X33 and Venture Star

[Sticks]

I was watching an oldish DVD called Cosmos and it mentioned a shuttle replacement called the X33, which would be a prototype of a craft called Venture Star

Were these projects that have since been cancelled?

[Maksutov]

Here's about all one needs to know about the X-33. (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/x-33/menu1.htm)

BTW, I was watching an oldish movie last night called The Day After Tomorrow. It was, like, so last year. 8)

[Van Rijn]

You can find out plenty on the web about X-33 and it has been mentioned here before. In my opinion, this is a perfect example of what is wrong with NASA. They had the option of going with the Delta Clipper (DCX) which already had some history and had at least some chance to succeed. Instead they went with something that used novel aerospike engines and carefully shaped composite tanks, among many other things, for an SSTO, all to be developed in a short time frame. When it was approved there was speculation that NASA must be aware of a black project where these technologies had already been tried - that was about the only way it could possibly work given the time limits.

But then a laundry list of problems came up and they asked for more time and money. There was little to show for what they already had spent, and it was cancelled.

[publiusr]

Well said.

[Maksutov]

Well, at least we got some pretty, animated graphics for our $1.3 billion. (http://www.gao.gov/archive/1999/ns99176.pdf) :evil:

Heck, they still show up on the Science Channel now and then.

[publiusr]

That's why we still need the gulags, comrade.