Thanks QuantumG, - pretty obvious when you start to think about it.-Have a look at this picture perhaps this is 'Thrust Vectoring Control' going on the outer X8 engine cores? Or is more related to improving efficiencies going on as it climbs through the atmosphere?
Some early plugs designs proposed individual chamber radial tilt (like the image) for TVC. But to my knowledge no one has ever fired even a static test version of that approach. It will be interesting to see how well it works and how it disrupts the exhaust attachment to the plug surface at both sea level and altitude conditions.
I see development of the aerospike engine being the most risky part of this design. I don't doubt they can do it but it may take a lot longer than expected.If the aerospike engine meets performance expectations, it should be a gamechanger.
Follow up question: what do these 3 components represent on the truncated Aero spike center.1. looks like a cylindrical center piece, function unknown?2. looks like a heating transfer grid of come sort? - or is a flame arrest?3. looks like an internal nozzle, again function unknown?
An aerospike rocket engine efficiently modifies the expansion ratio of the exhaust to one appropriate for the air pressure.This is not an aerospike rocket engine.This is an air augmented rocket with ramjet/scramjet characteristics and a truncated aerospike which may or may not be a bypass nozzle, which has novel separated conventional bell nozzles for individual combustion chambers exterior to this assembly...or something.
Quote from: Silversheep2011 on 07/10/2014 09:22 pmFollow up question: what do these 3 components represent on the truncated Aero spike center.1. looks like a cylindrical center piece, function unknown?2. looks like a heating transfer grid of come sort? - or is a flame arrest?3. looks like an internal nozzle, again function unknown? In a truncated aerospike, there's a low pressure zone where the the spike is truncated. It makes the hot gases recirculate in that zone and makes the engine lose some thrust. That center piece looks like it's for some kind of gas to flow out of to create a slightly high pressure to prevent that gas re-circulation. The only paper I've seen on thrust differential on an annular aerospike uses throttling of the nozzles, not gimbals.
I don't think saying "If it were going to be a game changer, every launch vehicle would already be using aerospikes" is good reasoning. How many times do we see developments that offers a 10% maybe 20% efficiency improvements and it takes (many) years, or decades for it to become common place?
Quote from: Silversheep2011 on 07/11/2014 11:10 pmI don't think saying "If it were going to be a game changer, every launch vehicle would already be using aerospikes" is good reasoning. How many times do we see developments that offers a 10% maybe 20% efficiency improvements and it takes (many) years, or decades for it to become common place?I think you have a very different definition of the term "game changer" than I do.To me, a game changer is something new that has such a huge impact that none of the players can continue doing what they were doing -- they must react or die, because the game has changed.That's not to say that incremental improvements don't matter. They do. But they are part of the normal game. They don't change the game. Over time, there can be huge improvements in technology in a particular area without there ever having to be a game changer along the way.What does the term "game changer" mean to you?