XCOR and the Lynx rocket

[Jason1701]

XCOR from the Spacecraft Technology Expo:
-Mk. I fuselage delivered
-Planning first flight at end of 2012 or early 2013
-Mk. II has composite LOX tanks, which enables apogee increase to >100 km
-Mk. III can support external payloads, such as telescopes or nanosatellite launchers

Pictures show Lynx foam mockup and cockpit mockup.

[BrightLight]

This fuselage is very different from the Lynx  pictures posted on the web or in the XCOR user manual - does someone know whats up?

[brtbrt]

This fuselage is very different from the Lynx  pictures posted on the web or in the XCOR user manual - does someone know whats up?

Could be the changes are the result of all the wind tunnel testing XCOR has been doing the past few months. Jeff G. has been talking about the testing and the resultant changes for some time now.

[simonbp]

Could be the changes are the result of all the wind tunnel testing XCOR has been doing the past few months. Jeff G. has been talking about the testing and the resultant changes for some time now.

Yeah, they said at Space Access that they have really revised the nose design based on wind tunnel studies. IMHO, the new nose looks much nicer...

[BrightLight]

Could be the changes are the result of all the wind tunnel testing XCOR has been doing the past few months. Jeff G. has been talking about the testing and the resultant changes for some time now.

Yeah, they said at Space Access that they have really revised the nose design based on wind tunnel studies. IMHO, the new nose looks much nicer...

I agree the full delta looks better.  I find it interesting that the delta shape has been maintained since the X-20, even the X-15B was a delta and it appears that winged, lifting body designs since 1960 look more or less the same from the bottom, only the shuttle and X-37 have cranked arrow wings.

[docmordrid]

Aviation Week....

[jongoff]

Looks like the XCOR LOX pump is ready for flight:

http://xcor.com/press-releases/2012/12-05-24_XCOR_cryogenic_rocket_piston_pump_a_success.html

Their tease a few minutes ago was punful:

‏@XCOR: "Good news in just a bit, we are certainly pumped..."

[jongoff]

Looks like the XCOR LOX pump is ready for flight:

http://xcor.com/press-releases/2012/12-05-24_XCOR_cryogenic_rocket_piston_pump_a_success.html

Their tease a few minutes ago was punful:

‏@XCOR: "Good news in just a bit, we are certainly pumped..."

Thinking about this, this is a big deal for them. With the LOX and fuel pumps now both working, they've got all the pieces to start integrating their Lynx propulsion core. Looking forward to seeing all four engines running under pump power. This is quite a bit more advanced (though smaller scale) than what Scaled is using for SS2.

~Jon

[Robert Thompson]

Horse, then, cart. 4 horses even better.

[JBF]

Are there any more details available on the piston pump technology?

[jongoff]

Are there any more details available on the piston pump technology?

This provides some background:

http://xcor.com/products/pumps/

They've been working on this technology for almost a decade, starting with some in-house work, which fed into a DARPA STTR, which led back to a mix of contract work and in-house work. AIUI, X-Racer flew with a Kersosene pump (dozens of times a few years back), they did some demo work for ULA on LH2 as part of their RL-10 replacement development work, and now they've demoed it on LOX as well (and I think they did Methane at some point in the past). For small engines it ends up being lighter than a turbopump, and for moderate size engines it may be a bit heavier, but is a lot cheaper, and potentially a lot more reliable.

~Jon

[RanulfC]

Ok, is it time now to start speculating what one would do with a Mk-1 Lynx?

Randy

[QuantumG]

When Lynx is complete you can easily imagine them popping the hood for Jesse James, Paul Teutul, or some other custom car/motorcycle show. The word "demystifying" is thrown around a lot these days ....

[RanulfC]

When Lynx is complete you can easily imagine them popping the hood for Jesse James, Paul Teutul, or some other custom car/motorcycle show. The word "demystifying" is thrown around a lot these days ....

"It ain't Rocket Science, it's Rocket Mechanics..." 

Randy

[jongoff]

When Lynx is complete you can easily imagine them popping the hood for Jesse James, Paul Teutul, or some other custom car/motorcycle show. The word "demystifying" is thrown around a lot these days ....

"It ain't Rocket Science, it's Rocket Mechanics..." 

No, it's Rockit Plumbin'...

~Jon

[sanman]

Are there any more details available on the piston pump technology?

This provides some background:

http://xcor.com/products/pumps/

They've been working on this technology for almost a decade, starting with some in-house work, which fed into a DARPA STTR, which led back to a mix of contract work and in-house work. AIUI, X-Racer flew with a Kersosene pump (dozens of times a few years back), they did some demo work for ULA on LH2 as part of their RL-10 replacement development work, and now they've demoed it on LOX as well (and I think they did Methane at some point in the past). For small engines it ends up being lighter than a turbopump, and for moderate size engines it may be a bit heavier, but is a lot cheaper, and potentially a lot more reliable.

~Jon

Why use a reciprocating piston pump instead of, say, a wankel rotary pump? Wankels have a higher power-to-weight ratio, lower vibrational losses while running at higher rpm, although obviously a poorer compression ratio.

[baldusi]

Are there any more details available on the piston pump technology?

This provides some background:

http://xcor.com/products/pumps/

They've been working on this technology for almost a decade, starting with some in-house work, which fed into a DARPA STTR, which led back to a mix of contract work and in-house work. AIUI, X-Racer flew with a Kersosene pump (dozens of times a few years back), they did some demo work for ULA on LH2 as part of their RL-10 replacement development work, and now they've demoed it on LOX as well (and I think they did Methane at some point in the past). For small engines it ends up being lighter than a turbopump, and for moderate size engines it may be a bit heavier, but is a lot cheaper, and potentially a lot more reliable.

~Jon

Why use a reciprocating piston pump instead of, say, a wankel rotary pump? Wankels have a higher power-to-weight ratio, lower vibrational losses while running at higher rpm, although obviously a poorer compression ratio.

You don't need an explosion for a piston pump, just a big low pressure piston and a small low pressure piston. Besides, Wankel engines are not the most reliable, and, more important, their limits is on the sealing side. Sealing for ordinary fuel at normal engine speed is one thing. Sealing Liquid Hydrogen, Liquid Oxygen and going from cryogenic LOX to RP-1 temperature is a whole different game.
Any dynamic seal that's not a circle in a cylinder is pain.

[RanulfC]

When Lynx is complete you can easily imagine them popping the hood for Jesse James, Paul Teutul, or some other custom car/motorcycle show. The word "demystifying" is thrown around a lot these days ....

"It ain't Rocket Science, it's Rocket Mechanics..." 

No, it's Rockit Plumbin'...

~Jon

Ugh! Jon please! That just brings up to many images of a guy with his head inside and way to much "crack" showing outside and the words "Well, Lookee what we have here! Boy it sures looks expensive!"

Randy

[jongoff]

When Lynx is complete you can easily imagine them popping the hood for Jesse James, Paul Teutul, or some other custom car/motorcycle show. The word "demystifying" is thrown around a lot these days ....

"It ain't Rocket Science, it's Rocket Mechanics..." 

No, it's Rockit Plumbin'...

~Jon

Ugh! Jon please! That just brings up to many images of a guy with his head inside and way to much "crack" showing outside and the words "Well, Lookee what we have here! Boy it sures looks expensive!"

Some of the interns at Masten had to get one of my former coworkers a belt to reduce the incidence of just such occasions...

But more seriously, I got that line from Doug Jones of XCOR. And there's a lot of truth to it.

~Jon

[Chilly]

Ok, is it time now to start speculating what one would do with a Mk-1 Lynx?

Randy

Pilot training, maybe?