I have no idea what the actual speed was, I heard so many different numbers. My comment was mainly that I thought the person had misheard, because they thought it was 6 x faster than it should have been, when the only time I heard 6 x faster ____ was when talking about the speed of sound.
No, the design life was +/- 100 flights, I think.
From here:
So when I heard ‘You’re a real idiot, you know that?’, it was probably the call screener who said that. Thanks for the clarification on that. That was the only part I heard, and I thought it was the caller who said that. I still think the caller was a complete jackass of the highest order.
Ever been to an air show where there’s an F-117 on display? There’s armed Air Force MPs carrying M-16 who will shoot to kill if you try to cross the rope seperating the public from the aircraft. The debris is necessary evidence upon which the lives of future astronauts depend. Anyone attempting to make off with a “souvenir” is putting not only those who fly space craft in the future at risk, but those on the ground as well. I think that shooting in such an instance is justified.
Yes, and this was her 28th flight so just past one quarter is accurate.
They may be more than up to the job, but they’re expensive, hazardous (Way too many points of failure), and carry too little cargo… And our replacement, the X-33 failed.
I understand that we want to amortize the cost, but there are other ways to keep them flying, and still have something better to launch from earth. Make them space-to-space craft, for example.
From your example, Tranquilis, we shoudn’t have switched to jets because prop planes were still functional. This is clearly wrong, I think… It’s not computing power or anything, it’s a simple matter of improved materials science and design.
And, okay, we’re hitting the atmosphere at mach 25. Simple G-force acceleration? Why must we do it at that speed?
I believe, though I am by no means certain, that this is the nature of being in orbit around the Earth. I think the speed varies depending on the height of the orbit, but if you’re in orbit at all around a body the Earth’s size, you’re locked in to a certain speed.
I was thinking about the same thing last night and this morning. It’s too bad we can’t slow to zero at the upper fringes of the atmosphere, then lower ourselves down carefully inch by inch.
Yes! Thank you, Masonite. Right. Orbital velocity. If you’re slower, by definition, you’re lower. I knew I was missing something.