Can anyone tell me why the WK is no longer an option for the DC drop tests? I must have missed that part.
Quote from: Elmar Moelzer on 12/14/2012 02:09 pmCan anyone tell me why the WK is no longer an option for the DC drop tests? I must have missed that part.Reportedly over concerns that use of the vehicle will delay flight testing of SpaceShipTwo. They also had concerns about potential damage to the carrier aircraft
Could they possibly see DC as an airlaunched hybrid-powered competitor to SS2?
Quote from: A_M_Swallow on 12/14/2012 06:33 amGliders are frequently towed. If the Dream Chaser can take off on its wheels then a fast, high flying aircraft may be able to get it into the air.Yeah, gonna take more than a Piper Pawnee to tow that glider!
Gliders are frequently towed. If the Dream Chaser can take off on its wheels then a fast, high flying aircraft may be able to get it into the air.
Quote from: vt_hokie on 12/14/2012 03:24 pmQuote from: A_M_Swallow on 12/14/2012 06:33 amGliders are frequently towed. If the Dream Chaser can take off on its wheels then a fast, high flying aircraft may be able to get it into the air.Yeah, gonna take more than a Piper Pawnee to tow that glider!DC has no front landing gear (just a skid) and a normal landing speed above 190 knots. I'm not sure it could be towed given those particular attributes.
Recall that in December 1997-February 1998 NASA sucessfully towed a F-106 behind a C-141 in the Eclipse Project. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/about/Organizations/Technology/Facts/TF-2004-02-DFRC.htmlMay not be practical for DC since the loads on the structure would be different for a nose tow attachment than the top of the fuselage mount. Trivial pursuit: one of the test pilots of the F-106 was Mark "Forger" Stuckey, now a pilot on SS2.
Quote from: JAFO on 12/15/2012 08:37 amRecall that in December 1997-February 1998 NASA sucessfully towed a F-106 behind a C-141 in the Eclipse Project. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/about/Organizations/Technology/Facts/TF-2004-02-DFRC.htmlMay not be practical for DC since the loads on the structure would be different for a nose tow attachment than the top of the fuselage mount. Trivial pursuit: one of the test pilots of the F-106 was Mark "Forger" Stuckey, now a pilot on SS2. The Kelly Eclipse was meant to have much larger wings than that. I dont think the DC is a good enough glider to be towed, but I may be wrong here.
Not sure how comparable this prototype is with the DC, but I guess towing might be an option after all (if they dont run into stability problems).
If you are curious about lifting bodies have a look at my thread here...http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=29126.0
Quote from: Rocket Science on 12/15/2012 08:34 pmIf you are curious about lifting bodies have a look at my thread here...http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=29126.0The M1F2 was a plywood over welded metal tubing design mostly to demonstrate it could glide at all. BTW I thought that DC is moving to "skids" or metal brushes rather than wheels. I'd guess the friction would be difficult for a rolling towed takeoff. A high(ish) altitude drop with the hybrid rocket to get the rest of the altitude and speed needed seems the most plausible way to widen the envelope if WK2 is not available I think DC is small enough to be dropped out of a big carrier aircraft but that's a whole different area to explore.Thanks for the zero length launch video. I would not have believed they ever managed it with a crewed vehicle, although I was aware some of the cruise missile designs of the 50s were baselined with it.
Looks like the Dreamchaser project is starting to hit some unexpected realities. Wonder how soon until the Stratolaunch lifter is ready? Several years away?
In orbit? Looks like they are having trouble just getting Dreamchaser off the ground for this droptest. Might be the Spruce Goose of spaceflight. As for a rocket assisted first test flight, I would say that is very unrealistic with a lifting body design.
It is not a technical or design problem with DC... The problem is with Scaled, ask them for motives...
Quote from: Rocket Science on 12/16/2012 12:19 pmIt is not a technical or design problem with DC... The problem is with Scaled, ask them for motives...What's Scaled got to do with it?VG owns WK2.