaceX and the Dragon V2, Reaction Engine's Skylon is all but vaporware. The Skylon is to space-access what the Moller Skycar is to flying cars. Actually it's worse; at least the Moller Skycar actually has had (slightly) successful tethered flight tests. They have successfully tested the engines for the Skylon, but Singe-Stage-To-Orbit is so much more than an engine test.
SpaceX has successfully demonstrated landing a liquid rocket on the Grasshopper....Reaction Engines has a static ground test of their bare engine.
No, the Dragon V2 if anything is "double hearted" when compared to the Skylon.
I was referring to Airbus' effort - I like SpaceX
by scarab , Sunday, June 08, 2014, 02:49 (3612 days ago) @ Mid7night
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