-----Original Message-----
From: b <rrdd3939@aol.com>
To: rrdd3939 <rrdd3939@aol.com>
Sent: Wed, Jul 18, 2012 8:18 pm
Subject: Hermes Presents...
From: b <rrdd3939@aol.com>
To: rrdd3939 <rrdd3939@aol.com>
Sent: Wed, Jul 18, 2012 8:18 pm
Subject: Hermes Presents...
HERMES PRESENTS FLY WITH ME
by Richard DePersio and Citizen Journalist
NASA's ORION Multi-Purpose Vehicle to the moon and/or Mars and/or asteroid. The best
of the lot!!!
XCOR Aerospace's Lynx will conduct up to four 30-minute sub-orbital flights per day with a
pilot, ticketed passenger and a payload (could be a satellite). Our new non-NASA favorite!*
This space plane won't be launched vertically or carried to specified altitude by a mother ship:
horizontal take-off and landing (HOTOL).
SpaceShipOne: sub-orbital, air-launched by Mojave Aerospace Ventures led to Virgin's
SpaceShipTwo which will carry pilot, co-pilot, 6 space tourists, as well as, NASA
experiments. We were big fans of British-based with U.S. Spaceport in New Mexico for
it's flight activities until we discovered that the state will foot the bill for its construction. (We
are opposed to gov-private partnerships and subsidies with one exception as stated in
"Born Free" at www.rickcmtsite.blogspot.com ) (private/commercial)
Dragon launched by Falcon 9 rocket carrying up to 7 astros or cargo or both to ISS.
UK's Reaction Engines Limited's Skylon is an unpiloted HOTOL space plane which will
release a payload or crew compartment.
China's Tiangong 1 is a space station with which Shenzhou docks.
Soviet Buran space shuttle had one successful unmanned flight in '88 and, eventually,
canceled.
Canceled during R & D or just R (never got off the ground): Soviet Kliper (meant to replace Soyuz);
French Hermes space plane. Indefinitely postponed: US HOTOL space plane. Note: A space plane
isn't necessarily a HOTOL, Space Shuttle for example.
BONUS (for you've been good): Dimensions of space stations: Soviet Sayut - length, 45 feet; US
Skylab - length, 86, width, 56, height, 24; Soviet Mir - 107. 90; ISS - solar array span, 256, length,
146 (170 when Progress docked), truss length, 357.5, height, 100 (we favor ending space station
program in 2014, as opposed to 2020, take stairs three flights (no pun intended) in direction opposite
to that which a rocket is launched to find out why --- or be lazy and remain where you are --- we don't
get paid either way).
Space Shuttle: Height - 184, diameter - 28.5 ('81-2011: 135 missions).
*We don't like any type of subsidy and XCOR receives none. It has received regular contracts from
NASA, DARPA and Air Force. Our readers know that we want a nuclear stage for the planned
heavy-lifter for Orion. Perhaps, XCOR should get the contract or one of the sub-contracts.
