Astrium's stunning space jet concept
June 2007
Forget about being blasted off from a spaceport or dropped from a
mother ship.
Imagine a private spacecraft that can take off from a conventional
runway, blast into space and then land just like a normal plane.
That's
the promise from French space company Astrium which has unveiled a
revolutionary space jet at a special VIP event in Paris ahead
of the Le Bourget Airshow.
Guests
at the Paris event were shown a full sized mock-up of the forward
section of the revolutionary four-passenger, rocket-equipped jet which
blasts space tourists to an altitude of 60 miles (100 kilometers)
in minutes.
French vision a simple one
Astrium's
vision of sending paying passengers into space on board conventional-style
jet aircraft is one that many people can relate to.
Not
everyone wants to be kitted out and sat at the top of an explosive
rocket or dropped from the underbelly of a "mother ship",
which is what is on offer at present for space tourists.
The
French like things simple and climbing aboard a jet aircraft - as
though you were jetting off to London - is the Holy Grail of space
travel for most people.
The
Astrium space jet will take off and land conventionally from a standard
airport using its jet engines. However, once the craft is airborne
at an altitude of about 12 kilometers, the rocket engines will be
ignited to give sufficient acceleration to reach 100 km.
In
just 80 seconds the craft will have climbed to a 60 km altitude.
Innovative
seats balance themselves to minimize the effects of acceleration and
deceleration, ensuring passenger comfort and safety.
The
rocket propulsion system is then shut down as the ship’s inertia carries
it on to above 100 km, where the four paying passengers will experience
zero gravity in space.
Once
in space, passengers can unbuckle their seatbelts and experience about
three minutes of weightlessness.The pilot will control the craft using
small rocket thrusters to make this experience more enjoyable.
They'll
be free to float around the cabin of the plane and gaze through any
of the jet's 15 windows and glimpse a spectacular view of the Earth.
Then,
it's time to go home.
After
slowing down during descent, the jet engines are restarted for a normal
and safe landing at a standard airfield.
The
entire trip will last approximately an hour and a half.
Safe
and economical
Astrium is proposing the one stage system as it is considered the
safest and most economical to operate.
If
development begins in 2008, the first commercial flight could be possible
by 2012.
And
the cost? About 200, 000 Euros ($US268,000), says Astrium. Passengers
will need to train for about a week.
The
company says the development of a new vehicle able to operate in altitudes
between aircraft (20km) and below satellites (200 km) could well be
a precursor for rapid transport ‘point-to-point’ vehicles or quick
access to Space - opening up previously unexplored territory.
It
says its development will contribute to maintaining (and even enhancing)
European competences in core technologies of Space Transportation.
As
the single industrial prime contractor for Ariane 5, the main European
contributor to the International Space Station and as a wholly owned
subsidiary of EADS, Astrium has the necessary expertise and know-how
for manned space flight.
Financing
As it is a commercial project, private capital will be the main source
of funding. The financial envelope, which will be around one billion
euros, could be completed by refundable loans and by regional development
funding.
Return
on investment will come from operations of vehicles for the emerging
and promising market of suborbital space tourism.
Passengers on board the space jet will
experience three minutes of zero gravity.