The original DARPA contract with us was fixed-price (which is how I managed all my gov't contracts or OTA agreements). For Phase 3 they decided they wanted to go to cost-plus, and I didn't, so we novated the equipment, including that beautiful plenum (25K lbm of stainless...) to one of our subcontractors. (DARPA can't actually own facilities so they never took title to the hardware.) After Phase 3 ended, the equipment was removed from the site by that contractor and put in storage; beyond that I don't know the disposition – until I saw the photo above.
The power plant is comprised of conventional, military gas turbine engines but with a technology enhancement called Mass Injection and Pre-Compressor Cooling (MIPCC) that allows for higher Mach number and altitude operation. This capability is required for the MPV to accomplish a zoom maneuver in which the vehicle accelerates as it climbs to very high altitude. There it deploys the expendable upper stage that places the payload on obit. The reusable MPV then decelerates upon reentry and lands on a conventional runway.
For those of us who aren't experts :https://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/rascal.htm... which makes it sound like a true pre-cursor to SABRE and so fortunate that something that similar was done that the equipment could be reused.
For those of us who aren't experts :https://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/rascal.htmQuoteThe power plant is comprised of conventional, military gas turbine engines but with a technology enhancement called Mass Injection and Pre-Compressor Cooling (MIPCC) that allows for higher Mach number and altitude operation. This capability is required for the MPV to accomplish a zoom maneuver in which the vehicle accelerates as it climbs to very high altitude. There it deploys the expendable upper stage that places the payload on obit. The reusable MPV then decelerates upon reentry and lands on a conventional runway. ... which makes it sound like a true pre-cursor to SABRE and so fortunate that something that similar was done that the equipment could be reused.
An amusing diversion from the tech talk, but still on topic https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/6/16742530/visions-ventures-escape-velocities-anthology-ebook-arizona-state-university-science-fiction
Quote from: oddbodd on 12/06/2017 07:56 pmAn amusing diversion from the tech talk, but still on topic https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/6/16742530/visions-ventures-escape-velocities-anthology-ebook-arizona-state-university-science-fictionSearched the book.No sign of "Skylon" or "Reaction engines"Want to reference which stories are relevant or move to the entertainment section?
Quote from: john smith 19 on 12/07/2017 08:17 amQuote from: oddbodd on 12/06/2017 07:56 pmAn amusing diversion from the tech talk, but still on topic https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/6/16742530/visions-ventures-escape-velocities-anthology-ebook-arizona-state-university-science-fictionSearched the book.No sign of "Skylon" or "Reaction engines"Want to reference which stories are relevant or move to the entertainment section?Obviously I was being a bit too "cute" with my cryptic message. It was just about the cover artwork having two very prominent Skylon vehicles in it, not the book itself. I wondered when I saw it whether REL have some kind of implicit/explicit copyright of the Skylon design, and whether or not the artist would of had to have sought permission to use the likeness in his work.
See the latest progress on our #TF1 test site @WestcottVP from our live feed cameras. bit.ly/2wAO0L6. Assembly building going up quick and the test site compound wall nearly complete.
QuoteSee the latest progress on our #TF1 test site @WestcottVP from our live feed cameras. bit.ly/2wAO0L6. Assembly building going up quick and the test site compound wall nearly complete.https://twitter.com/reactionengines/status/941632553773158400
A high-temperature airflow test site designed to evaluate a key technology in the Reaction Engines’ hypersonic air-breathing combined cycle Sabre rocket engine is under assembly at Front Range Airport near Watkins, Colorado. Construction of the facility follows the award earlier this year of a U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract to test the engine’s pre-cooler heat exchanger, or HTX. The test work, which is due to start in 2018, will focus on running ...
