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But the US Air force dont Need a whole delta II what the air force are looking for is a cheap reliable very fast readiness launch system.
The Space Review - Military Space Systems: The Road Ahead
As you will note the airforce need a lighter launcher to create a way that they can endanger or disrupt enemy space assets. A TSTO would be perfect especially as it would be cheaper.
Chan eil mi aig a bheil ùidh ann an gleidheadh an status quo; Tha mi airson cur às e.
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The BIG reason to have such a vehicle is though:
-Its hard to hide spy satelites, they are warm in infrared but space is not, and you can't hide the launch vehicle.
-When you know where the satelite is, plan to do whatever evil while the satelite is over the horizon.
One-shot suborbital satelites would get expensive, and regular satelites can't maneuver much, so a suborbital spaceplane makes good sense.
A suborbital once-around spaceplane would have the overflight ability of a satelite, but it would fly over with only minutes of warning.
[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]
[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]
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Ah but we can just dream...
Chan eil mi aig a bheil ùidh ann an gleidheadh an status quo; Tha mi airson cur às e.
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Once again--a rocket is a simple tube. it needs no landing gear--no wings, etc.
Rockets can and will always beat winged craft--at least into the mid-future.
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Except when you get your winged vehicle back as opposed to that "simple tube," which needs cryogenic insulation, with the equisitly machined highly complex rocket engines and guidence systems.
[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]
[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]
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You will have to have that with the spaceplane as well. A rocketplane--perhaps with compact hypergolics to limit the handling of cryogenics--may come in the future. But the heaviest payloads will always come from simple rockets.
I like the old Martin Astrorocket concept but that isn't going to come anytime soon.
Unless Dubai wants one.
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Place holder bump, gee 7 pages to fix stuff in hopefully not all posts will need loving care or its going to take me a while.....
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China launches secretive reusable test spacecraft
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