After Thirty Years on Paper, Skylon Spaceplane Gets a Key Endorsement from the ESA

Ｉ　ｄｏ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｔｈｅｍ　ｔｈｅ　ｂｅｓｔ　ｏ　ｆｌｕｃｋ　ｂｕｔ　ｍｙ　ｍｏｎｅｙ　ｉｓ　ｓｔｉｌｌ　ｏｎ　ＳｐａｃｅＸ．　Ｆａｌｃｏｎ　Ｈｅａｖｅｙ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｌａｕｎｃｈ　ｎｅｘｔ　ｙｅａｒ　ｗｉｔｈ　ａ　ｃｏｓｔ　ｔｏ　ｌｅｏ　ａｔ　＄１０００／ｌｂ．　Ｉｔ　ｉｓ　ｄｅｓｉｇｎｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｂｅ　ｒｅｃｏｖｒａｂｌｅ　ａｎｄ　ｒｅｕｓａｂｌｅ　ｗｉｃｈ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｒｅｄｕｃｅ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｏｓｔ　ｆｕｒｔｈｅｒ．　Ｓｋｙｌｏｎｓ　ｐａｙｌｏａｄ　ｃａｐａｃｉｔｙ　ｉｓ　ｌｅｓｓ　ｔｈａｔ　１／４ｔｈ　ｔｈａｔ　ｏｆ　ｆａｌｃｏｎ　ｈｅａｖｙ　ｍａｋｉｎｇ　ｍｉｓｓｉｏｎｓ　ｔｏ　ｍａｒｓ　ｏｒ　ｔｈｅ　ｍｏｏｎ　ｄｉｆｉｃｕｌｔ　ａｎｄ　ｅｘｐｉｎｓｉｖｅ　ｂｅｃａｕｓｅ　ｍａｎｙ　ｌａｕｎｃｈｅｓ　ｏｆ　ｓｍａｌｌ　ｐａｒｙｓ　ｔｈａｔ　ｗｏｕｌｄ　ｂｅ　ａｓｓｅｍｂｌｅｄ　ｉｎ　ｏｒｂｉｔ　ｗｏｕｌｄ　ｂｅ　ｒｅｑｕｉｒｅｄ．　

Ｓｋｙｌｏｎ　ｍｉｇｈｔ　ｂｅ　ｇｏｏｄ　ｆｏｒ　ｔｒａｎｓｐｏｒｔｉｎｇ　ｓｐａｃｅ　ｔｏｕｒｉｓｔｓ　ｏｒ　ｓｕｐｐｌｙｉｎｇ　ｓｐａｃｅ　ｓｔａｔｉｏｎｓ　ｂｕｔ　Ｉ　ｔｈｉｎｋ　ＳｐａｃｅＸ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｃａｐｔｕｒｅ　ａ　ｌａｒｇｅ　ｓｈａｒｅ　ｏｆ　ｔｈａｔ　ｂｕｓｎｅｓｓ．　　Ｓｋｙｌｏｎ　ｄｏｅｓｎ’ｔ　ｅｖｅｎ　ｈａｖｅ　ａ　ｗｉｎｄｏｗ　ｔｏ　ｌｏｏｋ　ｏｕｔ　ｏｆ　ｗｈｅｎ　ｙｏｕｒ　ｆｌｙｉｎｇ　ｔｏ　ｏｒｂｉｔ　（＞＿＜）

ｓｏｒｒｙ　ａｂｏｕｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｕｇｌｙ　ｆｏｎｔ，　ｐｏｐｓｃｉ　ｗｏｕｌｄｅｎｔ　ｌｅｔ　ｍｅ　ｐｏｓｔ　ｉｔ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｎｏｒｍａｌ　ｆｏｎｔ　ｂｅｃａｕｓｅ　ｓｏｍｅｔｈｉｎｇ　ｔｒｉｇｇｅｒｄ　ｉｔｓ　ｆｕｃｋｉｎｇ　ｄｅｆｅｃｔｉｖｅ　ｓｐａｍ　ｆｉｌｔｅｒ.

i have been fighting this spam filter constantly too. What a defective program...

I don't buy that it's been "on the bench" since the 80's. More like it was fully functional then, and has only recently been surpassed far enough that this can go public. The SR-71 project was started in the 50's, but wasn't public until the late 70's. It's a giant global poker game, you don't lay your cards out for the world to see, I don't have a problem with it, but I don't like being played the fool and told it's "a new amazing product" There is nothing in that tech that looks ground breaking in the slightest.

It is nice however to see that we are FINALLY getting SSTO transportation.

Hey.. whatever ever happened to the atmospherically vectored V-Spike engine from 15 years ago? Hum.. Or how about all the ram/scram jet tech we were working so hard on.. funny how all that news is quite.

