« The Ugly History Of "Progressive" Legislation |
Main
| Why Are Funerals News? »
They Still Don't Get It
According to Aviation Now, NASA is now focused on airbreathers, or to be more precise, Rocket-Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) propulsion for the next generations of space transport.
Although virtually all of the third-generation reusable launch vehicle (RLV) concepts currently being considered by NASA rely on some form of combined-cycle propulsion to get to orbit, the space agency is still not insisting on single-stage vehicles.
Well, it's nice that they're not insisting on SSTO, I guess...
Obviously, the RBCC hobby shop at Marshall is winning the bureaucratic turf war.
Here's a concept, guys. How about just putting out an RFQ for X pounds and Y people delivered to orbit, and let the market figure it out?
Nahhhh, that would mean the technology sandbox might get emptied...
Posted by Rand Simberg at January 11, 2002 10:50 AM