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tahanson43206

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Registered: 2018-04-27

Posts: 19,383

SSTO History Atlas and other single stage launchers

This topic is inspired by an observation of RobertDyck...

There was a time, early in the history of development of space launch vehicles, when the possibility of using more than one stage was still a concept to be developed.  All experience up to that time had been with single stage vehicles.

RobertDyck's insight is that launchers like the Redstone and Atlas may have had the capability of reaching orbit on their own.

The purpose of this topic is to offer NewMars members a place to contribute posts about that early period, and any launchers that might have come close to meeting the Wikipedia definition of an SSTO.

The criteria I am looking for include:

1) The vehicle must reach orbit

Reaching orbital altitude is not sufficient for this topic.  The vehicle must have reached a stable low Earth orbit that persisted for at least one circuit of the Earth before drag brought it down.

2) The vehicle must discard NOTHING on the way to orbit.

Here is the Wikipedia definition:

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According to Wikipedia, a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle is a spacecraft that can reach orbit from a planet's surface without discarding any major parts, such as engines, fuel tanks, or wings. SSTO vehicles are designed to reach orbit intact so they can be reused for future launches, which could lower costs and increase the frequency of launches. The term "SSTO" usually refers to reusable vehicles, but not always. For example, Project Orion is an SSTO vehicle that is not a reusable launch vehicle.

Wikipedia
Single-stage-to-orbit - Wikipedia

A single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle reaches orbit from the surface of a body using only propellants and fluids and without expending tanks, engines, or other major hardware. The term usually, but not exclusively, refers to reusable vehicles.

Simple Wikipedia
Single-stage-to-orbit - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A single-stage-to-orbit (abbreviated as SSTO) is a hypothetical spacecraft. It can reach space from the surface of a planet without expending major pieces of the craft (such as engines, fuel tanks, or wings).

New Space Economy
Single-Stage-to-Orbit (SSTO): Pioneering the Future of Space Exploration – New Space Economy
May 31, 2023

Wikipedia
Category:Single-stage-to-orbit - Wikipedia

Single Stage To Orbit vehicles are vehicles capable of reaching orbital velocity and altitude from the Earth's surface without dropping off any hardware. Single stage to orbit vehicles are not necessarily Reusable launch vehicles, e.g. Project Orion.

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A single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle reaches orbit from the surface of a body using only propellants and fluids and without expending tanks, engines, or other major hardware. The term usually, but not exclusively, refers to reusable vehicles.

Single-stage-to-orbit - Wikipedia

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Single-stage-to-orbit

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Last edited by tahanson43206 (2024-05-30 07:06:00)

tahanson43206

Moderator

Registered: 2018-04-27

Posts: 19,383

Re: SSTO History Atlas and other single stage launchers

This post is reserved for an index to posts that may be contributed by NewMars members over time.

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