SPACEPLANES

Boeing has exited DARPAs XSP program, but that may not quite what we all think it is. Or it could be worse than we think it is. Ryan returns with another SpaceX update including new data from the In Flight Abort test as well as updates from Starship in Boca Chica. Dr. Tamitha Skov brings us the latest information from our local star. And we close it out with a test stand anomaly at Firefly Aerospace. And remember you can always help out the shows of TMRO by becoming a member here: https://www.youtube.com/user/TMRO/join

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.