SpaceDev's visionary founder died of cancer in 2008 but his work continues. Resembling a miniature shuttle, Dream Chaser sits on the nose of an Atlas rocket, meant to launch vertically and land horizontally on conventional runways. Target year for commercial operations is 2014 and SpaceDev/Sierra Nevada is also one of the competitors for NASA's space station resupply contract.
Image by SpaceDev/SierraNevada courtesy SpaceDev/SierraNevada
Adapted from late 80s NASA HL-20 "small space taxi system" designed for flights to ISS, SpaceDev's Dream Chaser (artist image) will use the WhiteKnightTwo platform carrier plane for its initial drop tests next year. SpaceDev built the engines for SpaceShipOne and is prime rocket motor provider to SpaceShipTwo.
Image by SpaceDev/SierraNevada courtesy SpaceDev/SierraNevada
In Orbital's version, the yak is a medium-class launch rocket named "Taurus II". Your blue barrel "Cygnus" is exactly that; a cylinder-shaped cargo module (top left). If you want to sneak a ride you'll have to do so sitting on top of your drum, inside a capsule such as the Orion (right below). The lot is then sealed in plastics and shot off to space.
courtesy Orbital Sciences/NASA/Lockheed
ExWeb Space Roundup, Part 2: The Big S

Posted: Apr 12, 2011 01:11 am EDT
(By Tina Sjogren) In part 1 we covered the efforts, mainly by Virgin Galactic and Burt Rutan, to shuttle tourists to suborbit.

But is the airline financially sustainable? With only a fraction of millionaires signing up to fly to orbit with Space Adventures, the jury is still out on how many will actually go to suborbit with Virgin.

Originally the list price with Virgin was $200k per seat. According to Wikipedia, the initial seat price is now expected to be $20,000,000 (!), this price eventually falling to $1,000,000. Other reports state that 400 customers have reserved seats with Virgin Galactic for a total of over $55m in deposits (which would cover the cost of one seat the Russians charge NASA to shuttle Astronauts to the Space Station).

Speaking for VG trips vs. ISS trips is that the former tickets should be cheaper, the flights easier and the training more fun (three days in sunny New Mexico vs. months in Russia and Kazakhstan).

Trouble is that while ISS mean altitude is 278 km (173 mi) at a maximum of 460 km (286 mi) - Virgin Galactic's max altitude of 110km (68 mi) will still leave the tourists a good bit below "big S".

Which leads us above the sub-orbit altitude of 100 km, and a couple more rings up the ladder to real Space. For that we must turn our attention back to rockets.

Resupplies: NASA's big bait

Shuttles about to retire leaves NASA without an American option to resupply the Space Station. (In addition to the Russians; Japanese and European trucks have managed unmanned resupply to ISS). The American agency has thus set up for the private sector two competitions: one to send cargo (COTS), the other to send people (CEV) to ISS.

Funny enough, NASA supplies not only the seed money and actual business, but lately also opened its drawers to provide the technology.

Unsurprisingly, an increasing number of NASA execs are leaving the agency for the private companies. The former staff is eager to see their archived ideas come to realization at last. The government agency can slap comfy contractors with much needed competition and get small, highly motivated teams working on its ideas.

Remember though the banner scientists liked to fly at the South Pole base reading, "Don't feed the explorers." NASA remains a powerful giant with survival priorities and a sneaky history of luring in private initiatives with golden promises only to cut them off when they have run out of money. A new President and new directives is all it takes.

SpaceDev

There are a number of players in the orbital resupply game.

With over 1200 hours of NASA wind tunnel testing, seven years of NASA development, motors designed for SpaceShipOne and trademark hybrid rocket propulsion technology: SpaceDev's DreamChaser will use Rutan's platform ship WhiteKnightTwo for drop tests, but ultimately the company has its eyes on the lifting powers of an Atlas rocket. Efforts are reportedly ongoing with United Launch Alliance (ULA) to man-rate Atlas 5 and configure it with Dream Chaser.

The spaceship itself is based on the NASA HL-20 lifting body spaceplane, designed in the 80s to carry passengers and cargo to orbit. Dream Chaser will launch vertically and land horizontally on conventional runways.

Orbital

Virgin Galactic is also cooperating with Orbital, in turn under a three-year COTS cooperative agreement with NASA to resupply ISS. Orbital's system is pretty straightforward.

When you climb Everest, a yak is likely to carry your blue barrel of gear to BC.

Orbital's yak is a medium-class launch rocket named "Taurus II". Your blue barrel is exactly that; a cylinder-shaped cargo module named "Cygnus". If you want to sneak a ride you'll have to sit on top of your drum. The lot is then sealed in plastics and shot off to space.

The fattest cow is NASA's Ares, intended for the moon and Mars, carrying the Orion crew capsule. Orbital was member of the Lockheed Martin-led Orion team and tests are scheduled 2011 through 2013 to boost Orion to various altitudes.

Under the contract with NASA Orbital will conduct 8 cargo missions from 2011 though 2015 to complement Russian, European and Japanese ISS cargo vehicles.

Orbital's biggest competitor for the Space Station resupplies is however no less than the Tony Stark character in Iron-man-2. His story is next.

If we call Everest the big E, what is then the big S in space?

Low Earth orbit (LEO) goes up to 2,000 km (1,240 miles). Geostationary orbit (GEO) goes up to 42,164 km (26,199 mi). ISS mean altitude is 278 km (173 mi) at a maximum of 460 km (286 mi). Virgin Galactic's max altitude is 110km (68 mi).






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