CFE - 26/7/2007 12:03 AMI was inspired to start this thread after the Faget shuttle design was brought up in the "DIRECT 2.0" thread. Max Faget's original concept is quite fascinating, but many astute observers have mentioned the reasons why it probably never would have worked. The booster would need a higher cross-range for operational reasons; the giant flyback booster would have been terribly expensive and time-consuming to develop; the extreme thermal cycling on the tanks (cryogenic temps before launch, thousands of degrees on reentry) would have been a structural nightmare.It is worth noting that the Faget shuttle concept is the first patent mentioned on a Google patent search for "space shuttle." Faget was truly a pioneer, and his design was one of the first realistic ones for a reusable spacecraft. Then again, guys like Philip Bono and Max Hunter also deserve credit for the idea of a reusable spacecraft; early studies like ROMBUS, MUSTARD, Starclipper, and Astrorocket offer plenty of fodder for review in the mind of a would-be RLV designer.One concern of mine with the Faget shuttle is the recovery of the booster. The staging event was to occur around Mach 10. At this point, how far downrange would the booster be? There becomes a certain point where the mass of the fuel required to fly the booster back to base becomes prohibitive.It would seem that the re-entry approach favored by Max Faget is the orbital equivalent to the SpaceShipOne "feather" maneuver. Perhaps Burt Rutan will look back to Faget if he goes ahead with a "Tier III" orbital system. Than again, many of the experts disagreed with Faget, thought that his wings would burn off, and thought that the orbiter would spin at hypersonic speeds.
edkyle99 - 28/7/2007 8:01 PMYes, Faget's orbiter would have had low cross range - only 230 miles. Hmmmm. I wonder what the cross range of Orion, NASA's next crewed vehicle, is going to be? - Ed Kyle
Jim - 28/7/2007 7:54 PMQuoteedkyle99 - 28/7/2007 8:01 PMYes, Faget's orbiter would have had low cross range - only 230 miles. Hmmmm. I wonder what the cross range of Orion, NASA's next crewed vehicle, is going to be? - Ed KyleCrossrange is not a required ability since runways aren't required