As usual Jay smashes the competition. One thing to add.

The RL-10A-5 engines that the DC-X used have a thrust range of 4,500 to 15,000 pounds. So it is basically 18,000 lbf vs 3000 lbf for the LM. It's probably closer to 22,000 to 25,000lbf, when accounting for the fuel.


In the G. Harry Stine Book, Halfway to Anywhere, which is a book devoted to Single Stage to Orbit vehicles, with about half covering the DC-X, there is a nice photograph of the "blast crater" in the sand. The author calls them four small potholes. The ground is not burnt or melted or anything like that, even with the higher burning temperature fuel of liquid hydrogen and oxygen. The four craters each are about 2 feet across and maybe a foot deep.


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...102443-9702213


If I find the photo on the Internet I'll post it.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: jrkeller on 2002-07-07 23:58 ]</font>