Yesterday, my newspaper featured the ‘faring-forth’ of Tom Smith chief engineer and designer of the British Space Shuttle destined to go into orbit during 1975.
The British Shuttle was designed in 1965. It was capable of placing a 5,000lb payload in space. The Shuttle comprised a ‘piggy back’ assembly of three re-usable aircraft in the same configuration as the now familiar US Shuttle. Two of the three Shuttles would act as boosters ultimately sending the third Shuttle into Earth orbit. All three Shuttles would then return to Earth as normal aircraft.
The project was known collectively as MUSTARD – Multi Unit Space Transport and Recovery Device. This system was reckoned to be about 20 to 30 times cheaper than using conventional rocketry.
As with so many other British inventions the Govt. decided not to proceed and three years later the Americans began almost the same system.
Tom Smith – March 27. 1927 – Oct. 3. 2012
By: Bruggen 130 - 5th November 2012 at 21:32
Where have I heard that before? :rolleyes:
Seriously, did the UK ever have a realistic (that is likely to be financed) manned space program planned?
Your right of course we did not, but you know I never ever thought I would see the day that the USA and Nasa didn’t have it’s own manned launch capability, and that does sadden me.
By: GrahamF - 5th November 2012 at 20:46
Where have I heard that before? :rolleyes:
Seriously, did the UK ever have a realistic (that is likely to be financed) manned space program planned?
Seriously would you put money into a space program when you could role over in bed and gamble other peoples hard won pension pots on the stock market and wake up richer in the morning and keep virtually all the cash and tell everybody how clever you and your ilk are?
By: John Green - 5th November 2012 at 17:53
Mr. Creosote #13
The answer to your question is no. More drag certainly. But, also more power. As with many things, thrust is king.
By: Bruggen 130 - 5th November 2012 at 16:33
Hotol
HOTOL was the last attempt at this I guess?
This is a model of Hotol at Farnborough 19!!
By: J31/32 - 5th November 2012 at 13:41
HOTOL was the last attempt at this I guess?
By: Orion - 4th November 2012 at 21:32
Given the British economic situation throughout the 60s and 70s there was never a realistic expectation that Britain would have been able to afford a manned spaceflight programme.
As far is rockets intended to launch satellites is concerned don’t forget that there was a European launcher designed in the 60s which had Blue Streak as its first stage. The second stage was French and the third German. Unfortunately, due to incompetance on the part of the French, whose second stage always blew up, the Germans never got to know whether their contribution was a success or not and the British Government lost interest due to the fact that too much money was being wasted because of the French.
British interest in spaceflight has never really recovered from this debacle.
Regards
By: Mr Creosote - 4th November 2012 at 21:22
What an atrocious design!
I may be missing something here, but if all three vehicles were lifting-bodies, wouldn’t their aerodynamics have interfered with each other when it was launched?
By: Airspeed Horsa - 4th November 2012 at 12:55
The British satellite launching system that Tony T refers to did successfully launch a satellite – Prospero.
Which is still in orbit and passes overhead two-four times every day. The BBC program Coast did a feature on it when they first visited the Isle of Wight, in which they purported show reception of its tracking beacon. In fact the signals received were not Prospero, as there are another set of operating LEO satelites on the same frequency and Prospero was turned off in 1996. Recently permission has been given to reactivate the satelite, the progress of which can be follwed here.
Its up and coming visible passes (centred on my location in Cornwall) can be found here, although it isn’t very bright!
Rob.
By: TonyT - 4th November 2012 at 12:29
That’s the one, if any of you are in the area a visit to the National Space Centre at Leicester just down the road from me is worth a visit.
By: John Green - 4th November 2012 at 11:59
The British satellite launching system that Tony T refers to did successfully launch a satellite – Prospero.
By: Matty - 4th November 2012 at 05:49
Where have I heard that before? :rolleyes:
Seriously, did the UK ever have a realistic (that is likely to be financed) manned space program planned?
My mistake. There was a manned spacecraft built but long since demolished and funded by a prominent US backer.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/4555455.stm
(there is an historic aviation related feature in the article, I swear!)
By: Matty - 4th November 2012 at 05:16
To be fair there seems to be renewed interest in government for the UK space program, including a nice logo. 😎
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_space_programme
Too little too late I imagine. There was a fairly upbeat documentary on BBC 4 a few months back on progress on Skylon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNtr1PuhlPI
By: Malcolm McKay - 4th November 2012 at 05:06
Not wishing to, or intending to start a “vigorous” discussion but I must admit that I have never been able to understand any decision by the British government concerning aviation or space technology development since Sandys incomprehensible decision in 1957. Other countries the size of Britain or smaller seem to be able keep in the game but Britain just sort of gave up, or relied on buying cheaper elsewhere. The loss to homegrown research has been inestimable – but then I’m not a Pom so perhaps there is good reason – however I might add that Australia is no shining light in promoting home grown either.
By: Matty - 4th November 2012 at 04:11
Where have I heard that before? :rolleyes:
Seriously, did the UK ever have a realistic (that is likely to be financed) manned space program planned?
I don’t think Tony said anything about manned space flight, he was talking about a satellite launch system known as Black Arrow. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Arrow
“As of 2011, the United Kingdom is the only country to have successfully developed and then abandoned a satellite launch capability.[26] All other countries that have developed such a capability have either retained it through their own space programme or, in the case of France, through its involvement in the Ariane programme.”
By: J Boyle - 4th November 2012 at 03:34
We are the only Country in the World to have developed a ………… And then binned it
Where have I heard that before? :rolleyes:
Seriously, did the UK ever have a realistic (that is likely to be financed) manned space program planned?
By: Flying_Pencil - 4th November 2012 at 03:03
What an atrocious design!
but a MORE advanced then the STS the US made! 😀
By: TonyT - 3rd November 2012 at 16:30
We are the only Country in the World to have developed a fully working and viable satellite launching system………… And then binned it
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November 3, 2012 at 4:04 pm