Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
Francoflier wrote:Any other eccentric billionaire out there who doesn't have a space venture yet?
They're all the rage I hear.
QuarkFly wrote:Interesting aircraft, but even if Paul Allen were still with us -- this Stratolaunch concept would have gone nowhere. Air launched satellite boosters have proved both technically and economically infeasible...
...Sorry Pegasus, you will be gone soon too, Pegasus worked, but also should never have been built -- but thanks for keeping a L-1011 in the air for a while longer !!
Wonder what museum this Stratolaunch aircraft will end up at ??
cpd wrote:QuarkFly wrote:Interesting aircraft, but even if Paul Allen were still with us -- this Stratolaunch concept would have gone nowhere. Air launched satellite boosters have proved both technically and economically infeasible...
...Sorry Pegasus, you will be gone soon too, Pegasus worked, but also should never have been built -- but thanks for keeping a L-1011 in the air for a while longer !!
Wonder what museum this Stratolaunch aircraft will end up at ??
Apparently the company is continuing on. Looks shaky however.
What are parts like engines worth? Could it be broken up? Might be the economical solution. No museum will be able to fit it.
Perhaps just cut up a nose section for preservation.
cpd wrote:QuarkFly wrote:Interesting aircraft, but even if Paul Allen were still with us -- this Stratolaunch concept would have gone nowhere. Air launched satellite boosters have proved both technically and economically infeasible...
...Sorry Pegasus, you will be gone soon too, Pegasus worked, but also should never have been built -- but thanks for keeping a L-1011 in the air for a while longer !!
Wonder what museum this Stratolaunch aircraft will end up at ??
No museum will be able to fit it.
lightsaber wrote:cpd wrote:QuarkFly wrote:Interesting aircraft, but even if Paul Allen were still with us -- this Stratolaunch concept would have gone nowhere. Air launched satellite boosters have proved both technically and economically infeasible...
...Sorry Pegasus, you will be gone soon too, Pegasus worked, but also should never have been built -- but thanks for keeping a L-1011 in the air for a while longer !!
Wonder what museum this Stratolaunch aircraft will end up at ??
Apparently the company is continuing on. Looks shaky however.
What are parts like engines worth? Could it be broken up? Might be the economical solution. No museum will be able to fit it.
Perhaps just cut up a nose section for preservation.
lightsaber wrote:cpd wrote:QuarkFly wrote:Interesting aircraft, but even if Paul Allen were still with us -- this Stratolaunch concept would have gone nowhere. Air launched satellite boosters have proved both technically and economically infeasible...
...Sorry Pegasus, you will be gone soon too, Pegasus worked, but also should never have been built -- but thanks for keeping a L-1011 in the air for a while longer !!
Wonder what museum this Stratolaunch aircraft will end up at ??
Apparently the company is continuing on. Looks shaky however.
What are parts like engines worth? Could it be broken up? Might be the economical solution. No museum will be able to fit it.
Perhaps just cut up a nose section for preservation.
The engines were selected for minimal cost. They were bought off scrapped 747s. PW4000s go for less than CF6s typically.
I'm a fan of the concept of air launched rockets.
Lightsaber
Stitch wrote:Vulcan has put Stratolaunch up for sale with an asking price of USD 400 million. This includes the airframe, intellectual property and facilities.
AirlineCritic wrote:Sad. I vote for museum, a new museum with a cheap hangar to house this wonderful piece of engineering. I'm sure it would draw a lot of people. But no, not at 400M...
Spar wrote:AirlineCritic wrote:Sad. I vote for museum, a new museum with a cheap hangar to house this wonderful piece of engineering. I'm sure it would draw a lot of people. But no, not at 400M...
How is two old 747s hacked together and without any useful function, "a wonderful piece of engineering"?
Spar wrote:AirlineCritic wrote:Sad. I vote for museum, a new museum with a cheap hangar to house this wonderful piece of engineering. I'm sure it would draw a lot of people. But no, not at 400M...
How is two old 747s hacked together and without any useful function, "a wonderful piece of engineering"?
SuperiorPilotMe wrote:[twoid][/twoid]Spar wrote:AirlineCritic wrote:Sad. I vote for museum, a new museum with a cheap hangar to house this wonderful piece of engineering. I'm sure it would draw a lot of people. But no, not at 400M...
How is two old 747s hacked together and without any useful function, "a wonderful piece of engineering"?
That’s not what it is, it uses salvaged 747 systems but the fuselage is largely bespoke and carbon fiber. This should be obvious after looking at it for about two seconds, which I therefore ask what have you been looking at?
So not only is there significant money sunk into the project, apparently to honor the wishes of a guy already dead (great resource prioritization there) but it’ll be complicated and expensive to scrap.
With all the talk of low-cost launch by the government or other private corporations you’d think this thing would find some buyer but the fact that it has not implies the concept of an airborne conventional fixed-wing as a first stage is deeply flawed, and that Paul Allen wasted immense resources in life and in death.
