Quote from: Prober on 06/17/2012 12:48 pmQuote from: Zero-G on 06/17/2012 12:13 pmSome pics from Boeing and USAF:Anyone notice something in this pic?Looks like the placement of a window?nope, just different whiter TPS for the top of the vehicle and the doors use a higher temp TPS
Quote from: Zero-G on 06/17/2012 12:13 pmSome pics from Boeing and USAF:Anyone notice something in this pic?Looks like the placement of a window?
Some pics from Boeing and USAF:
Thanks. The picture from the back showed that engine significantly off-center, with enough room to mount another one next to it, so I thought there might have been two.
Do you think the X37c a upgrade of X-37B will be built.
Why should Boeing do this without funding?
Quote from: apace on 06/16/2012 09:52 pmWhy should Boeing do this without funding?Because they did 707, 717, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787 without subsidy. Eventually deep pocket, Old Space is going to have to act like the rest of their company and not like the parts that have been unweaned from NASA and the DoD.
I've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location. I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. - Ed Kyle
I've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location. I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located.
Quote from: edkyle99 on 06/18/2012 01:25 amI've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location. I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. I wouldn't be surprised if X37 is nose-heavy. The nose compartment is probably very densely-packed with avionics plus the fuel system for the nose RCS and the RCS package itself. Additionally, as Kevin rightly points out, with the MPS prop tanks empty or near-empty there probably isn't much mass aft of the main gear either.[edit]Now, this is going to annoy Jim, but I'd like to know. Given what we know of the X37's specifications, could you quick-reaction launch an X37 atop an all-solid LV like Minotaur-IV/V or Athena-III?
Quote from: Ben the Space Brit on 06/19/2012 09:12 amQuote from: edkyle99 on 06/18/2012 01:25 amI've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location. I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. I wouldn't be surprised if X37 is nose-heavy. The nose compartment is probably very densely-packed with avionics plus the fuel system for the nose RCS and the RCS package itself. Additionally, as Kevin rightly points out, with the MPS prop tanks empty or near-empty there probably isn't much mass aft of the main gear either.[edit]Now, this is going to annoy Jim, but I'd like to know. Given what we know of the X37's specifications, could you quick-reaction launch an X37 atop an all-solid LV like Minotaur-IV/V or Athena-III?X-37B is about 5 t. Minotaurs lift <2 t, Athena <3 (AFAIK). So no. But an SRB-X...
Quote from: Jason1701 on 06/19/2012 09:28 amQuote from: Ben the Space Brit on 06/19/2012 09:12 amQuote from: edkyle99 on 06/18/2012 01:25 amI've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location. I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. I wouldn't be surprised if X37 is nose-heavy. The nose compartment is probably very densely-packed with avionics plus the fuel system for the nose RCS and the RCS package itself. Additionally, as Kevin rightly points out, with the MPS prop tanks empty or near-empty there probably isn't much mass aft of the main gear either.[edit]Now, this is going to annoy Jim, but I'd like to know. Given what we know of the X37's specifications, could you quick-reaction launch an X37 atop an all-solid LV like Minotaur-IV/V or Athena-III?X-37B is about 5 t. Minotaurs lift <2 t, Athena <3 (AFAIK). So no. But an SRB-X... try non NRO a Delta II class launcher.
Quote from: Prober on 06/19/2012 12:43 pmQuote from: Jason1701 on 06/19/2012 09:28 amQuote from: Ben the Space Brit on 06/19/2012 09:12 amQuote from: edkyle99 on 06/18/2012 01:25 amI've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location. I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. I wouldn't be surprised if X37 is nose-heavy. The nose compartment is probably very densely-packed with avionics plus the fuel system for the nose RCS and the RCS package itself. Additionally, as Kevin rightly points out, with the MPS prop tanks empty or near-empty there probably isn't much mass aft of the main gear either.[edit]Now, this is going to annoy Jim, but I'd like to know. Given what we know of the X37's specifications, could you quick-reaction launch an X37 atop an all-solid LV like Minotaur-IV/V or Athena-III?X-37B is about 5 t. Minotaurs lift <2 t, Athena <3 (AFAIK). So no. But an SRB-X... try non NRO a Delta II class launcher.Non NRO? What does that mean? Are you thinking of a specific launcher that I forgot about?
Quote from: Jason1701 on 06/19/2012 12:48 pmQuote from: Prober on 06/19/2012 12:43 pmQuote from: Jason1701 on 06/19/2012 09:28 amQuote from: Ben the Space Brit on 06/19/2012 09:12 amQuote from: edkyle99 on 06/18/2012 01:25 amI've been wondering about the post-landing center of gravity, based on the landing gear location. I would have expected more mass on the back end, where the engine is located. I wouldn't be surprised if X37 is nose-heavy. The nose compartment is probably very densely-packed with avionics plus the fuel system for the nose RCS and the RCS package itself. Additionally, as Kevin rightly points out, with the MPS prop tanks empty or near-empty there probably isn't much mass aft of the main gear either.[edit]Now, this is going to annoy Jim, but I'd like to know. Given what we know of the X37's specifications, could you quick-reaction launch an X37 atop an all-solid LV like Minotaur-IV/V or Athena-III?X-37B is about 5 t. Minotaurs lift <2 t, Athena <3 (AFAIK). So no. But an SRB-X... try non NRO a Delta II class launcher.Non NRO? What does that mean? Are you thinking of a specific launcher that I forgot about?It's a launcher from that California company that hasn't qualified their fairing yet, and isnt qualified to launch critical DOD payloads yet. I don't think they would qualify for a "quick-reaction" launch either, given their record of on-time launches.