FYI,

"The Stealth Rocketeers"
MSNBC
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/08/08/1256356.aspx

: Last week was a good week for Virgin Galactic, a not-so-good week
: for SpaceX, and a fantastic week for XCOR Aerospace, which provided
: the engine for the Rocket Racing League's first custom-built aerial
: racer. The rocket plane performed without a hitch three times
: during last week's EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wis. - marking a
: new milestone on XCOR's stealthier route to outer space.

: While Virgin Galactic and SpaceX aren't shy about talking about
: their future plans, XCOR (based in Mojave, Calif., just down the
: street from where Virgin Galactic's White Knight Two was rolled out
: for the first time last week) usually stays in the background.
: That's partly because the company does so much work for clients who
: prefer to speak for themselves, such as the Rocket Racing League,
: NASA or the Defense Department.

: XCOR's strategy is to build on the rocket work it does for others
: to get to its eventual goal of producing its own spaceships. For
: example, the single kerosene-fueled engine on the Bridenstine DKNY
: Rocket Racer that was demonstrated last week lays the groundwork
: for the four-engine Lynx Mark I rocket plane that XCOR plans to fly
: in 2010.

: XCOR spokesman Doug Graham said the rocket racer's engine won't be
: identical to the Lynx's engine, "but it's very close to what it's
: going to be."

: The big difference is that XCOR installed its propulsion system
: into an existing Velocity airframe for the Rocket Racing League,
: but will be building the whole plane for the Lynx project.

: Develoment on track

: XCOR laid out its plans for the Lynx back in March, and Graham said
: the development effort is still on track. Test flights are due to
: start in early 2010, but Graham said he couldn't predict when
: passenger service will start.

: Each of the Lynx Mark I's engines is projected to have twice the
: power of the 1,500-pound-thrust engine on the rocket racer. That
: should be enough to bring the Lynx up to an altitude of 38 miles
: (61 kilometers).

: Technically, it's not spaceflight, because you won't cross the
: internationally recognized 100-kilometer boundary line for outer
: space. But the flight profile would give you about 90 seconds of
: weightlessness and a thrilling 4 G's of acceleration on the way
: down. (Shuttle astronauts typically experience 3 G's.)

: The Lynx's two-seater cockpit doesn't give you enough space to
: float around like you would aboard Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo.
: But you'd get the feeling of riding shotgun alongside the rocket
: pilot. You'd still see a broad Earth curving beneath the dark sky
: of space, and you'd be looking through the cockpit's wrap-around
: windows instead of SpaceShipTwo-style portholes.

: "It's designed for the view, it's not designed for low gravity,"
: XCOR's vice president and chief engineer, Dan DeLong, explained at
: the Oshkosh air show.

: A builder, not an operator

: How much will it cost? XCOR won't be setting the price, because
: it's positioning itself as a aircraft builder rather than a tour
: operator. However, the company expects that tour operators (likely
: including Virginia-based Space Adventures) will be able to charge
: less than $100,000 for a half-hour flight. In comparison, Virgin
: Galactic's price tag for a suborbital space tour is $200,000.

: Just as the rocket racer sets the stage for the Lynx Mark I, the
: Mark I is designed to set the stage for a Mark II space plane that
: would cross the line into outer space. The time frame hasn't been
: announced for that next step, but Graham said "it's actually not as
: far down the line as you might think."

: The spaceworthy version of the Lynx will incorporate some
: additional innovations, including XCOR's patented "nonburnite"
: composite material, which will be used in the fabrication of the
: future craft's cryogenic liquid-oxygen tanks. XCOR is planning to
: build those tanks right into the space plane's wings.

: It may sound like a giant leap, but XCOR has a knack for breaking
: down giant leaps into more manageable small steps - just as the
: company has done with its propulsion system.

: "You're no longer having to promise something that still has to be
: developed," Graham explained. "It's something that's already
: flying."

: And XCOR's executives are making sure they'll be able to fly on
: whatever they produce. Even though the Lynx cockpit may look small,
: DeLong said it was being designed to give extra space for
: passengers who weigh as much as 280 pounds. That way, even a big-
: boned aerospace engineer (or, for that matter, aerospace
: journalist) will be able to take a ride.

: "We just want to go," DeLong said.

Mark Reiff