DarkKnight5 wrote:SuperiorPilotMe wrote:[twoid][/twoid]Spar wrote:How is two old 747s hacked together and without any useful function, "a wonderful piece of engineering"?
That’s not what it is, it uses salvaged 747 systems but the fuselage is largely bespoke and carbon fiber. This should be obvious after looking at it for about two seconds, which I therefore ask what have you been looking at?
So not only is there significant money sunk into the project, apparently to honor the wishes of a guy already dead (great resource prioritization there) but it’ll be complicated and expensive to scrap.
With all the talk of low-cost launch by the government or other private corporations you’d think this thing would find some buyer but the fact that it has not implies the concept of an airborne conventional fixed-wing as a first stage is deeply flawed, and that Paul Allen wasted immense resources in life and in death.
I think you could put it to good use by carving it up into about 10 million ice hockey sticks. It would be a decent way to recycle it.
SuperiorPilotMe wrote:DarkKnight5 wrote:SuperiorPilotMe wrote:[twoid][/twoid]
That’s not what it is, it uses salvaged 747 systems but the fuselage is largely bespoke and carbon fiber. This should be obvious after looking at it for about two seconds, which I therefore ask what have you been looking at?
So not only is there significant money sunk into the project, apparently to honor the wishes of a guy already dead (great resource prioritization there) but it’ll be complicated and expensive to scrap.
With all the talk of low-cost launch by the government or other private corporations you’d think this thing would find some buyer but the fact that it has not implies the concept of an airborne conventional fixed-wing as a first stage is deeply flawed, and that Paul Allen wasted immense resources in life and in death.
I think you could put it to good use by carving it up into about 10 million ice hockey sticks. It would be a decent way to recycle it.
Doesn’t work that way but hey it at least matches the technical expertise of who we “elected” “President”.
DarkKnight5 wrote:SuperiorPilotMe wrote:DarkKnight5 wrote:I think you could put it to good use by carving it up into about 10 million ice hockey sticks. It would be a decent way to recycle it.
Doesn’t work that way but hey it at least matches the technical expertise of who we “elected” “President”.
What?
SuperiorPilotMe wrote:DarkKnight5 wrote:SuperiorPilotMe wrote:
Doesn’t work that way but hey it at least matches the technical expertise of who we “elected” “President”.
What?
. . . s m h
DarkKnight5 wrote:SuperiorPilotMe wrote:DarkKnight5 wrote:What?
. . . s m h
So I guess when I said “what” I meant “why did you shoehorn some sort of political diatribe into a reply to my obviously facetious post?” Care to respond with something other than shaking your head?
SuperiorPilotMe wrote:DarkKnight5 wrote:SuperiorPilotMe wrote:
. . . s m h
So I guess when I said “what” I meant “why did you shoehorn some sort of political diatribe into a reply to my obviously facetious post?” Care to respond with something other than shaking your head?
It was the response that was deserved. In all cases.
DarkKnight5 wrote:SuperiorPilotMe wrote:DarkKnight5 wrote:So I guess when I said “what” I meant “why did you shoehorn some sort of political diatribe into a reply to my obviously facetious post?” Care to respond with something other than shaking your head?
It was the response that was deserved. In all cases.
You’re acting like an ass, and I’m willing to get banned to say it.
tapairbus370 wrote:https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/10/11/stratolaunch-under-new-ownership/?fbclid=IwAR0055uHePDC8C9JWssYA8PubOMWV1p6hiZdP-_zJOTt2pg3AEko2lvdbvE
some fresh news about this amazing machine.
Francoflier wrote:https://spacenews.com/stratolaunch-announces-hypersonic-vehicle-plans/
It looks like they plan on developing a reusable hypersonic vehicle to be launched from the carrier airplanes (up to three at a time, in fact), for research purposes.
This sort of confirm what most people thought they were going to do when they took over the operation. The main object of the research is going to be for military purposes, but they say they will be looking for other applications as well.
The good news is that they plan on restarting flight tests with the carrier aircraft in September in order to pursue FAA certification.
Noshow wrote:Up to three test vehicles can be dropped during one flight and they might fly weekly. There must be a lot of hypersonic research going on? Will we see new manned hypersonic planes soon?
N14AZ wrote:Francoflier wrote:https://spacenews.com/stratolaunch-announces-hypersonic-vehicle-plans/
It looks like they plan on developing a reusable hypersonic vehicle to be launched from the carrier airplanes (up to three at a time, in fact), for research purposes.
This sort of confirm what most people thought they were going to do when they took over the operation. The main object of the research is going to be for military purposes, but they say they will be looking for other applications as well.
The good news is that they plan on restarting flight tests with the carrier aircraft in September in order to pursue FAA certification.
Aero.de is reporting that they pulled Stratolaunch out of its hangar and prepare it for a second flight (and hopefully more). They are also reporting on some modifications to the wings (... sorry, just in German language): https://www.aero.de/news-36765/Stratola ... Leben.html