SPACEPLANES

For the last 10 years the US Air Force has been flying a small reusable space plane designated the X-37B, carrying out classified missions in low Earth orbit. This of course makes it something of a magnet for crazy conspiracy theories suggesting it's a weapons platform or it's changing the weather. However it was always pitched as a reusable platform to perform extended experiments in space starting back when it was a joint project with NASA. But NASA left the project after developing new flight control sensors and algorithms, because the purpose of the final product largely replicated capabilities already offered by the Space Station. The DoD had similar testing requirements with the extra constraint of keeping the hardware and tests classified, so, the X-37B offers them this capability. Photos of X37B in space by Ralph Vandebergh https://twitter.com/ralfvandebergh

This video is about NASA / Boeing missions with the Orbital test vehicle (OTV) X-38B. There isn't much information available on the public domain that we can use on this subject. But the vehicle looking very much like a space shuttle Images and Videos Courtesy U.S. Air Force/Jeremy Webster [Public domain] NASA [Public domain] Equipment shown in this video: (some of them contains affiliate links) Focusers: Celestron Focus Motor for SCT and EdgeHD https://amzn.to/2NI0oDn Starizona Microtouch Focuser http://bit.ly/2CHc3vT Starizona Feathertouch focuser for SCT http://bit.ly/3552EKZ Telescopes: Celestron EdgeHD 1400 XLT Optical Tube Assembly with mount & tripod http://bit.ly/2KiPq5i Celestron EdgeHD 1400 XLT Optical Tube Assembly without mount & tripod https://amzn.to/374LJts Celestron 11" f/2.2 Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph Telescope (OTA only) https://amzn.to/2Qi3Gim Explore Scientific Classic White Aluminum ED127 f/7.5 APO Triplet with Hoya FCD100 optics https://amzn.to/2XLQ6VT Mounts: Celestron CGX-L Equatorial Mount with Tripod https://amzn.to/33V9W3P Celestron CGX Computerized German Equatorial Mount and Tripod https://amzn.to/2E4YFTZ Celestron Advanced VX Mount with Celestron Polar Axis Finder https://amzn.to/2uKgSkl Cameras: ZWO ASI071MC-Pro 16 Megapixel USB3.0 Color Astronomy Camera for Astrophotography https://amzn.to/2HQDaZV ZWO ASI1600MM PRO COOLED MONOCHROME CMOS CAMERA http://bit.ly/2QdNSx0 Filters: Baader UV-IR-CUT Filter - 2" # FUVIR-2 2459210A https://amzn.to/2QZGMtk Baader Planetarium UHC-S Nebula Filter 2", L-Booster https://amzn.to/371A271 Baader UHC-S Nebula Filter - 1.25" # FUHC-1 2458275 https://amzn.to/2QcgXJo Baader f/2 High Speed Narrowband CCD Filter Set - 1.25" Mounted http://bit.ly/2KjLktM Baader f/2 High Speed Narrowband CCD Filter Set - 2" Mounted (buy one filter at a time or buy 1.25" - 2" filters are always back-ordered) http://bit.ly/2q9ccpa Baader f/2 High Speed OIII CCD Filter - 2" Mounted http://bit.ly/34ZZzLW Baader f/2 High Speed SII CCD Filter - 2" Mounted http://bit.ly/2XhOcwj Baader f/2 High Speed H-Alpha CCD Filter - 2" Mounted http://bit.ly/2rA4iWe Baader f/2 High Speed H-Alpha CCD Filter - 1.25" Mounted - FHALHS-1 http://bit.ly/2peUkZC Baader f/2 High Speed OIII CCD Filter - 1.25" Mounted - FOIIIHS-1 http://bit.ly/36VFfx4 Baader f/2 High Speed SII CCD Filter - 1.25" Mounted - FSIIHS-1 http://bit.ly/2NK2xyx Guidescopes & Reddot finders Celestron 51630 Star Pointer Telescope Finderscope, Black https://amzn.to/2EskgG0 Orion Magnificent Mini AutoGuider Package https://amzn.to/2HQYNZ9 Celestron 80mm Guidescope Package with 125mm Rings and 80mm Guidescope with Extension Tube https://amzn.to/2U5KaVg Orion 52064 StarShoot AutoGuider http://bit.ly/2XcwKJz Celestron 80mm Guidescope Package with 125mm Rings and 80mm Guidescope with Extension Tube https://amzn.to/2U5KaVg Other Equipment Elbesee 2HQ14 | Polished Hardwood 14in Quilting Hoop https://amzn.to/2MDxu90 Losmandy 14" Universal Dovetail Plate for Refractors - DUP14 http://bit.ly/2Kk9STr Neiko 01409A Electronic Digital Caliper with Extra Large LCD Screen | 0 - 12 Inches | Inch/Fractions/Millimeter Conversion https://amzn.to/2VY6i4S LensShifter Blue - Balanced Focus and Zoom Grip for DSLR and Mirrorless Camera Lens https://amzn.to/2YEn8rx Rokinon 135mm F2.0 ED UMC Telephoto Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras https://amzn.to/2Uk38uH Dual Narrowband + LPS filter https://www.ebay.com/itm/Filter-Light-Pollution-Nebula-or-Galaxy-Improved-95-T-NPB-DGM-Skyglow-48mm-2/311649571946 ZWO T2 to EOS EF Lens Adapter - 12.5mm or 17.5mm - EOS-T2 http://bit.ly/2KhfLRi Celestron Universal Mounting Plate https://amzn.to/2PNrg3E Astrozap Flexi-Heat Dew Shield with Two Notches - 11" CGE SCT & HD AZ-812-N-2 https://amzn.to/2tyM84T Astrozap Flexi-Heat Dew Shield with Two Notches - 8" Edge HD/RASA https://amzn.to/2OmQ1En Move-It 9442 12-Inch Steel Tri-Dolly, 300-lb Load Capacity https://amzn.to/2HQbgxp Regards, Ray https://www.youtube.com/c/raysastrophotography https://www.facebook.com/raysastrophotography/ https://twitter.com/Raysastrophoto1 https://www.instagram.com/raysastrophotography/ #X37B #Boeing #NASA :

