🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Nov20.155202.16554@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> rbw3q@rayleigh.mech.Virginia.EDU (Brad Whitehurst) writes:

>	If you are using well tested current technology, why should
>the gov't. pay for any of the craft?...

First of all, this is being done to test the concept. Most (not all) of
the parts exist but they are still being used in a new way. The key is the
parts which don't exist yet and to veryfy the overall concept. Since DC-Y
is an experimental craft then we will have a nice testbed to try new
ideas. For example, after DC-Y flies we can replace the engines with
aerospike engines and see if performance improves.

Second of all it the issue of risk. We are currently in a catch-22: nobody
launches much because costs are too high and costs are too high because
nobody luanches much. SSTO offers the promise of greatly reducing costs
and thereby opening the markets.

  Allen

-- 
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Allen W. Sherzer | "A great man is one who does nothing but leaves        |
|  aws@iti.org     |  nothing undone"                                       |
+----------------------155 DAYS TO FIRST FLIGHT OF DCX----------------------+