Concorde Space Shuttle Idea

[Cobra]

Hey Guys, while Doing some research on Google, an Idea hit me:What If the Concorde was Used as the Design Basis for a European Space Shuttle?  i often thought the Concorde looked like it Belonged in NASA Livery and Might make a Good Shuttle Design. What Say You? Thanks for Looking. Dan

[Hobbes]

Like this build by Deathjester?

Concorde is rather longer than the Shuttle, but its narrow fuselage means you'd have to design long, narrow payloads.

[martinbayer]

Not so much as an orbiter, but conceivably as a point of departure for an airbreathing lower stage for a HTHL TSTO, like for example the Dassault TAS http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4096.0 and later Star-H http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=3232.0 or the Bristol Spaceplanes Spacecab and Spacebus concepts http://www.bristolspaceplanes.com/.

Martin

[lenny100]

dont think it would work as a trash hauler , but as a passenger shuttle like a uk version of the famous pan am shuttles from 2001, then why not

[deathjester]

Well, I was just thinking that the wing shape of Concorde is the same as the space shuttle - the kit I used even has some of the same details as the shuttle I made!

Better spin up some new ideas Cobra - I'm catching up with you 

[martinbayer]

Deathjester,

your model looks absolutely great! In terms of overall proportions, it reminds me a bit of the Skylon SSTO http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/S/Skylon.html, and a hypersonic airbreather like that (or the Spectre) would by necessity be somewhat more slender than the Shuttle fuselage. Regarding the basic wingshape/planform, for a TSTO both stages might be pretty similar in that respect though, like for example in the Saenger II concept http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/saegerii.htm.

Martin

[deathjester]

Cheers for that !  I was inspired to make it a semi - airbreather by watching a programme called 'The Three Rocketeers' on BBC 3.  It details the work of a chap called Alan Bond, and his friends, who all worked on HOTOL, and Skylon.

[martinbayer]

I remember coming across a Reaction Engines exhibition booth at a space congress somewhen in the late nineties (I think it was IAC 97 in Turin - they have indeed been at it for quite a while, and more power and success to them) and talking to one of the principals, I believe Richard Varvill. Centerpiece of the booth and main attraction was a sleek, black Skylon scale model dramatically posed at an upward thrusting angle. Richard told me that shortly before a somewhat bored lady had wandered through the exhibition hall, apparently blasé and disinterested in any of the hardware at display, until she came across the Skylon model and stopped dead in her tracks, mouth agape. Richard concluded the description of this brief encounter after a slight pause by saying "I believe we're in the wrong business..."

Martin