SpaceShipOne

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SpaceShipOne
Lance Erickson MSA 603
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SpaceShipOne Suborbital Project

• Introduction
• Mission Objectives
• Flight Operations
• Flight Vehicle Characteristics
• Launch Vehicle
• Spacecraft
• Costs
• Summary
• References

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SpaceShipOne and White Knight
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Introduction
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Introduction

• SpaceShipOne was the first successful suborbital
  civil space flight vehicle launched into space
• Unique, low-cost, multi-flight, ballistic
  reentry, composite vehicle
• Unique, low cost launcher White Knight
• Inaugural flight into space was made in in 2004
• SpaceShipOne was a proof-of-concept project and
  no commercial operations were planned by Scaled
  Composites

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SpaceShipOne suborbital vehicle
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• Basic Operations
• Air launched from 50,000 (White Knight)
• 1 pilot, 1 passenger
• Hybrid rocket engine
• Composite construction
• 285 KEAS maximum speed for ballistic flight
• Flight trajectory to 100 km altitude
• Manual control until reentry
• Conventional (runway) landing

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Objectives
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Objectives

• SpaceShipOne was designed as a multiple-launch
  suborbital manned vehicle to conform to the
  X-Prize requirements
• 10M award to the first to fly to 100 km return
• Had to be repeated within 3 weeks
• Civilian passenger required
• Air launch for lowest cost

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SpaceShipOne attached under White KnightNote
similar cockpit size shapeUseful for
simplified pilot training, and aerodynamic
operational tests
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Flight Operations
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Flight Operations

• SpaceShipOne (SSO) is launched from the White
  Knight carrier
• The White Knight is a two-engine turbojet
  high-lift, high altitude carrier and launch
  aircraft
• Separation (launch) at 50,000
• SSO then goes through an automated pitch up
  maneuver and rocket ignition
• Pitch up further to 80o
• Reentry after burnout and coast
• 3.5 min in zero-g
• Attitude controlled with pressurized air
  thrusters until reentry

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Flight Profile
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Flight Operations (cont.)

• Reentry temperature maximum 1,200oF
• Maximum loading 5 g during reentry (4 g for more
  than 20 sec)
• Stability provided during critical reentry
  interface by shuttlecock rear aerofoil
• Increased drag from deployed shuttlecock
  (Feather) reduces reentry loads
• Reduces maximum speed to Mach 3.3 (Space Shuttle
  Mach 25)
• Maximum g loading 4g
• Reduced thermal loading and maximum temperature

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Flight Operations (cont.)

• Electrically-operated aerodynamic controls
  employed after initial entry
• Automated reentry approach
• Feather structure includes rudders, elevons and
  trim stab controls
• Feather structure extension retraction by
  pneumatic controls
• Terminal velocity 60 KEAS (knots, equivalent
  airspeed)
• 1 knot 1.6 mph

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Shuttlecock Feather Extended
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Flight Operations (cont.)

• Feather empenage retracted after reentry to
  reduce stress
• Normal glider control and characteristics from
  Feather retraction to landing
• Approach 110 Knots
• Touchdown 70 Knots
• Landing made on rear main gear wheels and skid
  front gear

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Launch Vehicle White Knight
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Launch Vehicle White Knight

• The White Knight is a twin turtbojet powered
  carrier aircraft used to lift spacecraft to
  50,000 to reduce the space vehicles propulsion,
  size cost
• J85-GE-5 with afterburner, rated at 3,850 lbf
• Unique design for unique mission
• Used also for aerodynamic testing of supersonic
  SpaceShipOne
• Wind tunnel testing expensive
• 82 wingspan
• Vne 160 KEAS (Vne never exceed velocity)

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White Knight and SpaceShipOne
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White Knight in flight
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SSO Spacecraft
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Spacecraft

• Composite structure with Nomex core
• Designed to withstand supersonic reentry and
  Feather deployment
• High temperatures reduced by high-drag, reduced
  reentry velocity configuration
• Stability during reentry provided by shuttlecock
  Feather
• Entry attitude can be almost any angle
• Retracted Feather also provides lift for
  unpowered glide to landing

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Diagram of SpaceShipOne
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Diagram of SpaceShipOne
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Spacecraft (cont.)

• Primary systems
• Structure
• Propulsion
• Thermal control
• Attitude aerodynamic control
• Life support
• Guidance, navigation control
• Landing gear

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Spacecraft (cont.)

