Spaceshiptwo speculations


What's this group's speculations of Burt Rutan's upcoming spaceshiptwo
design? I myself have found very little info in the internet.

Payload:
I understand it's for more than three people. Wasn't ss1 fitted for 3,
although it never flew with so many? White knight has a somewhat similar
cockpit and it has carried 3 people (Oct. 2003).

Carrier:
For one, could it be carried by the existing / modified white knight
aircraft, or are they designing a bigger one? Any configuration changes?
SS1 empty weight is 1200 kg and gross mass 4100 kg.
Pat mentioned the discovery document talked something about up-scaling
both. Any more info?

Propulsion:
Does it still use hybrid propulsion? I'd imagine *** Rutan's XCor
engines would be better thinking about costs per flight, although
I dont know if they're yet at that point in development where
they have a big enough engine. The biggest number they mention on
their homepage is 20 000 lbf which would be roughly the same size
as ss1 propulsion, 70 kN. That would use lox&kerosene - working
with cryogenics might be a problem in routine operations. XCor
only mention smaller engines in the tests section.



Has anyone made any estimates how high ss1 could fly if launched
from a ground rail? Certainly drag would be increased, and there
would be safety issues. 60 km? Would aerodynamic forces break the
aircraft? This way you could ditch the expensive carrier for ss2,
now that the early concept testing with gliding is done anyway.


Funny how some small company builds the private aircraft that fly
the furthest, fastest and highest. All made of plastics. And some
using tire rubber and laughing gas as propellants.

--
meiza
"Crash programs fail because they are based on a theory that,
with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month" -WvB
.

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