X-33/VentureStar - What really happened

[Chris Bergin]

Ok, I'm pre-empting this article as it's different to the style of reporting we normally have on here.

A couple of notes to keep in mind:

1) This was written by a couple of sources deeply involved in the program.
2) I've edited it, given some objective counter-points, and paraphrased the orginal article they compiled.
3) There were some controversial notes about Al Gore and Dick Cheney, to which I wanted to exclude from the actual article - with the option of adding them as sidebars in this thread later.
4) This is work carried out over several months, eight sources - including the US Air Force who finally replied to a question four months after an initial request.
5) No one wanted to be quoted - apart from historical quotes - given the need for full confidentiality.

Story on site later today, at which time it'll be linked here.

[nacnud]

Ooh, all excited now

[Chris Bergin]

This should be going on about 9pm to 10pm UK time, fyi...following this I'll be going heavy with a number of STS articles (LH2 Diffuser, O2 leak investigation update, ET update, manifest (PRCB update)).

[Chris Bergin]

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2006/01/x-33venturestar-what-really-happened/

[Flightstar]

Well I never. A lot to take in here, but a blessing in disguise maybe?

[Launch Fan]

Well I followed the X-33 and I had NO IDEA about 90 per cent of this!  

I thought the tank failed, they were going to try the new type of tank, funding wasn't there, project dead. This is a hell of a lot to take on board when you read all of this. I'm really not sure what to think right now. Thanks so much for the story!

[Davros]

You can be sure that Ivan Bekey was taken off the X-33 worker Christmas card list. Although it seems his testimoney was right in the way this all played out in the end.

[Tap-Sa]

Launch Fan - 5/1/2006  1:22 AM

 I'm really not sure what to think right now.

"Never underestime management's power to fubar everything" ?

In this case the management insisted on composite tanks despite the warnings of those who knew better from the beginning, and proceeded to convince politicians that project is a failure without such tank even if Li-Al tank was already found to be a better choice even mass-wise. 'Lovely'!

[Chris Bergin]

Here's some interesting links on this:

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid=3 - images.

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=347&start=1 - video.

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=56&start=1 - Good information thread, at the time of last year's USAF interest.

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=439&start=1 - another thread, with some nice new images.

[Bruce H]

Take your pic on who you want to blame. I blame the ship being touted to commercial customers, cheap doesn't always work.

When all is said, Cheney didn't want Gore's baby flying, in my opinion. That's why the Air Force never got to try.

[Dobbins]

Personally I think the project was doomed the minute they decided to build a SSTO vehicle, that mistake was the root many problems that followed.

Let's separate the X-33 from the VentureStar. X means experimental, X-planes are experimental aircraft. Putting a host of new technologies on an X-plane is one thing, making plans to build an operational vehicle from an X-plane that is filled with every new gadget that can be stuffed into it, and making these plans before the X-plane even flies was utter madness.

An X-plane full of new technology is fine as a test bed for that technology. The two most famous X-planes, the X-1 and the X-15 were both test beds, neither was ever intended to be an operational vehicle. Trying to make either into an operational vehicle would have been a complete waste of time and money.

VentureStar's SSTO concept was a bad idea from day one, and it became an even worse idea when the commercial launch market imploded  That aspect of the project never should have been approved, and it should have been canceled a lot sooner.

The X-33 should have been continued however with the understanding that it was an X-plane and nothing more. A test bed for the new TPS system and the Aerospike engine.

[Tap-Sa]

Another thing to consider is that hydrogen isn't necessarily the propellant of choice for SSTO.

[Bruce H]

Here's the first tank, which was not used.

[Bruce H]

And the one that was used for testing.

[Orbiter Obvious]

$1.5 billion down the drain too. That's a lot of cash to throw away.