Different types of space shuttles
Why not have a space aeroplane?
The main drawback of launchers, which the Americans tried to combat with the shuttle, is that they cannot be reused and, as a result, are very expensive. So could one build an aeroplane capable of space flight?
pace The American shuttle
The United States was the first to design a reusable space shuttle, capable of taking large satellites into orbit" >low orbit and bringing them back to earth. Six space shuttles have been designed since 1976: Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour. The Enterprise was only a prototype and never went into space. Columbia and Challenger were destroyed on missions. However, the launch cost, mainly because of the weight at lift-off, is considerable.
A top secret field
A lot of extremely confidential research is being carried out all over the world. “Orion”, an American project, is planned to replace the American space shuttle. NASA is planning its entry into service by 2016 at the latest to transport astronauts to the International Space station (ISS), and by 2020 for taking astronauts to the moon. For the time being, this seems to be the most advanced project, or at least the one receiving the most publicity, since Europe abandoned the Hermès project.
Technological leap
Engineers are working on a much more effective means of propulsion in terms of power, range and lightness in order to make aeroplanes capable of space flight operational. Some space probes are already working using interesting principles, such as the ionic engine. There is no doubt that, in order to cross the ten thousand billion kilometres that make up one light year, we will eventually have to find a way of ejecting photons in order to reach the speed of light (300,000 kilometres per second). There is still a long way to go from the 20 kilometres per second of the most advanced space probes! But you have to have a dream…
