From Peter Ceresole
Paul McKinley has fallen for the hype (Letters, 9 September). The DC-X Space Clipper is indeed a cheap and cheerful experiment, but it definitely does not offer any access to orbit, certainly not in its present form.
It has demonstrated some manoeuvrability, but little else. To quote a recent Aviation Week article about the last of the present series of test flights: “The most challenging aspects of SSTO [single stage to orbit] design were not dealt with at all in the most recent, 7 July flight. The DC-X did not demonstrate crucial thermal protection technology. Empty, it weighs five times more than would be allowed for an orbital vehicle. Structurally, the SSTO concept remains unproven.”
NASA is just starting on the hard, expensive road that might, or might not, make the concept viable. The cheap and cheerful ride to orbit is still a very long way away, both in time and gigabucks – mere megabucks won’t be enough.