The US Air Force's X-37B's Orbital Test Vehicle 5 (OTV-5) mission ended when the space plane landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Oct. 27, 2019. Story: US Air Force's X-37B Space Plane Lands After Record 780-Day Mystery Mission:https://www.space.com/x-37b-space-plane-otv5-lands-after-780-days.html Credit: 45th Space Wing Public Affairs / mash mix by Space.com's [Steve Spaleta](http://www.twitter.com/stevespaleta)

Mark Thomas (CEO - Reaction Engines) and Adam Dissel (President - Reaction Engines Inc.) talk about the achievement of reaching Mach 5 Tue, 2019-10-22 07:14 Reaction Engines has successfully tested its innovative precoolerat airflow temperature conditions representing Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, marking a significant milestone in the development of its SABRE™ engine and paving the way for a revolution in hypersonic flight and space access. The precooler heat exchanger is a vital component of Reaction Engines’ revolutionary SABRE air-breathing rocket engine and is an enabling technology for other precooled propulsion systems and a range of commercial applications. This ground-based test achieved the highest temperature objective of the Company’s HTX testing programme and took place at its specially constructed unique facility at the Colorado Air and Space Port, United States. During the latest series of tests, Reaction Engines’ unique precooler successfully quenched airflow temperatures in excess of 1,000°C (~1,800°F) in less than 1/20th of a second. The tests demonstrated the precooler’s ability to successfully cool airflow at speeds significantly in excess of the operational limit of any jet-engine powered aircraft in history. Mach 5 is more than twice as fast as the cruising speed of Concorde and over 50% faster than the SR-71 Blackbird aircraft – the world’s fastest jet-engine powered aircraft. This most recent test builds upon the success of previous HTX hot tests undertaken in April which saw the precooler successfully operate at temperatures of 420ᵒC (~788ᵒF) – matching the thermal conditions corresponding to Mach 3.3 flight. Commenting, Mark Thomas, Chief Executive, Reaction Engines, said: “This is a major moment in the development of a breakthrough aerospace technology which has seen Reaction Engines’ precooler tested at Mach 5 airflow temperature conditions, smashing through previous achievements at Mach 3.3 temperatures and paving the way for hypersonic flight. In addition to its use in our SABRE class of air breathing rocket engines, there are numerous exciting commercial applications for our precooler technology, which delivers world-leading heat transfer capabilities at low weight and compact size, and we are seeing significant interest from a range of potential customers and technology partners.” Reaction Engines’ patented precooler heat exchanger has the potential to be used in a wide range of commercial thermal management applications. These include the development of precooled systems that would significantly enhance the performance of existing jet engine technology, along with applications in automotive, aerospace, energy and industrial processes. The major testing milestone is the culmination of 30 years of engineering innovation since Reaction Engines was founded in 1989 by three propulsion engineers from Rolls-Royce, Alan Bond, Richard Varvill and John Scott-Scott. Richard Varvill, Reaction Engines’ co-founder and current Chief Technology Officer, said: “This is a momentous landmark for Reaction Engines in the development of its SABRE engine, which has the potential to revolutionise both access to space and high-speed flight by powering aircraft to five times the speed of sound. The performance of our proprietary precooler technology was validated at hypersonic flight conditions and takes us closer to realising our objective of developing the first air-breathing engine capable of accelerating from zero to Mach 5.” The HTX hot heat exchanger testing programme is a significant milestone on the roadmap to enabling transformational SABRE powered space access systems and has been keenly supported by the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and European Space Agency (ESA). In March, the two agencies reviewed and validated the preliminary design of the demonstrator engine core of SABRE, which Reaction Engines will use to undertake ground-based testing at its under-construction TF1 test facility at Westcott, Buckinghamshire, UK. The HTX hot heat exchanger test programme was supported under a contract to the Company’s US subsidiary Reaction Engines Inc. by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The precooler test item was designed and constructed at Reaction Engines’ headquarters in the UK, before being shipped to the Company’s Colorado site for testing. Following this significant testing milestone, the Company will embark on achieving the next steps of the SABRE programme while also pursuing nearer-term opportunities that will benefit from the addition of the Company’s heat exchanger technology. Over the last four years Reaction Engines has raised over £100m from public and private sources and has secured investment from BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and Boeing HorizonX. https://www.reactionengines.co.uk/news/reaction-engines-test-programme-fully-validates-precooler-hypersonic-heat-conditions

