Bentley M.A. Spaceplanes From Airport to Spaceport

Springer Science+Business Media, New York, 2009, 238 p. — ISBN: 978-0-387-76509-9.This book is about winged space vehicles. However, the reader should not take the term winged too literally, because the ultimate shape of spaceplanes has not yet been determined. It may very well turn out to be a wingless lifting body, or a blended wing-body of some kind. Also, the term fuel may sometimes refer to both the actual rocket fuel and the oxidizer necessary for operating rockets in space. The context should make it clear that sometimes fuel means propellant, but we have used poetic license at times to make for a more enjoyable reading experience.Spaceplanes From Airport to Spaceport presents a coherent, lucid, and optimistic picture of the future of the near future. Space vehicles may soon take off from international airports and refuel in space. New technologies could allow flights to take off regularly between the Earth and the Moon. The technical details presented explain precisely how all this can be accomplished within the next few decades. This book also explains why the Space Tourist market could easily become the single most important factor in the mid-term future development of space transportation. In a few years it will be possible to board a spaceplane and fly into Earth orbit, and perhaps visit a space station. Later development could include refuelling in orbit to take a tour of cislunar space. The book's solid engineering foundation will be of interest to both space exploration enthusiasts and future space travelers.Rocketplanes at the Airport
Why Spaceplanes?
Rocket Science: Wings Added
Missiles and Modules
Crawling into Suborbit: The Baby Spaceplane
Going Ballistic
Piggyback to Orbit
Advanced Propulsion
Single Stage to Orbit: The Advanced Spaceplane
Destination Moon: The Lunar Spaceplane
Strategies for Success
Spaceplanes at the Spaceport