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rockets are turned off and the engine relies totally on oxygen in the atmosphere to burn the fuel. Once the vehicle's speed increases to about 10 times the speed of sound, the engine converts to a conventional rocket-powered system to propel the vehicle into orbit. Testing of the engine continues at
General Applied Sciences Laboratory facilities on Long Island, N.Y.
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As access to outer space improves and becomes routine, this will enable new markets to open up. This includes space-based adventure tourism and travel, along with space-based business parks. Other types of benefits to commerce and the global population includes solar electric power beamed from space
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The
Advanced Space Transportation Program is developing technologies for air-breathing rocket engines that could help make future space transportation like today's air travel. In late 1996, the Marshall Center began testing these radical rocket engines. Powered by engines that "breathe" oxygen from
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Another emerging technology – intelligent vehicle health management systems – could allow the launch vehicle to determine its own health without human inspection. Sensors embedded in the vehicle could send signals to determine if any damage occurs during flight. Upon landing, the vehicle's on-board
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The ASTP is also investigating technologies for a fourth generation reusable launch vehicles that could be operational in the 2040 time-frame. The goal is to make space travel safer by a factor of 20,000 and more affordable by a factor of 1,000, compared to present day systems. Routine passenger
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An air-breathing engine – or rocket-based, combined cycle engine – gets its initial take-off power from specially designed rockets, called air-augmented rockets, that boost performance about 15 percent over conventional rockets. When the vehicle's velocity reaches twice the speed of sound, the
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The high cost of space transportation coupled with unreliability currently discourages access to space as an everyday environment. When space transportation becomes safe and affordable for ordinary people numerous possibilities and opportunities can be envisioned. The vision is guided by
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Additionally, researchers at the
Marshall Space Flight Center are intentionally advancing technologies from simple engines to exotic drives in order to fulfil each of the above objectives.
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computer could download the vehicle's health status to a ground controller's laptop computer, recommend specific maintenance points or tell the launch site it's ready for the next launch.
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possibilities such as living and working in space, exploring new worlds, and vacationing off the Earth. In a similar context opportunities for business and pleasure are added multiples.
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is advancing technologies that substantially increase the safety, and reliability of space transportation, as well as reduce the cost. Presently, it costs $ 10,000 to put a pound of
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to Earth, space-based hospitals for treatment of chronic pain and disabilities, mining asteroids for high-value minerals, and a worldwide, two-hour express package delivery system.
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also will be necessary for future launch vehicles because they will fly faster through the atmosphere, resulting in higher structural heating than today's vehicles.
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to decrease the trip times and reduce the weight of the propulsion systems required for planetary missions - including riskier missions to the edge of the
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flight demonstrators, these advanced technologies would move space transportation closer to an airline style of operations with horizontal
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The ASTP leads a team of NASA centers, US Government agencies, industry and academia focused on products and developing a variety of
113:(RLVs) within an operational time frame of the year 2025, lowering the price tag to $ 100 per pound. As the next step beyond NASA's
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the air, the spacecraft would be completely reusable, take off and land at airport runways, and be ready to fly again within days.
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that morph in flight, and intelligent vehicle health management systems are some of the other
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246:(ion thruster) are just a few of the technologies being developed to achieve the goals.
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and "X" planes — are intended to use various cutting-edge technologies, such as advanced
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program for all space transportation, the
Advanced Space Transportation Program at the
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and beyond. Some of the technologies under development to accomplish these goals are
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per pound within 25 years and tens of dollars per pound within 40 years.
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The program's primary emphasis is on technologies for third generation
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environment decades from now. The intense efforts aim to accelerate
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35:program to intentionally advance current space
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168:Oxygen-air-breathing propulsion
244:high-power electric propulsion
191:integrated airframe structures
105:New-generation launch vehicles
46:technologies, through intense
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273:propulsion, and breakthrough
249:The ASTP is also conducting
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158:thermal protection systems
303:hypersonic transportation
283:faster-than-light travel
111:reusable launch vehicles
383:ASTP (April 13, 2009).
253:on the cutting edge of
222:The ASTP is developing
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232:electrodynamic tethers
209:Accessible outer space
152:and result in smaller
350:Planetary exploration
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37:transportation system
299:vehicle technologies
251:fundamental research
218:Beyond Earth's orbit
70:Routine space travel
187:magnetic levitation
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181:Other advancements
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156:. Advanced
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356:References
295:propulsion
279:space-time
271:antimatter
240:aeroassist
133:and small
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60:scientific
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189:, highly
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313:See also
129:, quick
127:landings
123:takeoffs
48:research
275:physics
263:fission
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92:dollars
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267:fusion
150:tanks
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