The act of rolling out the very first copy of the VentureStar spaceliner should cause quite a stir. It will emerge from the RV manufacturing plant being pulled by a towbar–less aircraft tug to a cheering crowd, with Very Important People making speeches.
The first two RVs will be designated TA–1 and TA–2 (Test Articles 1 and 2). All flight testing will be conducted with these two spacecraft over a six–month period.
The test schedule is as follows:
- RV Ferry
- Ground Test
- Taxi Test
- Flight Test
- Cross Country Test
- Uncrewed RV Orbital
- 1 Day Test
- 4 Day Test
- Crewed RV Orbital
- 1 Day Test
- 4 Day Test
The RV Ferry tests should take about 3 months to complete. The orbital test should take another three months to complete.
RV FERRY
During this phase of flight testing, we will hire seasoned test pilots. They will train on the Portable VentureStar Cockpit Simulator that will be installed in the C–5A aircraft. The simulator will have the look and feel of any ordinary airline cockpit (Image 1).
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| Image 1: Cockpit of the Boeing 777 airliner |
We will also load a VentureStar Escape Module (VEM) into the Cargo Bay to simulate the actual weight of the spacecraft coming home from a Bingo.
The VEM will be installed into the VentureStar the same way will will load all of our cargo, which was similar to the way the Skylon was going to load its cargo. The cargo will be captured by a "grappler" that will lift it out of the cargo processing section and run it horizontally to the spacecraft and lower it into the cargo bay.(Video Clip 1).
Video Clip 1: Skylon Loading Facility (00:10)
The RV will then have its two jet engines and external fuel tank bolted on (Image 2).
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| Image 2: VentureStar with jet engines attached |
The engines will be turned on and throttled up to demonstrate the design, satisfying the Ground Test part of the assessment.
The Taxi Test is next where the RV remains on the ground whilst the nosewheel steering and brakes are evaluated.
Once everything looks nominal, the first flight our space shuttle will occur during the Flight Test. The pilots will make sure that the RV is stable and that the flight controls work.
The Cross Country flight will be the final and true test of the vehicle. The C–5A will fly in ferry mode for the first time, flying in formation with the RV. They will venture to a city, land, refuel, spend the night, then fly back.
After the RV Ferry tests have been completed, we (finally) get to fly into space!
UNCREWED RV ORBITAL
During this phase of flight testing, we will hire seasoned astronaut test pilots, more than likely from NASA. The first flights of the RV will have to be uncrewed and controlled remotely by the test pilots like a drone.
The jet engines and external tank will be removed for these tests, with the VEM still installed. The VEM will provide a plethora of data about the upcoming spaceflight.
A towbar–less aircraft tug will tow the spacecraft out of the RV Hanger to the Ground Transport System (GTS) after the payload has been secured. GTS is a rail system that has a platform large enough to accommodate both the RV and tug. It will then travel along the rail using electric engines to the launch pads.
Once at the launch pad, a "grappler" will secure the spacecraft, lift it slightly off the ground, where the landing gear will be stowed. The "grappler will then rotate the spacecraft to a vertical position, similar to the way the X-33 would have been rotated into position (Video Clip 2).
Video Clip 2: X-33 rotated to vertical launch configuration (00:17)
Once the spacecraft has been rotated and secured, the propellant will be loaded, and the spacecraft is ready for launch (Table 1).
After clearing the launch pad, the RV will rotate to "heads–down" configuration as it turns to intercept a 60–degree inclination and 900 km altitude. The rocket engines will be tested for the first time during this flight. We will be particularly interested in the performance of the RV from Max–Q to MECO.
Once in orbit, The spacecraft will be put through its paces, testing various equipment and hardware. The RCS will be used to reorient the RV.
After about 24 hours in orbit, the VentureStar will deorbit for an entry into the Earth's atmosphere and a Return To Base (RTB). We will test the Thermal Protection System (TPS) and aeronautical flight controls during this time.
The RV will then perform an unpowered glide landing back at Spaceport America.
The vehicle will be scrutinized for any anomalies that may have occurred during the spaceflight. The RV will then spend 5 days in the hanger being refurbished for reuse (Table 2).
The second spaceflight of the RV will be a duplicate of the first, except this flight will last nine days, testing its endurance.
CREWED RV ORBITAL
The first crewed flight into space will be a major milestone as well as a monumental historical event.
A crew of ten test pilot astronauts will enter the VEM and strap into their seats. After the hatch closes, the same abbreviated checklist will be used as if it were ordinary cargo. They will go on a one–day mission into space.
Once in orbit, the crew confirms the integrity of the spacecraft and the VEM.
The RV orientation will also be tested. We believe that the most exciting for the crew would be for the spacecraft to maintain a tail–down nose–up orientation, keeping the Earth "below" and "space" above. The VEM windows become vertical, providing superior views of the planet below. Passengers also need to have a sense of up and down to aid in space adaptation syndrome.
After a (hopefully) uneventful mission, they RTB and land in the middle of history.
The last orbital crewed flight test of the VentureStar will be a duplicate of the first mission, except this mission will last nine days. The astronauts will demonstrate the durability of the spacecraft.
After a successful last flight test mission and RTB, the VentureStar may be classified as operational.
By this time, the next RV will have been towed out of the manufacturing plant. It will be designated 01A, which means the first spacecraft of the first 16 total spacecraft. The "Alpha" series will be followed by the next set of 16 which will be called the "Bravo" series, followed by the "Charlie" series, and so forth. Each series will be completed every four years.
Our design should endure for the next forty years, which means we should be able to manufacture the RVs all the way up to the "Juliet" series.
What comes after that? Stay tuned!
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