HYT Vs STS Vs Rockets

Ballistic comparison HYT versus Space Shuttle

So how will HYT compare with the Space Shuttle? Probably the best demographic to demonstrate this to the broadest amount of people is to examine where both types transition to orbital velocity. For the J2000, this is where it accelerates above the Neecenow airliner cruise speed and altitude, and the Space Shuttle rotates into an orbital altitude after the vertical ascent. HYT will be at Mach 7.4 using hypersonic cruise engines, presumed to be Scramjets here, prior to firing booster engines.

The Space Shuttles transition altitude is much higher, 6 minutes after lift off. It has no significant horizontal speed component of orbital velocity, still ascending in a near vertical attitude, so must still vector to an orbital attitude, at right angles to the Earth. It is on top of the Earths atmosphere where there is virtually no drag, yet the main tank still has to fuel acceleration to Mach 7.4 to match HYT’s speed, while continuing to loose speed to gravity during pitch over: one minute in the vertical looses nearly Mach 2 of speed to gravity (10 metres per second x sixty seconds equals 600 metres per second, the speed of sound at sea level is 330 metres per second).

The figures significantly favour HYT to meet or exceed expectations.

Drag loss demo

The SRBs continue upwards for a minute after separation, ascending 21km, sounding good until understanding the initial speed of the SRBs is Mach 4.5: a kilometre and a half per second. Such are the losses due to gravity and drag: 1 minute will accelerate an object to about 2000km/hr, or cause a similar deceleration. The other half of the speed - even in the rarefied atmosphere of that altitude and despite residual thrust - is lost to drag.

Evolution

HYT’s connection to the ARFG is fantastic for the future because engineers will find efficiency gains to offer upgraded engines to airlines, feeding into HYT and visa-versa. Airlines engineers will also find better ways of making engines easier to maintain and more efficient, reducing costs and increasing mission rates to HYT operations.

The Hole cards

Above the demonstrated figures here showing HYT’s ability are these magic and very real excluded points that can take HYTs performance to whole new levels, or be used as redundancy to attain performances if lost via engineering shortfalls.

Unleashing the beast

The cruise speed of the ARFG Neecenow airliner is set for practical reasons at Mach 7.4. To give a rounded estimate, this is speed noted as the J2000 transition speed comparison. However, it isn’t yet known how fast a Scramjet can go. The speed record for Scramjets engines is currently almost Mach 10, with estimates of top speeds possible between Mach 10 and Mach 25. The actual speeds attainable of early Scramjets are likely to be the lower of the two figures, with later, developed versions nudging the latter figure of Mach 25.

Although higher speeds using Scramjets will use more fuel to attain, these power plants use far less fuel than rocket counterparts for the same acceleration, ultimately reducing:

-   the fuel requirements for rockets boost to orbit (BTO) engines

-   the size of the BTO rocket engines required

-   the maintenance and turn around times and costs

-   Mission turn around times and cost

The Sanger Clause

A rocket must desperately escape Earths atmosphere as soon as possible –vertically- due to the amount of drag produced and the fuel consumption to overcome gravity under the maximum effect of the Earths gravity.

The super-couple whom originally conceived hypersonic aircraft, Dr Eugen Sanger and Dr Irene Bredt, theorised to improve range a hypersonic aircraft could skip across the top of Earths atmosphere to attain great range. Another similar technique known as Dynamic soaring was inspired by maritime birds which fly for thousands of kilometres by manoeuvres conserving momentum, and is a commonplace among advanced glider pilots.

These techniques can be coupled to accelerate HYT to orbital or escape velocities using less fuel. The energy attained by accelerating with gravity and the increasing pressure pushing the aircraft back upwards to a higher altitude and speed than would be attained by trying to climb under power. To explain this effect by comparison is similar to skimming a stone across water, or tic-tacking a skateboard, a similar technique once used to save fuel on both Concorde and Lockheed SR-71 flights.

