ISPCS 2010 update #3
Blog posts for the afternoon sessions: /– [Armadillo – Transterrestrial Musings][1] /– [ISPCS Session: The Path Forward from DC-X/XA – Parabolic Arc][2]
Here is the official [ISPCS 2010 Photo gallery][3].
Selection of Twitter posts from [Jeff Foust][4] and [Doug Weathers][5] for the DC-X/XA session: /– Jeff Foust :”Final #ISPCS session of the day looking at DC-X. Kinda poignant to see old slide that projected full-scale SSTO RLV operational by 2005.” /– Jeff Foust :”Jess Sponable: DC-X proved that there’s no reason any future RLV will need a large ops crew.” /– Jeff Foust: “Yoshifumi Inatani, JAXA: starting phase A work on a reusable sounding rocket based on earlier RVT tech demonstrators.” /– Jeff Foust: “Dave Masten compares his company’s work with DC-X. Many similarities, but some differences: ‘Hydrogen? And you wanted operational?’ /– Jeff Foust: “Neil Milburn, Armadillo: if you can’t turn a vehicle around in a short period of time, it’s not really reusable.” /– Jeff Foust: “Milburn: plan to bring SuperMod and “tube vehicle” to Spaceport America for flights by end of year, FAA willing.” /– Doug Weathers: “Jess Sponable – talking about lessons learned. Control your operations cost and you get cheap space flight.” /– Doug Weathers: “Nino Polizzi – operations. Operability (aircraft-like operations, easy maintenance) designed-in from the start. Three operators.” /– Doug Weathers: “Rick Bachtel, Pratt and Whitney. RL-10 engines: Had to convert from vac to sea-level. Still enhancing this motor.” /– Doug Weathers: “Jim Ball, DC-X software guy. Really fast development (no ADA 🙂 Benefited from long expertise dating back to Apollo.” /– Doug Weathers: “Yoshifumi Inatani, JAXA. Did a RLV project in late 90s. Now working on reusable sounding rocket.” /– Doug Weathers: “Dave Masten, Masten Space Systems. Now developing VTVL vehicles. Much smaller, alcohol fueled. Now where DC-X left off.” /– Doug Weathers: “Neil Milburn, Armadillo Aerospace. Coming to NM to fly! Great video of DC-X-like vehicle.”
[1]: http://www.transterrestrial.com/?p=29952 [2]: http://www.parabolicarc.com/2010/10/20/ispcs-session-path-dcxxa/ [3]: http://www.ispcs.com/photos.php [4]: http://twitter.com/#!/jeff_foust [5]: http://twitter.com/#!/gdunge