• Structure
• Monocoque structure made of composite
• Carbon-fiber/epoxy honeycomb
• Nomex core
• Nomex is a fire-resistant meta-aramid polymer
  material related to nylon
• Ablation material on 25 of highest temp surface
• Fiberglass is used in the rear hinge region for
  antenna transmission transparency
• Escape provided by nose drop parachute

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Spacecraft (cont.)

• Structure
• Empty weight 2,640 lb (1,200 kg)
• Loaded weight 7,920 lb (3,600 kg)

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Spacecraft (cont.)

• Propulsion
• Hybrid rocket engine
• Solid fuel core
• Nitrous oxide oxidizer stored in forward tank as
  liquid
• 65-second burn to reach Mach 3.6 (240 KEAS, 2,170
  mph, 3,518 km/h)
• Throttleable, and can be shut down and restarted
• Low cost rocket engine was developed tested by
  a separate company - SpaceDev

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Hybrid rocket engine Solid fuel - butylated
rubber Oxidizer liquid nitrous oxide
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SSO hybrid rocket engine test (Mojave site)
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Spacecraft (cont.)

• Thermal control
• Maximum temperature 1,200oF
• Maximum temp regions covered with 0.035
  proprietary ablative material
• Can be recoated easily for subsequent flights
• Phenolic resin covers other intermediate-heat
  areas

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Spacecraft (cont.)

• Attitude control
• Compressed gas thrusters for use above the
  atmosphere
• Pitch yaw thrusters forward
• Roll thrusters outboard on Feather structure
• Aerodynamic control surfaces for boost, reentry
  and glide phases
• Elevons (outboard) for pitch roll control
• Twin, split rudders (outboard) for yaw control
• Upper rudder section used for subsonic flight
• Lower rudder section used for supersonic flight
• Trim stabilizers

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Spacecraft (cont.)

• Life support
• Atmosphere provided from compressed gas tanks on
  the SSO after launch
• Atmosphere provided by White Knight bleed air
  while attached
• Humidity removal by fan and stored dessicant
• CO2 removal by Sodiabsorb
• Emergency escape provided by cabin drop section
  and/or left cabin door (used for vent during
  taxi) and crew parachutes
• Parachutes used only for emergency bailout

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Spacecraft (cont.)

• Guidance, Navigation Control
• Hand flown during ascent and weightlessness
• Onboard computer control (autopilot) during
  reentry
• Avionics included GPS navigation
• Dual pitot tube air data provided

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Spacecraft (cont.)

• Landing gear
• Deployable dual main gear
• Deployable front nose skid
• Touchdown 60 Knots

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Cost Estimate
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Costs

• Development production 20 M
• Individual flight (projected) 80,000
• Certification (FAA/NASA) 80-100 M
• Funded by Paul Allen (Microsoft)

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Summary
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Summary

• The SpaceShipOne program proved the ability to
  fly civilians on suborbital space flights safely,
  simply and inexpensively
• Designed to also satisfy X-Prize requirements
• White Knight test flights included 30 by April,
  2003
• First SSO flight dropped from 48,000
• First space flight 2004
• 2nd X-Prize flight Oct 4, 2004

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Summary (cont.)

• Civil flights being developed by Virgin Atlantic
  director (Richard Branson)
• Space operation certification required to fly
  public passengers
• Both vehicles developed by Scaled Composites
  (Burt Rutan)

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Post-flight celebration (left to right)Peter
Diamandis (X-Prize), Paul Allen (primary
sponsor), Burt Rutan (designer), Brian Binnie
(pilot)
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Postscript - SpaceShipTwo
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Diagram of SpaceShipOne
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SpaceShipTwo

• SpaceShipTwo (SS2) is under development as a
  suborbital spaceplane for carrying space tourists
• Development and operation by Sir Richard
  Branson's Virgin Galactic enterprise
• Virgin Galactic spaceline plans to operate a
  fleet of five of these craft in
  passenger-carrying private spaceflight service
  starting no earlier than 2011
• Ticket costs are expected to be 200,000-250,000
• Capacity
• 2 crew
• Six passengers

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References
Aviation Week Space Technology, April 21,
2003 Scaled Composites-Virgin Atlantic http//www
.scaled.com/projects/tierone/092704_scaled_paul_al
len_virgin_galactic.htm