Re: FOBS as a Primary Motivator for Human Spaceflight


"Pat Flannery" <flanner@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:13mj1e2jasjir7b@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
One problem would be range.
To keep the Blackbird's landing gear lightweight and runway length
managable, the Sr-71 took off with only enough fuel in it's tanks to
rendevous with a KC-135 and take on its main fuel load for its mission.
That's okay for a recon aircraft, but means you need to keep KC-135s with
the special fuel airborne 24/7 in case the Soviets start a attack and you
have to scramble the F-12s.

I was thinking that myself. That and the SR-71 was a very tricky plane to
fly, even on recon missions where you're typically flying straight. I'd
hate to think how hard it would have been to keep the engines lit at speed
and altitude if you had to pull some kind of evasive maneuver.

And then there is the fact that it's made of a lot of exotic alloys and etc.
and maintenance is going to be more like a B-2 (in complexity and cost) than
an aircraft that's slightly less exotic (say an F-104).

Jeff
--
A clever person solves a problem.
A wise person avoids it. -- Einstein


.

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