Reaction Engines Begins Construction of High-Temperature Airflow Test Facility in ColoradoWATKINS, CO – December 18, 2017Reaction Engines, Inc. has begun construction of a new high-temperature airflow test facility where it plans to validate the performance of its precooler heat exchanger technology, an enabler of its revolutionary SABRETM engine. Located at the Front Range Airport near Watkins, Colorado, the test facility will be capable of exposing the precooler test article (HTX) to high-temperature airflow conditions in excess of 1800°F (1000°C) that are expected during high-speed flights up to Mach 5.Reaction Engines, Inc. recently received a contract award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to conduct the HTX tests, which are designed to build upon previous successful testing of the precooler heat exchanger at ambient temperature conditions.“This new test facility shows our commitment to rapidly prove our precooler technology in the most compelling test campaign possible,” said Dr. Adam Dissel, President of Reaction Engines Inc. “The facility’s ability to deliver controlled temperature profiles over flight-like run durations at significant airflow represents a unique capability that can fill additional testing demand beyond HTX.”The project is an additional investment by Reaction Engines into ground test facilities. The company is progressing rapidly on the previously announced TF1 engine test facility in the United Kingdom where the first ground-based demonstration of its revolutionary SABRE™ air-breathing rocket engine will take place. The Colorado test facility, named TF2, consists of a test building and a control room located on the east side of the Front Range Airport. The hot air for the testing will be provided by a modified afterburning jet engine configured to produce a wide range of flowrates and temperatures.“We are tremendously excited that Reaction Engines is locating their new engine test facility here at Front Range Airport and, as the future site of Spaceport Colorado, the linkages between high-speed aviation uses and the commercial space applications for this new technology are a perfect fit,” said Dave Ruppel, Front Range Airport Director. “Reaction Engines has been outstanding to work with and we are looking forward to being a small part of their ongoing success.”Colorado has a long history as a leader in the U.S. aerospace sector, and provides a supportive and capable location for Reaction Engines’ expanding U.S. activity.“Colorado is a leading aerospace state known for our innovative businesses that propel our growing aerospace economy,” remarked Jay Lindell, representing the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. “We are proud to have Reaction Engines in Colorado at the Front Range Airport and look forward to supporting their test operations that will lead to future cutting-edge propulsion technology.”Once TF2 achieves full operations, and following the completion of HTX testing, the company plans to make the facility available to industry, technology developers, and universities who could benefit from the facility’s unique test capabilities.Distribution Statement A:Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited
QuoteReaction Engines Begins Construction of High-Temperature Airflow Test Facility in ColoradoWATKINS, CO – December 18, 2017Reaction Engines, Inc. has begun construction of a new high-temperature airflow test facility where it plans to validate the performance of its precooler heat exchanger technology, an enabler of its revolutionary SABRETM engine. Located at the Front Range Airport near Watkins, Colorado, the test facility will be capable of exposing the precooler test article (HTX) to high-temperature airflow conditions in excess of 1800°F (1000°C) that are expected during high-speed flights up to Mach 5.Reaction Engines, Inc. recently received a contract award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to conduct the HTX tests, which are designed to build upon previous successful testing of the precooler heat exchanger at ambient temperature conditions.“This new test facility shows our commitment to rapidly prove our precooler technology in the most compelling test campaign possible,” said Dr. Adam Dissel, President of Reaction Engines Inc. “The facility’s ability to deliver controlled temperature profiles over flight-like run durations at significant airflow represents a unique capability that can fill additional testing demand beyond HTX.”The project is an additional investment by Reaction Engines into ground test facilities. The company is progressing rapidly on the previously announced TF1 engine test facility in the United Kingdom where the first ground-based demonstration of its revolutionary SABRE™ air-breathing rocket engine will take place. The Colorado test facility, named TF2, consists of a test building and a control room located on the east side of the Front Range Airport. The hot air for the testing will be provided by a modified afterburning jet engine configured to produce a wide range of flowrates and temperatures.“We are tremendously excited that Reaction Engines is locating their new engine test facility here at Front Range Airport and, as the future site of Spaceport Colorado, the linkages between high-speed aviation uses and the commercial space applications for this new technology are a perfect fit,” said Dave Ruppel, Front Range Airport Director. “Reaction Engines has been outstanding to work with and we are looking forward to being a small part of their ongoing success.”Colorado has a long history as a leader in the U.S. aerospace sector, and provides a supportive and capable location for Reaction Engines’ expanding U.S. activity.“Colorado is a leading aerospace state known for our innovative businesses that propel our growing aerospace economy,” remarked Jay Lindell, representing the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. “We are proud to have Reaction Engines in Colorado at the Front Range Airport and look forward to supporting their test operations that will lead to future cutting-edge propulsion technology.”Once TF2 achieves full operations, and following the completion of HTX testing, the company plans to make the facility available to industry, technology developers, and universities who could benefit from the facility’s unique test capabilities.
