SpaceLiner, presumably, will be able to transfer fifty passengers from Europe to Australia in 90 minutes - or 100 passengers from Europe to California for an hour. To do this, he should accelerate to M24 - more precisely, up to 25 200 km/h, and at altitudes up to 82 km

"Maybe we'd better characterize the SpaceLiner, saying that it is a kind of second generation Space Shuttle, but with a very different task," says Martin Zippel, project coordinator in the German center for aviation and Astronautics (DLR). The confidence of German developers in their own abilities causes at least a curiosity: to compare their offspring with not very successful project (we about shuttles), which criticized in the period of development, can only be one who really achieved something significant.

So, SpaceLiner will take off vertically, using rocket engines of the closed cycle on liquid hydrogen and oxygen. Length assumed in the region of 70 m, wing span - 40 m, with a maximum take-off weight of 1 250 tons maximum distance - 16 500 km In total, again purely German project: expensive, quickly and... once more expensive - from 12.5 to 25 tons weight of the aircraft for each passenger. Something like this:

However, the designers and do not hide, that will not carry regulars institutions for out free soup. It's a commercial project, they say, and already in the nearest decade the German center for aviation and Astronautics will find commercial partners for its implementation.

What about known problems of the space Shuttle? Alas, designers stingy on the details. However, it is noted that after the active part of the trajectory (overclocking) and started planning the situation will be better than the mentioned ship, due to the high aerodynamic quality. Some confusion causes pointed nose SpaceLiner: have long shown that at speeds above M5 he does not give serious advantages over the rounded, if not Vice versa.

Developers, however, a really Lucida optimism: the final form of the LA is not already selected, and can be adjusted. But we will overtake designed in other countries of competitors, who are going to use hypersonic engines open cycle (to take the air from the atmosphere). However, the need to carry much less fuel, which will reduce their projects, but about such trifles in the DLR prefer not to remember. But a closed cycle for high speeds is well developed, and there are no fundamentally new technologies to create not have, making initiative implemented in the near future, boasting of the Germans. "We will not try to increase engine efficiency, better prefer to work on the possibility of re-use," emphasizes Herr Zippel.

The first step SpaceLiner after testing fuel will parachute down to the surface, close to (thanks to vertical take off) from the launch site. It will immediately begin to prepare to re-start: the reusable first stage is a necessary condition for this project. Built engines will only support speeds are already on the high part of the trajectory.

Cooling - the Achilles ' heel of the Shuttle "will be active, and the heat more efficiently", both process will focus on the leading edge of the wing LA".

In its current form, the draft, of course, raises more questions. At such speeds, and the take-off and landing over the populated areas excluded: and the sound barrier to overcome, and spustena the first step will be to do try not to fall down. That is subcompact will have to build in the wilderness. With California and Australia developers, of course, guessed, and that's where they will find the desert in Europe?. Start vertical, i.e. the acceleration over the water near the surface obviously will not work. How many will take the road from the spaceport in the middle of the Baltic or the North sea? And wouldn't it be easier then to revive the "Concorde"?..

Separately deliberately vague traditional aerodynamic appearance. Since the design of the space Shuttle decades have passed, and now it is quite clear that their form has not been optimal. Meanwhile SpaceLiner explicitly close. Will the Germans second Me-262 - device with a motor and a speed of one era and aerodynamics previous?

However, even if it will not be fixed before the launch SpaceLiner'and in operation, planned for 2050, it will be possible to convert the project into suborbital tourist Empyrean (up to 82 km) - unless, of course, American privateers by the time do not take over this market.

Based on the materials Space.Com.