We got exclusive access to Spaceport America in New Mexico to speak to the team behind Virgin Galactic and learn more about their plans to put tourists into space. Subscribe HERE http://bit.ly/1uNQEWR Find us online at www.bbc.com/click Twitter: @bbcclick Facebook: www.facebook.com/BBCClick

Get 2 months of Skillshare for free at https://skl.sh/joescott10 Imagine if getting into space were as easy as a plane flight? One of the most promising technologies is an engine called SABRE that would enable a plane to climb all the way into space. And the space plane attached to that engine could be the Skylon Space Plane from Reaction Engines. But does it have the right stuff? Support me on Patreon! http://www.patreon.com/answerswithjoe Get cool nerdy t-shirts at http://www.answerswithjoe.com/shirts Interested in getting a Tesla? Use my referral link and get discounts and perks: https://ts.la/joe74700 Become a channel member and get access to exclusive livestreams and content here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-2YHgc363EdcusLIBbgxzg/join Follow me at all my places! Instagram: https://instagram.com/answerswithjoe Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/answerswithjoe Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/answerswithjoe Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/answerswithjoe LINKS LINKS LINKS: Tim's video on SSTOs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sfc2Jg1gkKA Amy Shira Teital's video about the Space Shuttle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pJoM9P-Zqk Cool Skylon animation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOqInOe5g8k Neoscribe vid on Skylon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmaiPD7_c18 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylon_(spacecraft) https://www.reactionengines.co.uk/news/reaction-engines-participating-uk-mod-funded-research-programme-develop-hypersonic-propulsion-systems https://www.universetoday.com/141785/progress-for-the-skylon-europe-agrees-to-continue-working-on-the-air-breathing-sabre-engine-1/ Ashley Dove-Jay's analysis of Skylon vs Falcon 9: https://theconversation.com/spaceplanes-vs-reusable-rockets-which-will-win-51938 http://www.spacefuture.com/archive/history_of_the_phoenix_vtol_ssto_and_recent_developments_in_single_stage_launch_systems.shtml Spaceship One: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXNkUNP75-Q

Get a free month of Curiosity Stream: http://curiositystream.com/isaacarthur Spaceplanes long seemed like the logical next step for getting into orbit after the Space Shuttle, but have seemingly fallen to the wayside in recent years in favor of reusable rockets. But the future may see a return of spaceplanes, and we'll look at some of the more promising designs like Skylon. Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur SFIA Merchandise available: https://www.signil.com/sfia/ Social Media: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur on Twitter and RT our future content. SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE Listen or Download the audio of this episode from Soundcloud: Episode's Audio-only version: https://soundcloud.com/isaac-arthur-148927746/spaceplanes- Episode's Narration-only version: https://soundcloud.com/isaac-arthur-148927746/spaceplanes-narration-only Credits Upward Bound: Spaceplanes Episode 188, Season 5 E22 Written by: Isaac Arthur Editors: Evan Schultheis Keith Blockus Mark Warburton Matthew Acker S. Kopperud Olly Epsom Cover Art: Jakub Grygier https://www.artstation.com/jakub_grygier Graphics by: Kris Holland (Mafic Studios) www.maficstudios.com Jeremy Jozwik https://www.artstation.com/zeuxis_of_losdiajana Katie Byrne Sam McNamara Sergio Botero https://www.artstation.com/sboterod?fref=gc Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur Music Manager: Luca DeRosa - [email protected] Music: Sergey Cheremisinov, "Sirius" https://www.s-cheremisinov.com Evan King, "Enchiridion" https://evanking.bandcamp.com/ Miguel Johnson, "Caustic Conflict" https://soundcloud.com/migueljohnsonmjmusic Aerium, "The Darwin project" https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRnUJY3l5vIJFGsY3XvW4dQ

I discuss suggestions made in my previous video introducing the Shinkansen spaceplane concept and then do a preliminary test of the concept in Kerbal Space Program. Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3_9DyRP49hBzCkGtk2TZZKLlM1CGZxEa

The Stratolaunch team performed successful high-speed taxi testing at the Mojave Air & Space Port on January 9, 2019. During the three-part test series, the team achieved a maximum speed of 119 knots with nose gear off of the ground.

Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity soared to 51.4 miles (82.7 kilometers) above Earth on Dec. 13, 2018. -- Full Story: https://www.space.com/42716-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-unity-reaches-space.html Credit: Virgin Galactic / Mash mix: Space.com

The pilots of Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity reached an altitude of 82.7km this morning, which is high enough for the FAA to award them commercial astronaut wings.

