Empty weight: 17,000 lbs.
Length: 50 feet
Height: 6 feet
Wing span: 33.5 feet.
Power: 2 liquid fuel rocket engines, 25,000 lbs. thrust each.
Fuel: Liquid Oxygen: 11,454 lbs.
Kerosene : 5,046 lbs.
Total fuel weight: 16,500 lbs.
Passengers: 4 adults max. at 200lbs. each seated in 2 rows of 2.
Flight description: X PRIZE is a rocket powered space plane capable of powered
runway takeoff and
ascent to altitude, and gliding return and landing on the same runway.
Start at my favorite runway:Area 51!
Settings: Fuel 16,500 lbs.
Payload 1081 lbs.
Brakes and engines off
Take off: Full throttle all the way, rotate at approx. 180-200 kts. Immediately raise flaps and gear and increase AOA to 75deg. by 10,000ft.
Ascent: Maintain 75deg.AOA, engines should burn out by approx. 165,000ft. At approx. 250,000ft.
slowly decrease attitude to level off the plane at 290,000ft. Plane will continue to ascend to the flight apex of 340,000ft.
Descent: Hold level until altitude drops to 300,000ft, then slowly pitch down to 45deg. Hold at 45deg down angle to 150,000ft, then start decreasing AOA to -10deg. and gliding by about 90,000ft. Immediately start a moderate 180deg banking turn to the right, pulling about 3 g's and at about mach speed. Cross your previous vector and bank left to line up with the runway you took off from. Maintain a vertical speed of -9000 to -8000fpm. You should be about 45nm from the airport. Keep the VVI on the airport until at range to make a slightly higher approach than the hoops in the hud. If your airspeed is over300kts, use speed brakes to slow to 300, deploy flaps and gear and touchdown at 120-140kts. If you are lucky you didn't overshoot the runway or hit the stupid houses Austin has surrounding the top secret airbase!
20 Scotland Rd.
P.O. Box 106
Windham, CT.
06280-0106
bdonovan2@earthlink.net