Spaceplanes: From Airport to Spaceport (Astronomers' Universe)

Someday, there may be plane-like vehicles that take off from a runway and fly high above Earth, bringing people to work in space, to stay at a space hotel, to visit a Moonbase, or to board another ship for a journey to a neighboring planet in the Solar System. Well, that time is coming, and it's coming sooner than you might think! There are a number of private companies already taking reservations for passenger flights into suborbital space. There are companies drawing up plans for hotels in space and governments drawing up plans for Moonbases and eventual trips to Mars. Although the fares for the soon-to-be-available suborbital "joy" rides are still rather steep, prices are coming down, and competition is growing fiercer. Matthew Bentley will guide you through the almost bewildering array of different kinds of spaceplanes being developed and show you what the new "spacelines" have in store for us. A strong believer in the ultimate economic advantages of spaceplanes over conventional launch vehicles, Bentley believes their development will guide us to a new and bigger era of space adventure--more grand than has ever been contemplated before.;Rocketplanes at the airport -- Why spaceplanes? -- Rocket science: wings added -- Missiles and modules -- Crawling into suborbit: the baby spaceplace -- Going ballistic -- Piggyback to orbit -- Advanced propulsion -- Single stage to orbit: the advanced spaceplace -- Destination moon: the lunar spaceplane -- Strategies for success -- Spaceplanes at the spaceport.

Someday, there may be plane-like vehicles that take off from a runway and fly high above Earth, bringing people to work in space, to stay at a space hotel, to visit a Moonbase, or to board another ship for a journey to a neighboring planet in the Solar System. Well, that time is coming, and it’s coming sooner than you might think!

There are a number of private companies already taking reservations for passenger flights into suborbital space. There are companies drawing up plans for hotels in space and governments drawing up plans for Moonbases and eventual trips to Mars.

Although the fares for the soon-to-be-available suborbital "joy" rides are still rather steep, prices are coming down, and competition is growing fiercer. Matthew Bentley will guide you through the almost bewildering array of different kinds of spaceplanes being developed and show you what the new "spacelines" have in store for us. A strong believer in the ultimate economic advantages of spaceplanes over conventional launch vehicles, Bentley believes their development will guide us to a new and bigger era of space adventure—more grand than has ever been contemplated before.

Spaceplanes From Airport to Spaceport presents a coherent, lucid, and optimistic picture of the future of the near future. Space vehicles may soon take off from international airports and refuel in space. New technologies could allow flights to take off regularly between the Earth and the Moon. The technical details presented explain precisely how all this can be accomplished within the next few decades. This book also explains why the Space Tourist market could easily become the single most important factor in the mid-term future development of space transportation. In a few years it will be possible to board a spaceplane and fly into Earth orbit, and perhaps visit a space station. Later development could include refuelling in orbit to take a tour of cislunar space. The book's solid engineering foundation will be of interest to both space exploration enthusiasts and future space travelers. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Rocketplanes at the Airport....Pages 1-21 Why Spaceplanes?....Pages 23-37 Rocket Science: Wings Added....Pages 39-50 Missiles and Modules....Pages 51-67 Crawling into Suborbit: The Baby Spaceplane....Pages 69-81 Going Ballistic....Pages 83-91 Piggyback to Orbit....Pages 93-103 Advanced Propulsion....Pages 105-123 Single Stage to Orbit: The Advanced Spaceplane....Pages 125-147 Destination Moon: The Lunar Spaceplane....Pages 149-171 Strategies for Success....Pages 173-182 Spaceplanes at the Spaceport....Pages 183-195 Back Matter....Pages 197-238