Vijay Shah, Stress and Structural Engineer at Reaction Engines, speaks to David McClelland at New Scientist Live 2018. The SABRE stands for Synergetic Air Breathing Rocket Engine. It's a new class of propulsion and is designed to unlock the future of space access and hypersonic flight. A versatile, hybrid air-breathing rocket engine that can power an aircraft from a standing start to over five times the speed of sound for hypersonic flight in the atmosphere, and over 25 times the speed of sound for space access. With its wide range of operation and scalability, the Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE) represents a defining moment in powered flight

Stratolaunch has announced that their carrier plane, the largest ever built with a wingspan of 385 ft. (117 m), will have many vehicles to carry to launch altitude - including a space plane. -- Full Story: https://www.space.com/41548-stratolaunch-rocket-family-space-plane-revealed.html Credit: Space.com / footage & animation courtesy: Stratolaunch / produced and edited by Steve Spaleta http://www.twitter.com/stevespaleta

Jessi Hempel, Wired senior writer, joins the 'Squawk Box' team to discuss Paul Allen's newest 385-foot airplane.

Reaction Engines is at the Farnborough Airshow to talk about the air-breathing Sabre engine that will have the capability to go from a standing start to suborbit. Guy Norris is a Senior Editor for Aviation Week, based in Los Angeles. Before joining Aviation Week in 2007, Guy was with Flight International, first as technical editor based in the U.K. and most recently as U.S. West Coast editor. Before joining Flight, he was London correspondent for Interavia, part of Jane's Information Group. Mark Thomas has been Chief Executive Officer of Reaction Engines Limited since May 2015. In this role he is leading development of the SABRE engine concept, a new class of aerospace propulsion system for hypersonic and space access applications, and building a successful technology business. During his first two and a half years Mark has grown the company from 65 to over 150 employees, secured investments from BAE Systems, the UK Government and DARPA, and expanded operations in the UK and US. Before joining Reaction Engines, Mark graduated from Cambridge University with an Engineering degree and spent over 25 years working in the Defence and Civil Aerospace businesses of Rolls-Royce plc. During this time he led a number of key programmes for Rolls-Royce, working closely with customers and partners worldwide. Notable roles included Chief Development Engineer for the EJ200 (Typhoon) engine, Chief Engineer of multiple military and civil engine programmes Technical Director of the Eurojet Turbo GmbH consortium based in Munich, and Chief Engineer, Civil Aerospace Technology and Future Programmes. He is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

[Space Tourism] Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Unity (VSS Unity) has successfully conducted her second powered test flight on 29 May 2018. On this flight VSS Unity's motor burned for 31 seconds propelling the spacecraft to a speed of Mach 1.9 and an altitude of 114,500 ft. Video edited by: Go To Space Footage Courtesy: Virgin Galactic Video Song: Easier to Fade (feat. Madi Larson) - A Himitsu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d432TRZEeYw https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu Outro Music : HeroicMonk - Can't Kill Me https://soundcloud.com/heroicmonk - YouTube channel : https://www.youtube.com/GotospaceOrg - Twitter : https://twitter.com/GoToSpace_GTS - Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/GoToSpace/ - Google+ : https://plus.google.com/+GotospaceOrg

The aircraft development team performed regression testing at the Mojave Air & Space Port on February 24-25, 2018. Ground speeds ranged from 10-40 knots during the test series.

In 2012, construction began on Stratolaunch's hangar at the Mojave Air & Space Port. By spring of 2013, our massive 103,257 sq. ft site was complete.

China sets its sights on a reusable space plane in 2020. Not a lot is known about their program yet, but the details are enticing. Tim Dodd the Everyday Astronaut brings us more! === CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION === Twitter.com/TMRO Facebook.com/TMROTV YouTube.com/TMRO Reddit.com/r/tmro Twitch.tv/TMRO TMRO.tv === OUR REAL-TIME DISCORD CHANNEL === All of the TMRO Shows are created and maintained in our Discord channel. Escape Velocity Patrons have access to a special room, but we also have free #general rooms that anyone can participate in. Join in for free at https://discord.gg/9NkkFWD === TMRO IS CROWD FUNDED === TMRO:Space is a crowd funded show. If you like this episode consider contributing to help us to continue to improve. Head over to http://www.patreon.com/tmro for information plus our all new goals and reward levels

Footage of the SNC's Dream Chaser spacecraft at Dawn. The Dream Chaser is a cargo craft capable of transporting pressurized and unpressurized cargo to and from low-Earth orbit destinations such as the International Space Station. Further advantageous capabilities include cargo module disposal, low-g, gentle runway landing return of cargo and sensitive science payloads with immediate access. Video edited by : Go To Space Footage Courtesy: SNC Music: Oxygen Garden by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/divider/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ Intro Music: THBD - Ocean https://soundcloud.com/thbdsultan Outro Music: HeroicMonk - Can't Kill Me https://soundcloud.com/heroicmonk - If you like this video please subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/GotospaceOrg - Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoToSpace_GTS - Check out my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GoToSpace/ - Add me on Google+: https://plus.google.com/+GotospaceOrg

Vice President Mike Pence and senior officials toured Stratolaunch and met with the team to discuss better access to space.