A faster moving object looses a lower percentage speed to gravity while covering a much larger distance, reducing the influence of G. Such a descent enables Scramjet engines to breathe and operate for longer periods, since the period in the atmosphere is longer. The final velocity attained is higher meaning it is under the effects of gravity for a shorter time when escaping the atmosphere. The advantages are reduced required thrust to accelerate or maintain orbital speed. Dynamic manoeuvres also reduce the amount of fuel required to attain orbital velocity and altitude, increasing payload performance capability.

The Wavesoarer

Among the legends of high speed flight is a technique known as shockwave riding or compression lift. This comes about by designing the aircraft to produce lift from the hyper-compressed shaft of air split by the wings and fuselage as the aircraft moves through the air at super and hypersonic speed. By using this area of flow to produce lift dramatically reduces the amount of power involved to fly at speed. This has been convincingly demonstrated on the XB-70 Varylkie test aircraft 50 years ago. This effect can literally throw or slingshot the HYT out into orbit once at a certain speed.

General comparison

A general look at HYT in comparison to rockets and the Space Shuttles (STS) demonstrates performance qualities.

Safety                    HYT                          STS                      Rockets

                             Excellent                    risky                        risky

Prior Space launch transports have lacked safety standards. The disposability and cost factors influence ultimate safety - or lack thereof – of a rocket. Why should something be built to last if only used once? The problems with the Space Shuttle programme are well known, from intense buffeting and vibration shaking heat shield tiles off during launch - a factor never solved - and returns often delayed or diverted due to weather. Shuttle flights were flown by computer: uncommon even today in commercial aviation for many good reasons. Few changes were implemented over the life of the STS programme.

J2000 HYT brings a new level of safety into Spaceflight, designed and to be built from a production commercial airliner design that will have thousands of hours in testing and development of it’s superstructure to meet stringent FAA and ICAO guidelines. This will be reinforced by the Neecenow airliners flying tens of thousands of flying hours every year, serviced by talented engineers from all over the world.

Payload                   HYT                         STS                      Rockets

                       110 tonnes                 30 tonnes          up to 130 tonnes (Saturn V)

J2000’s 110 tonne payload capability is close to Von Braun’s Saturn V record capability of 130 tonnes. The difference is that as well as HYT costing much less than a rocket of this lifting capability, the HYT can return to Earth and return to orbit within a few days. A rocket was and is an expensive one shot deal, it’s payload to orbit inevitably includes deadly space debris.

The Space Shuttle had a good payload, but much of the mission performance of what could have been was lost in delays from many different areas of the programme, cost increases and budget cuts. 

HYT’s payload and cargo bay allows for large objects to be carried into Space, meaning less sub-assembly is required in building facilities in Space. This in turn requires fewer missions, reducing costs, and time and risk to astronauts assembling components together. It creates opportunities to build larger facilities, to design at larger scales, augmented also by the high flight frequency and the low cost of spaceflights. Mission frequency will lift with development of the HYT and increase safety of the whole fleet.

Orbits                        HYT                           STS                             Rockets

                     Any orbital direction        limited options            limited options

Another big plus with the J2000 is the ability to attain any orbit with greater ease. Traditionally rockets find if difficult to attain orbit against the rotation of the Earth due to the speed lost accelerating to the higher speed required. By basing the orbit from a high speed level flight launch from the Earths atmosphere, this aspect is eliminated.

Stability        HYT                                STS                                   Rockets

                  Stable                            Unstable                               Unstable

Rockets and STS have rapidly changing centre of gravities, non-existent streamlining and relatively increasing thrust from the rear, increasing drag. The latter is like balancing a pole on your finger - a lot of effort is required to keep it still: in rocketry this effort is burnt fuel, reducing mission altitude and payload. The Space Shuttle was also unstable, its aerodynamic surfaces offering little stability. Any attitude other than pure vertical places high aerodynamic drag loads upon rockets, having large frontal areas. Although this is not so important once altitude is reached, at lower altitudes fuel burn is high from higher specific impulse at sea level in comparison to the vacuum of space. 

HYT is flown as an aircraft for a high percentage of the transition to orbital velocity and altitude. To maintain effective control in aircraft, the centre of gravity is critical and the Neecenow based shock-wave riding design can manage this, saving fuel, reducing drag, flying a more precise course with the highest safety to the crew and payload.

