🚀 go-pugleaf

In <1993Jan9.030346.9714@ptdcs2.intel.com> greason@ptdcs2.intel.com (Jeff Greason ~) writes:

>>The "extreme mass ratio" is an aerospace legend.  We've been
>>building vehicles with similar mass ratios for the last 30
>>years.  The Shuttle external tank has the right mass.  So
>>did the Saturn S-IVB stage.

>I would love to see some convincing evidence of this, as this is the
>key risk to SSTO in my opinion -- If I get sold of this, I'll try to 
>convince my Congresscritter.

So, contact the National Technical Information Service, get
the reports on Saturn Applications Single-Stage-to_Orbit,
Chrysler SERV, etc., and read them.


>1) A thermal protection system, capable of surviving multiple reentries
>   (many) suitable for reuse.  On previous vehicles, this is ablative and
>   non reusable, or (on Shuttle), heavy and only marginally reusable.

Nonsense.  The first US ICBM warhead (Atlas) used a nonablative copper
heat shield.  Copper's too heavy for SSTO, but there are many newer
refractory metals that would work just fine.  The problem is not that
there's no TPS available, it' choosing from among several alternatives.