An ITN production with the IET ‘Engineering the Next Generation,’ which explores the challenges, careers and future of modern engineering in the UK.

Watch as our Dream Chaser® spacecraft was carried beneath a Columbia Helicopter over Edwards Air Force Base in California on August 30, 2017. This test, also known as the Captive Carry, is one of many milestones happening at NASA’s Armstrong flight Research Center leading up to a free flight later this year. Timestamps: 0:00 - 47:00: Analysis with Sierra Nevada Corporation's Kimberly Schwandt and Steve Lindsey/Facebook LIVE Q&A 47:00 - 58:50: Captive Carry lift-off

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launched on Thursday, carrying the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B into orbit. Although few details of the mission were revealed, we know it's the fifth flight for the Boeing-built spaceplane, and the first time it’s been launched by SpaceX. The Air Force said the plane is carrying “experimental payloads," including satellites and new electronics. The X-37B returned to Earth in May after a two-year space mission. And you guessed it: the Air Force was vague about that mission, too. Subscribe to Vocativ: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=vocativvideo Find us everywhere else: Subscribe to the newsletter: http://www.vocativ.com/pages/newsletter/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vocativ Twitter: https://twitter.com/vocativ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vocativ/ Snapchat: http://www.snapchat.com/add/vocativ Website: http://www.vocativ.com

Video Credit: SpaceX Mission Updates: http://spaceflight101.com/x-37b-otv-5/ A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A at 14:00 UTC on September 7, 2017 - carrying into orbit the fifth mission of the U.S. Air Force X-37B space plane. Departing Florida prior to Hurricane Irma's looming arrival, Falcon 9 fired its first stage for two and a half minutes before handing over to the second stage to boost the 5,000-Kilogram winged spacecraft into a classified orbit for a mostly secret mission dedicated to in-space experiments and technology demonstrations. The rocket's first stage mastered SpaceX's seventh land-based recovery, touching down at the Cape's Landing Zone 1 eight minutes and 13 seconds after liftoff.

Watch the video to learn more about the Boeing-built X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV).

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) on its fifth mission. SpaceX is targeting launch of OTV-5 from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The primary launch window opens on Thursday, September 7 at 9:50 a.m. EDT or 13:50 UTC, and closes at 2:55 p.m. EDT or 18:55 UTC. A backup launch window is available on Friday, September 8.

X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle • Movement To Prep For Launch - Military News The U.S. Air Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-5) is being staged in preparation for its upcoming launch on September 7, 2017. Filmed on September 5, 2017. Film Credits: Video courtesy of Boeing, SrA Timothy Kirchner Subscribe & More Videos: https://goo.gl/HdVuXo Thank for watching, Please Like Share And SUBSCRIBE!!! #military, #armedforces

Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser® spacecraft completes a 60mph tow test at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center.

A short 3D animation showing the SABRE engine components.

Also: Pelton v Privatization, Pilatus Update, Army v DJI, Master Instructors, Cessna, Williams FJ44-4A-QPM, Airliner Threat The sixth glide test of Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity was conducted in Mojave, CA Friday, and for the first time, the propulsion system for the suborbital spacecraft was installed and "live" ... but not engaged. According to Virgin Galactic, "with the exception of the rocket motor fuel grain, called the CTN (Case-Throat-Nozzle), Unity flew with all the spaceship’s principle propulsion components on-board and live. This meant that Unity took off with her forward pressurant tank loaded with helium and for the first time, her centrally positioned Main Oxidizer Tank fully charged with nitrous oxide. A VH-92A configured test aircraft in support of the U.S. Marine Corps’ VH-92A Presidential Helicopter Replacement Program completed its first flight on July 28, signaling the start of the 250 hour flight test program, taking place at Lockheed Martin facilities in Owego, New York. The aircraft achieved its first flight, and later that same day completed a second flight at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, Connecticut. Total flight time for the two sorties was one hour and included hover control checks, low speed flight, and a pass of the airfield. Airbus Perlan Mission II, an initiative to fly a glider without an engine to the edge of space to collect ground-breaking insights on climate change, weather and high-altitude flight, recently reached a new high altitude in its second season of flight testing in El Calafate, Argentina. Pilots Jim Payne, Morgan Sandercock, Tim Gardner and Miguel Iturmendi have soared the pressurized Perlan 2 glider in a series of flights reaching a maximum altitude to date of 32,500 feet. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!! Airborne 08.09.17 is chock full of info in this Daily News Episode, Wednesday, August 9th, 2017... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Hosts Brianne Cross, Christopher Odom, and Laura Hutson, and is supported by ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell, Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, and Aero-Journalist Tom Patton, this episode covers: VSS Unity Flies With Propulsion Systems Installed And Live First Flight: VH-92A Presidential Helicopter Airbus Perlan Mission II Reaches New High Altitude EAA's Jack Pelton Makes A Case Against ATC Privatization Classic Aero-TV: A Pilatus Aircraft Update - A Unique Kind of Aircraft Company U.S. Military Bans Use Of Chinese-Made Drones Three Receive Master Instructor Designation In July Cessna Pilot Centers Move To Paperless Training System FAA, EASA Certify Williams FJ44-4A-QPM Engine Two Charged In Australia With Terrorism In Thwarted Plot Against Airliner Get Comprehensive, Real-Time, 24/7 coverage of the latest aviation and aerospace stories anytime, at aero-news.net. And be sure to join us again tomorrow, LIVE from Oshkosh 2017, for the next edition of "Airborne Unlimited" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, tomorrow! © 2017, Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved. FMI: www.airbornetv.net, www.aero-news.net, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, https://vimeo.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews

