Scramjets !!!! It works

--- In spacesettlers, "ANTIcarrot" wrote:

>> From: Xenophile

>> That sounds rather defeatist. However, I note the winking smiley,
>> so perhaps you don't really mean it.

> High speed in the air means high speed on the ground during take
> off and landings, because with thin supersonic wings an aircraft
> cannot control itself well or generate a safe level of lift at low
> speeds.

So don't use thin supersonic wings when taking off or landing. Use
an oblique wing, which has the added advantage of being boomless up
to Mach 2.something-or-other (Concorde speeds).

> This puts more strain on the wheels and is just another reason why
> no one wants to build another concorde. Let alone something that
> goes faster! ;)

Hmph. That may be one reason, but we both know that the main reason
is the same as the reason that we are not on the Moon, Mars and the
asteroids: lack of testicular fortitude.

> It might be worth noting that the orrigonal HOTOL design used a
> rocket trolly for launch, because making the landing gear large
> enough for take off killed the cargo capacity. I think this was a
> function of the unusual intake more than anything else, as Skylon
> doesn't have this probem - but it still shows how ground problems
> can make or break a project.

Again, if you keep takeoff speed to 200 Kmph or so, this ceases to be
a problem. Heck, even 300 Kmph can probably be made safe today
(Concorde's was 360, and landing was 300... but hey, that was nearly
40 years ago).

Xenophile (googling on "oblique wing" and "sonic boom")