2012-11-30, 12:53 | Link #1421 |
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Join Date: Jan 2008
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British company claims biggest engine advance since the jet:
"A small British company with a dream of building a re-usable space plane has won an important endorsement from the European Space Agency (ESA) after completing key tests on its novel engine technology." See: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8AR0V220121128 |
2012-11-30, 13:20 | Link #1423 | |
formerly ogon bat
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Mexico
Age: 53
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2012-11-30, 14:42 | Link #1425 | |
Asuki-tan Kairin ↓
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fürth (GER)
Age: 43
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To counteract this, each part has to be more reliable than a comparable part in a modern jet engine. This will be the truely ambitious part of the project. But even then such technology might share the fate of the Concorde.
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2012-11-30, 16:00 | Link #1426 | |
formerly ogon bat
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Mexico
Age: 53
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2012-11-30, 16:33 | Link #1427 |
Gamilas Falls
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 47
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Ground to orbital travel without extra rockets would be a boom for any space industry, and especially tourism.
Bigelow Aerospace would benefit from that since they seem to be suggesting they will have two small orbital complexes in service by 2017.
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2012-11-30, 19:58 | Link #1428 | |
Did someone call a doctor
Join Date: Apr 2007
Age: 41
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2012-12-01, 10:35 | Link #1429 | |
Asuki-tan Kairin ↓
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fürth (GER)
Age: 43
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The costs to bring a satelite into lower earth orbit today are not that high. You do not need the most powerful rockets to get there. Hence, the one stage approach is still going to face tough competition. And before someone thinks I don't like the idea of that one stage approach. Let me tell you, that is not the case. But I rather look at the prospect of Bigelow Aerospace realistically. This system will certainly have to compete with scramjets sooner or later. So, there are many ifs for that particular one stage approach.
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2012-12-01, 10:53 | Link #1431 |
Asuki-tan Kairin ↓
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fürth (GER)
Age: 43
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But how is that any different? Consider a human being an organic satelite. (the moon is often called a satelite of the earth, so there seems to be no boundaries in size, form or structure in that definition)
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2012-12-01, 11:51 | Link #1432 |
formerly ogon bat
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Mexico
Age: 53
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I am under the assumption that your question is "How different is to use a one stage reusable vehicle vs. traditional rockets to get people into LEO hotels?". If that is the case, it would be cheaper (nothing more, nothing less). Think for a moment that some company designed cheap planes that could cross the atlantic but could only be used once, if such endeavor could compete with commercial reusable planes we would have seen them by now, don't you think?
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2012-12-01, 12:22 | Link #1433 |
Gamilas Falls
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 47
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Well it the space plane design is modelled at least partly along airline models it means a relatively confortable trip for tourists and business types that might want to stay at one of Bigelow's stations for a few days. The plane would likely return to Earth, get fueled up and ready for the next set of passangers to that or one of the other stations.
Unlike the Space Shuttle, there would be no disposable parts and no external rockets that need to be recovered and serviced. The space plane might require serious maintenance between flights, but paying passangers I would think would like having a confortable chair, possible in-flight services (the flight need not be straight up, nor quickest route...even if it is, it might still take several hours to reach one of the stations from whatever airport these things take off from. In a way, it would be like the early days of long distance passanger air travel. Though we will see if it is more the style of a DC3, a China Clipper or a Zepplin in comfort.
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2012-12-01, 18:51 | Link #1434 |
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Join Date: Jan 2008
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Scientists build largest ever computerized brain:
"Canadian scientists have built a functioning computer simulation of the human brain, dubbed Spaun, that's able to recognize characters and perform simple actions. The team at the University of Waterloo's Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience built the brain from 2.5 million computer-simulated neurons, compared to the average human, who has 80-100 billion. The simulated neurons are modeled to behave as closely to human neurons as possible, and can be set up with specific algorithms to mimic different sections of the human brain." See: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/12...r_model_brain/ |
2012-12-01, 19:12 | Link #1435 | |
Banned
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2012-12-01, 23:14 | Link #1436 | ||
Asuki-tan Kairin ↓
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fürth (GER)
Age: 43
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The single stage design proposed here would use aerodynamic lift instead of raw rocket thrust to gain the first 14-20km of height. And there is also the benefit of using the air's oxygen for as long as possible. This gives that particular one stage design an advantage in the early phase of the flight. This advantage is more significant when flying to a lower orbit. Flying to higher altitudes makes this advantage shrink, because the atmoshpere is fixed in height unlike the altitude of the orbit. This is also the reason why the one-way transatlantic plane is at best a misleading comparison. Quote:
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2012-12-02, 05:23 | Link #1438 | |
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The U.S. Dept. of Energy wants 5X battery power boost in 5 years
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2012-12-02, 19:00 | Link #1439 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Microsoft Can Convert Your Voice Into Another Language:
"It's unlikely that you speak Mandarin, but that doesn't mean you won't need to at some point. Now, Microsoft has created software that can analyze your speech, translate it and then spit out a new recording of your very own voice speaking in a different language." See: http://gizmodo.com/5959111/microsoft...ce-recognition |
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