On this look around the Air Force, the X-37B returns from its 718 day mission and the USAFA Superintendent testifies before Congress on SAPR. Hosted by SSgt Traci Keller.

Bristol University of West England Lecture By Mark Thomas Reaction Engines 13th June 2017...(You need to skip the first 15 minutes to the Lecture) Mark Thomas has been Chief Executive Officer of Reaction Engines Limited since May 2015. In this role he is leading development of the SABRE engine concept, a new class of aerospace propulsion system for hypersonic and space access applications. During his first 18 months Mark has grown the Company from around 65 to 110 employees, successfully led the team that achieved a strategic investment from BAE Systems and also secured the UK Government’s £60m grant. Before joining us, Mark graduated from Cambridge University with an Engineering degree and spent 25 years working in the Defence and Civil Aerospace businesses of Rolls-Royce plc. During this time he led a number of key programmes for Rolls-Royce, working closely with Customers and Partners worldwide. Notable roles included Chief Development Engineer for the EJ200 (Typhoon) engine, Chief Engineer of the EJ200, RB199 (Tornado), Adour (Hawk/Jaguar) & Trent 900 (Airbus A380) programmes, Technical Director of the Eurojet Turbo GmbH consortium based in Munich, and Chief Engineer, Civil Aerospace Technology and Future Programmes. MA (Cantab), CEng, FRAeS.

MOJAVE DESERT, CALIFORNIA — The world’s largest aircraft emerged from a hangar in the Mojave Desert, California at the end of May to begin fuel testing. At 117 metres wide, the Stratolaunch plane is wider than a football field. The aircraft is designed to make air-rocket launches in low-Earth orbit conditions a routine commute. It’s designed to carry spacebound rockets, with a payload of up to 275 tons, reports the Seattle Times. The Stratolaunch commences take off on a runway with a rocket attached to its belly. It was designed by Seattle-based firm Vulcan Aerospace. According to the Seattle Times, the plane weighs around 250 tons with no payload. With fuel and a fully loaded rocket, the plane can fly with a maximum takeoff weight of 650 tons — around the same weight as an commercial Airbus A380 carrying 550 passengers. The stratolaunch is manned by a three-person crew in the right fuselage, including a pilot, co-pilot and a flight engineer. The left fuselage cockpit is designed to remain empty and is unpressurized. The rocket is released after the plane reaches 35,000 feet. The rocket then fires its own engine and travels toward its orbit. The Stratolaunch airplane is expected to make its first launch in 2019. ----------------------------------------­--------------------- Go to https://www.patreon.com/tomonews and become a Patron now TomoNews is now on Patreon and we've got some cool perks for our hardcore fans. TomoNews is your best source for real news. We cover the funniest, craziest and most talked-about stories on the internet. Our tone is irreverent and unapologetic. If you’re laughing, we’re laughing. If you’re outraged, we’re outraged. We tell it like it is. And because we can animate stories, TomoNews brings you news like you’ve never seen before. Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.com Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f Get top stories delivered to your inbox everyday: http://bit.ly/tomo-newsletter See a story that should be animated? Tell us about it! Suggest a story here: http://bit.ly/suggest-tomonews Stay connected with us here: Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS Google+ http://plus.google.com/+TomoNewsUS/ Instagram @tomonewsus http://instagram.com/tomonewsus -~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Please watch: "Crying dog breaks the internet’s heart — but this sad dog story has a happy ending" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4prKTN9bYQc -~-~~-~~~-~~-~-

On May 31, 2017, Stratolaunch aircraft reached a major milestone in its journey toward providing convenient, reliable, and routine access to low Earth orbit. The crew moved the Stratolaunch aircraft out of the hangar – for the first time ever – to conduct aircraft fueling tests. This marked the completion of the initial aircraft construction phase and the beginning of the aircraft ground and flight testing phase. For more information, visit http://stratolaunch.com/

The world's largest plane has been unveiled by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen after it left its hangar in the California desert for the first time. Read the full article here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/06/01/microsoft-co-founder-unveils-worlds-biggest-aeroplane/ Get the latest headlines: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=telegraphtv Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/telegraph.co.uk Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/telegraph Follow us on Google+ https://plus.google.com/102891355072777008500/ Telegraph.co.uk and YouTube.com/TelegraphTV are websites of The Daily Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.