UFO's are just advanced aircraft. Look back at the UFO reports from the 50's talking about cigar shaped UFO's with fire shooting out the back overtaking a commerical airliner, now look at a SR-71 in flight from the side.. easy to see why people were so confused, they were not used to seeing that type of flying tech, so they assumed aliens.

Oh and as far as the spam filter, I've never had a problem, try typing in the captcha correctly, including upper/lower casing.

Playing Devil's Advocate since 1978

"The only constant in the universe is change"
-Heraclitus of Ephesus 535 BC - 475 BC

If you use your imagination and look at it just write, I think it’s a Unicorn Alien Space Craft. Most likely flying in the background will be the Iranian Flying Saucer. I wish them luck in solving all the technology obsticals. It sure is a cool looking plane\spacecraft!

@CodeZero, agreed!

Why eliminate the external tanks though? Here's my idea. Keep the tanks, as the fuel is being expelled out one end, pull in air in the other end and compress it. This stored compressed air can then when in space either for thrust, or for mixing with more fuel. With the heat exchanger they describe, cooling and storing the air should be possible.

I have a question. Since there are no fans in the engine, how does it suck in air?

I'm pretty sure its a ramjet

and yes the spam filter thinks everything is spam...

this is great but still a decade away or so, no external tanks because they are not needed and would add too much drag, then it would need the extra fuel to overcome the drag, spacex will be ready sooner for a similiar payoff in cargoe costs, definately something that could do away with most rockets, could these leave orbit and go to mars or the moon?

Bear in mind that a 16 ton payload is room for 14 average satellites with room to spare. These vessels would not only be instrumental in installing more satellites, but could also lay the foundation for a future permanent space installment.

@navy1270

And if you look at the design of the air intake it resembles a ram jet. Though it is not clear how the vehicle will accelerate TO ram-jet speeds.

In the engine break away you can see objects labeled "compressor" and "turbine". These are terms associated with conventional jet engines. This gives me the impression that the assembly at the rear can operate as both a rocket and a jet. Pulling O2 from the air while in the lower atmosphere, and switching to an internally stored oxidizer once in space. The spike in front screams (SR-71) ramjet.

It seems improbable that a jet this small could accelerate a craft that large to ramjet speeds. Perhaps it uses both rocket, and jet thrust to get up to speed, which doesn't sound very efficient. Typically, aircraft that are optimized to go high and fast aren't very efficient going low and slow. The SR-71 had to refuel immediately after takeoff because it used most of its fuel to get off the ground.

I am very curious to see how efficient these hybrid engines really are. If they deliver as promised, there are other applications (SST, military) that would benefit as well.

they refuelded right after take off because their fuel tanks didn't seal until they got up to speed and the tanks expanded from the heat and then sealed, they left much of their fuel puddled on the ground, it's a wonder none of them exploded during take off

It's a turbo ramjet with a "chiller cone" attached to the front, the french invented the turbo ramjet in the 50's. Google "Nord 1500 Griffon", In fact if you check wiki's page for "Air Turborocket" "Air Ramjet" you have a link to the SABRE.

Might help clear up the low speed "lack of fan" issues you guys are coming up with.

Playing Devil's Advocate since 1978

"The only constant in the universe is change"
-Heraclitus of Ephesus 535 BC - 475 BC

@democedes, drchuck1 is correct, The SR-71's skin was made from Titanium, which expands when heated. So the fuselage was designed with HUGE gaps. The SR-71 loses 3/4's of it's fuel during prep, taxi and take off. Once at operating temps it is refueled and ready to cruise. It has nothing to do with the fuel comsumption of the engines. They didn't explode during take-off for a few reasons, 1) they didn't hit the afterburners during takeoff, so the exhaust would be (relatively) cool, 2) the locations of the fuel supply prevents (or helps limit) spillage from coming in contact the engines, and 3) Speed and airflow, the air blowing in and through the fuselage would have blown it back and away from the engine components. Quite the amazing bird, at full speed it takes a full state in order to turn... lol. A russian mig pilot was quoted as saying that it blew by him like he was standing still, and he almost melted down his engine trying to catch up, and he was already at above mach speeds. I would have loved to taken my re-enlistment flight in one of those beasts!

Playing Devil's Advocate since 1978

"The only constant in the universe is change"
-Heraclitus of Ephesus 535 BC - 475 BC

this looks like reversed engineered alien space craft technology.

@JediMindset
Why do you think lots UFOs are seen around area 51? Maybe lots of new odd looking planes. So i'd say your idea of what alien space craft look like came from planes like this.

yeah true but don't forget that UFOS are seen around the world. not only around area 51.

@JediMindset
That's more people misunderstanding what it is that they are seeing. People are really bad at telling what they are seeing. The long history of UFOs shows.

yeah i agree. in the past we didn't understand aeronautics like we do now. but now we have a good idea of what we have the ability to create and what we don't.