Reaction Engines Begins Construction of High-Temperature Airflow Test Facility in ColoradoWATKINS, CO – December 18, 2017Reaction Engines, Inc. has begun construction of a new high-temperature airflow test facility where it plans to validate the performance of its precooler heat exchanger technology, an enabler of its revolutionary SABRETM engine. Located at the Front Range Airport near Watkins, Colorado, the test facility will be capable of exposing the precooler test article (HTX) to high-temperature airflow conditions in excess of 1800°F (1000°C) that are expected during high-speed flights up to Mach 5.Reaction Engines, Inc. recently received a contract award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to conduct the HTX tests, which are designed to build upon previous successful testing of the precooler heat exchanger at ambient temperature conditions.“This new test facility shows our commitment to rapidly prove our precooler technology in the most compelling test campaign possible,” said Dr. Adam Dissel, President of Reaction Engines Inc. “The facility’s ability to deliver controlled temperature profiles over flight-like run durations at significant airflow represents a unique capability that can fill additional testing demand beyond HTX.”The project is an additional investment by Reaction Engines into ground test facilities. The company is progressing rapidly on the previously announced TF1 engine test facility in the United Kingdom where the first ground-based demonstration of its revolutionary SABRE™ air-breathing rocket engine will take place. The Colorado test facility, named TF2, consists of a test building and a control room located on the east side of the Front Range Airport. The hot air for the testing will be provided by a modified afterburning jet engine configured to produce a wide range of flowrates and temperatures.“We are tremendously excited that Reaction Engines is locating their new engine test facility here at Front Range Airport and, as the future site of Spaceport Colorado, the linkages between high-speed aviation uses and the commercial space applications for this new technology are a perfect fit,” said Dave Ruppel, Front Range Airport Director. “Reaction Engines has been outstanding to work with and we are looking forward to being a small part of their ongoing success.”Colorado has a long history as a leader in the U.S. aerospace sector, and provides a supportive and capable location for Reaction Engines’ expanding U.S. activity.“Colorado is a leading aerospace state known for our innovative businesses that propel our growing aerospace economy,” remarked Jay Lindell, representing the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. “We are proud to have Reaction Engines in Colorado at the Front Range Airport and look forward to supporting their test operations that will lead to future cutting-edge propulsion technology.”Once TF2 achieves full operations, and following the completion of HTX testing, the company plans to make the facility available to industry, technology developers, and universities who could benefit from the facility’s unique test capabilities.
Quote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 12/15/2017 12:09 pmQuoteSee the latest progress on our #TF1 test site @WestcottVP from our live feed cameras. bit.ly/2wAO0L6. Assembly building going up quick and the test site compound wall nearly complete.https://twitter.com/reactionengines/status/941632553773158400This looks like very solid progress. I hope everything else is running as smoothly.
In any case it's modeled on the Avro 730 M3 reconnaissance plane of the late 50's that fell victim to the Sandy's UK defense review of 1957.
There are lots of questions about the test engine.
Will it be flight weight?
Will it be fully flight configuration?
Will it be possible to mfg two of them?
Bond's realization that you could get near LO2 density without going to LO2, was a key breakthrough to making SABRE viable, as was an actual solution to the frost control problem.
or do you have a source for that?
I'm fairly certain the starting point was HOTOL, with the engines moved to the longitudinal centre of mass in the most logical way possible, but if we want to play "it looks like ... so must be based on it"
The earliest Skylon design I've seen, the A4, didn't have horizontal canards - instead it had apparently taken HOTOL's front vertical fin and added two more at +-120 degrees.
Quote from: john smith 19 on 12/22/2017 09:46 pmThere are lots of questions about the test engine. Which one? Based on previous information about the revised test plans the first engine is just the helium loop, to be tested before TF1 is completed; the second is the core engineQuoteWill it be flight weight?the interesting parts will be built around flight weight, but some boilerplate and it wont be tightly coupled (to allow easier modification)QuoteWill it be fully flight configuration?No. The Integrated test article might be, but that's not the one expected to be tested when TF1 is completed, nor part of the funded test plan.QuoteWill it be possible to mfg two of them?Of course it would be possible, but the plans are to only test one at once, including flight testing the integrated test engine.
I respectfully support JCRM point of view here. AFAIK Skylon shape was an outgrowth of HOTOL severe CG issues - the engine in the back was too heavy. The Avro 730 was one hell of a design (an aircraft with a periscope !) but even Tony Butler could find next to nothing about it in the archives. Looks as if everything was burned or melted in 1958, including the partially completed aircraft and any picture if there ever was one. By 1957 Alan Bond was aged 12.
Also RR did Hotol 2, that stupid all rocket design launched from the back of the An-225, Bond had no relation with that one.
REL was created in 1989 to salvage HOTOL work, and move way from the RB-545 that only would never really work, but was also locked by both RR and the British military. Bond must have been quite frakked off (irritated, damn the politically correct corrector !) by Thatcher, RR, and the British military, and REL was the result. QuoteBond's realization that you could get near LO2 density without going to LO2, was a key breakthrough to making SABRE viable, as was an actual solution to the frost control problem. And this major breakthrough happened in 1982-83 and was the brainchild of Alan Bond and John Scott-Scott. The best source I've ever found on the origins of HOTOL is a 1993 book called "Spaceflight in the era of aero-spaceplane". The author had some interesting hindsight with the HOTOL / REL team.