Animation of Reaction Engines SABRE TF1 test facility at Westcott Venture Park UK. The test facility at Westcott, Buckinghamshire, will enable Reaction Engines to test critical subsystems along with the testing of a SABRE engine core, which will commence in 2020. The company has already successfully undertaken testing of the engine’s pre-cooler and thrust chamber technologies, and will undertake further ground-based high-temperature testing of the pre-cooler early in 2018. Commenting on the construction of the new facility Reaction Engines’ CEO Mark Thomas said: “This is another exciting step forward in development of Reaction Engines’ SABRE engine and a visible demonstration of the UK’s commitment to the programme. I look forward to seeing this unique facility take shape and commencing our core engine testing, which will be a defining moment for aerospace.”

Peggy hollinger is the Industry Editor at the Financial Times. Peggy Hollinger was appointed the FT’s industry editor in September 2014. Prior to this, she had been a leader writer since September 2011. Ms Hollinger has also held the positions of the Paris bureau chief and Paris correspondent. Before that she was a UK company news editor and the retail correspondent. Joining the FT in 1987, she has also covered UK utilities and oil and gas and written for Lex. She graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, with an honours degree in history.

Science fiction has promised us a rocket that blasts off into space without stages. How close is reality to the science fiction dream of a single stage to orbit? Support us at: http://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: http://www.universetoday.com/ Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+universetoday/ Instagram - http://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii Chad Weber - [email protected] Now, don’t get me wrong, Science Fiction is awesome. Like almost everyone working in the field of space and astronomy, I was deeply influenced by science fiction. For me, it was Star Trek and Star Wars. I had a toy phaser that made this awesome really loud phaser sound, and I played with it non-stop until it disappeared one day. And I was sure I’d left it in the middle of my floor, like I did with all my toys, but I found it a few years later, hidden up in a closet that I couldn’t reach. And I always wondered how it got there. Anyway, back to science fiction. For all of its inspiration, science fiction has put a few ideas into our brains which aren’t entirely helpful. You know, warp drives, artificial gravity, teleportation, and rockets that take off, fly to space, visit other planets orbiting stars, land again. The Millennium Falcon, Firefly, and Enterprise Shuttles are all examples of single stage to orbit to orbit spacecraft, or SSTOs. Consider the rockets that exist in reality, you know, the Atlases, Falcons and Deltas. They take off from a launch pad, fly for a bit until the fuel is used up in a stage of the rocket, then they jettison that stage and thrust with the next stage. The mighty Saturn V was so powerful that it had three stages, as it made it’s way to orbit. As we discussed in a previous video, SpaceX is working to make the first stage, and maybe even the second stage reusable, which is a vast improvement over just letting everything burn up, but there are no rockets that actually fly to orbit and back in a single stage. In fact, using the technology we have today, it’s probably not a good idea. Has anyone ever worked on a single stage to orbit? What technological advances will need to happen to make this work? As I said earlier, a single stage to orbit rocket would be something like the Millennium Falcon. It carries fuel, and then uses that fuel to fly into orbit, and from world to world. Once it runs out of fuel, it gets filled up again, and then it’s off again, making the Kessel Run and avoiding Imperial Blockades. This concept of a rocket matches our personal experience with every other vehicle we’ve ever been in. You drive your car around and refuel it, same with boats, airplanes and every other form of Earth-based transportation. But flying into space requires the expenditure of energy that defies comprehension. Let me give you an example. A Falcon 9 rocket can lift about 22,800 kilograms into low-Earth orbit. That’s about the same as a fully loaded cement truck - which is a lot. The entire fueled Falcon 9 weighs just over 540,000 kg, of which more than 510,000 kgs of it are fuel, with a little extra mass for the engines, fuel tanks, etc. Imagine if you drove a car that was essentially 95% fuel. The problem is specific impulse; the maximum amount of thrust that a specific kind of engine and fuel type can achieve. I’m not going to go into all the details, but the most efficient chemical rockets we have, fueled by liquid hydrogen and oxygen, can just barely deliver enough thrust to get you to orbit. They have a maximum specific impulse of about 450 seconds. Because the amount of fuel it takes to launch a rocket is so high, modern rockets use a staging system. Once a stage has emptied out all its fuel, it detaches and returns to Earth so that the second stage can keep going without having to drag along the extra weight of the empty fuel tanks. You might be surprised to know that many modern rockets are actually capable of reaching orbit with a single stage. The problem is that they wouldn’t be able to carry any significant payload. At the end of the day, considering the chemical rockets we have today, the multi-staged profile is the most efficient and cost-effective strategy for carrying the most payload to space for the lowest cost possible. Has anyone tried developing SSTOs in the past? Definitely. Probably the most widely publicized was NASA’s X-33/VentureStar program, developed by Lockheed Martin in the 1990s. The purpose of the X-33 was to test out a range of new technologies for NASA, including composite fuel tanks, autonomous flight, and a new lifting body design.

