Have you seen the recent remake using CGI instead of Super-Marionation?
One of my first thoughts for the initial vehicle was the now defunct SpaceCub project. A vertical takeoff, vertical landing reusuable, suborbital rocket capable of carrying several passengers.
As I recall, theoretical cross range capability was around a thousand miles. With less than 30 minutes from takeoff to landing.
One suggestions made was that it'd make a great vehicle for an upgraded FedEx.
Landing would require a reasonably flat area that was firm, and fairly heat resistant. Bigger than a helipad, but smaller than a football field.
They could probably land on asphalt, but it wouldn't be good for the asphalt. Concrete probably wouldn't be a problem.
So even a fairly small parking lot would do. Airport runaways not usable by planes for takeoff/landing would certainly do.
I think the proposed fuel mix was kerosene/LOX. So basically jet fuel and LOX.
Wouldn't work well in high winds (though a pilot could probably land in the eye of a hurricane, but the rocket would likely get knocked over by the winds before it could refuel).
Also not the best idea for areas with high fire danger.
Reworking the DC-X might work as well.
Turn SpaceX and their competitors loose on the problem and see what happens.
For the massive cargo vehicles (Thunderbird 2 equivalents) I'm not sure that it's practical to make supersonic versions of the C5A or C130 (just using them as examples for cargo capacity and short field capacity requirements not overall shape). Fuel consumption would be a bitch.
But the The Thunderbird 1 equivalent is doable *now* with some work as long as you settle for lack of transoceanic capability. Even a measly 1000 mile range will let you do a lot if you set up bases across the country/continent.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2020-08-07 08:06 pm (UTC)One of my first thoughts for the initial vehicle was the now defunct SpaceCub project. A vertical takeoff, vertical landing reusuable, suborbital rocket capable of carrying several passengers.
As I recall, theoretical cross range capability was around a thousand miles. With less than 30 minutes from takeoff to landing.
One suggestions made was that it'd make a great vehicle for an upgraded FedEx.
Landing would require a reasonably flat area that was firm, and fairly heat resistant. Bigger than a helipad, but smaller than a football field.
They could probably land on asphalt, but it wouldn't be good for the asphalt. Concrete probably wouldn't be a problem.
So even a fairly small parking lot would do. Airport runaways not usable by planes for takeoff/landing would certainly do.
I think the proposed fuel mix was kerosene/LOX. So basically jet fuel and LOX.
Wouldn't work well in high winds (though a pilot could probably land in the eye of a hurricane, but the rocket would likely get knocked over by the winds before it could refuel).
Also not the best idea for areas with high fire danger.
Reworking the DC-X might work as well.
Turn SpaceX and their competitors loose on the problem and see what happens.
For the massive cargo vehicles (Thunderbird 2 equivalents) I'm not sure that it's practical to make supersonic versions of the C5A or C130 (just using them as examples for cargo capacity and short field capacity requirements not overall shape). Fuel consumption would be a bitch.
But the The Thunderbird 1 equivalent is doable *now* with some work as long as you settle for lack of transoceanic capability. Even a measly 1000 mile range will let you do a lot if you set up bases across the country/continent.