Living quarters             HYT                              STS                       Rockets

                               Spacious                        cramped              sitting room only

The Space Shuttle introduced a work environment in Space unlike any before it. This environment reflected a workplace, rather than a confined capsule. It had a large, spacious cabin with areas of privacy such as toilet and shower facilities. The main part of the success of the Space Shuttle was its crew’s ability to function optimally as a team and as individuals due to the better and bigger working environment, no longer cramped up like animals in a can, they were space travellers. With HYT, this type of living space is improved and coupled with safety of airline-based engineering servicing essential to long term interests of commercial Space activities. Astronauts will have their own compartment areas allowing retreat and recharge to perform at their highest level. 

The item most specific to mission success is its crew. It’s easier to do a good job in a good environment. Astronauts face long periods of wakefulness, perception problems and other human difficulties known as human performance factors and limitations from zero G conditions. Sleep deprivation is equivalent to being drunk. Space capsules have no room to retreat or have privacy; there is stress and fatigue increasing risks of errors. Even best friends find it hard to get along when stuck together for days; Space missions last for weeks in an environment of boredom and extreme competition. Much of the mission effectiveness can be lost to human performance factors.

Maintenance                 HYT                                 STS                           Rocket

                               Excellent                             poor                         disposable

15 J2000’s operated by 3-6 major airlines, derived from the ARFG Neecenow, to be operated by most major airlines worldwide = large engineering pool, large numbers of aircraft to derive any potential faults. This also produces a larger supply of spare parts, making maintenance cheaper plus easy access to parts and spares, reducing turn around times. Mission turn around fast and inexpensive; the only slow down would be the rocket motor which is designed to be easily and quickly replaced if required.

STS had only several hundred engineers, servicing a limited design on a limited budget. Operator’s engineers had little say in mission or of servicing leading to failures. Parts took a long time to access and fit, had high cost and took months to turn around, increasing relative costs. Conventional rockets are disposable meaning less effort is placed upon the safety of the crew, the payload and the mission: the only time they are properly is on the rockets one and only flight: new cars have faults, despite being infinitely less complex than a rocket and on large production lines.       

Reusability                  HYT                                STS                             Rocket

                               Completely                         good                          disposable

Reusability means ultimately costs are lower. Rocket engines are expensive due to the forces involved. Precious materials are used in the construction, which in disposable rockets only pushes up the price due to loss of the materials taking place. Disposable rockets contribute to thousands of tonnes of space junk in the atmosphere creating a hazard to future missions and space hardware. There is also a lot less available data to engineers in terms of post-flight analysis of components to assist in development.

The Space Shuttle addressed these issues, with only the external tank being disposed of. Although recycling the Orbiter and SRB boosters was not as economically viable as hoped, its contribution to development and reducing material dumped in orbit has been undervalued. J2000 HYT will be completely reusable, enable full development of components, and, in conjunction with the Varulkarie, ensure clean and safer skies.

Peak acceleration    HYT                           STS                           Rocket

                                  1.5G                           3G+                             8G+ (Saturn V)

J2000’s peak acceleration takes it from the era of danger, expense and risk into a new age of safe, low cost, dependable and capable spaceflight. Astronauts of the early spacecraft were brave and early rocketry has produced high performance equipment available today, but risks are no longer tolerated and continued risk taking is correctly seen as stupidity. 

HYT will have 1.5G at peak, allowing anyone able to fly in a commercial airliner will be able to fly into space aboard a J2000: for example, the pool of available engineers is increased. The progress of spaceflight is not in an area of risk, but a seemingly mundane, uneventful trip. The avenue of attention seeking stunts or incidents is non-productive to the bigger picture of growth in space exploration.

Greater forces exponentially affect the amount of reinforcement required in structure to allow a safe trip, leading to weight increases, reducing payload and increasing fuel burn. Rockets are limited to a single shot and can duly be under-engineered, since longer life products must cope with continued stresses over time. G-forces also affect payload which must be built to be able to withstand the journey, increasing costs. Computers and precision equipment are reduced in finesse by requirements to cope with higher G.