Reaction Engines’s innovative Sabre system promises to power a space plane from earth to orbit and back again ► Subscribe to FT.com here: http://on.ft.com/2eZZoLI ► Subscribe to the Financial Times on YouTube: http://bit.ly/FTimeSubs For more video content from the Financial Times, visit http://www.FT.com/video Twitter https://twitter.com/ftvideo Facebook https://www.facebook.com/financialtimes

The new “feather” re-entry system for space travel brings Virgin Galactic one step closer to the world’s first commercial passenger space flight. Subscribe to Vocativ: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=vocativvideo Find us everywhere else: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vocativ Twitter: https://twitter.com/vocativ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vocativ/ Snapchat: http://www.snapchat.com/add/vocativ Website: http://www.vocativ.com Vocativ explores the nexus of media and technology, where science meets storytelling. We use proprietary technology to examine the uncharted space of the Deep Web, covering topics that are vital to our changing world. Follow us for more!

The partially reusable Falcon 9 and fully reusable Skylon are explored in this episode of Stan Draws Spaceships! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/standrawsspaceships More information about ballistic coefficients: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballistic_coefficient Spacecraft shown as scale models at the end of the video: Skylon: https://goo.gl/l0ea6y Falcon 9: https://goo.gl/UcoZxJ Rotary Rocket: https://goo.gl/5JI6C8 Kistler K1: https://goo.gl/DvrJwg Venture Star: https://goo.gl/Y0eSnk MAKS: https://goo.gl/Zv4S4a Triamese Shuttle: http://www.astronautix.com/t/triamese.html DynaSoar: https://goo.gl/TYeirp Additional Note: I am aware that the fluid in the main Skylon heat exchanger micropipes is actually Helium that has been cooled in another heat exchanger with cryogenic hydrogen. Couldn't find an elegant way to word it that flowed, so that's why I said it's hydrogen in the pipes. Call me out on anything else you find! Music: Little Dipper by Poddington Bear

In this video, I discuss a very interesting proposal to send Sierra Nevada's Dreamchaser Spaceplace to the Hubble Space Telescope for one more servicing mission, just in case anything goes wrong with JWST. EpicFutureSpace is producing short space themed news videos focused on human transportation. To support the show please visit https://www.patreon.com/epicfuturespace All music written, recorded, and produced by Orbital Transit Songs used in this video were "Prometheus" and "Luna Vision" and can be downloaded for free at: https://soundcloud.com/orbitaltransit

Atmospheric Lens....HOW DOES IT WORK? The concept mirrors two existing effects in nature – the reflective properties of the ionosphere, and desert mirages. The ionosphere is a naturally occurring layer in the Earth's atmosphere that appears at about 40 miles in altitude. It can be reflective to radio waves, often allowing people to tune in to radio stations that are thousands of miles away. Radio signals bounce off the ionosphere, and travel very long distances through the air and over the Earth's surface. Desert mirages provide the illusion of water in the desert, by using hot air near the surface to bend light into the vision of the person looking into the distance. LDAL simulates both of these effects by using a high pulsed power laser, and exploiting a phenomena called the 'Kerr Effect' to temporarily ionise a small region of the atmosphere. Using the ionised atmosphere to reflect the laser, structures including mirrors and glass lenses could all be replicated. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4124594/Military-laser-transform-Earth-s-atmosphere-giant-magnifying-glass-glass-spy-enemies.html

On December 3, 2016, our new SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity, flew freely for the first time. This important test marks the first time that a vehicle built by our manufacturing organization, The Spaceship Company, has flown fully under its own control. In this video, Lead Test Pilot, Mark "Forger" Stucky, explains what it's like flying VSS Unity for the first time. You can read more about this flight test and about what’s coming next here: virg.in/HF6Yp

A while ago I switched over to Realism Overaul for KSP, a mod package providing a more realistic, and thus more challenging experience. I then proceeded to replicate the Skylon spaceplane as best I could. This design isn't complete, and the video only shows the first hour and a half of my building and testing process. My current version of this design has successfully made orbit, but I have some issues with bringing it down again. Note: If there's any advertising, it's not mine, it's because I use some music. Didn't really have time to find legally free music so I just pulled some stuff.

SEATTLE — Washington-based company Vulcan Aerospace announced that its Stratolaunch Systems, an air-launch platform for rockets, is close to completion. According to Vulcan Aerospace’s website, the Stratolaunch has a wingspan of 385 ft and measures 238 ft in length. This six-engine aircraft is currently the world’s largest aircraft. The aircraft is designed to carry rockets weighing up to 275 tons. It would take off with the rocket attached to its belly from a runway and release the rocket when it reaches 35,000 feet in the air. The rocket then fires its own engine and travel towards its orbit. According to Financial Review, the company hopes to make air-rocket launch in the low-Earth orbit a routine commute through the use of the Stratolaunch System. The Stratolaunch Systems is expected to be completed by the end of this year and is estimated to start commercial services before 2020. ----------------------------------------­--------------------- Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off. Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.com Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f Get top stories delivered to your inbox everyday: http://bit.ly/tomo-newsletter See a story that should be animated? Tell us about it! Suggest a story here: http://bit.ly/suggest-tomonews Stay connected with us here: Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS Google+ http://plus.google.com/+TomoNewsUS/ Instagram @tomonewsus http://instagram.com/tomonewsus