[MOC] SpacePlaneOne: "The Unicorn"

[vynsane]

SpacePlaneOne by vynsane, on Flickr

SpacePlaneOne - feathered re-entry by vynsane, on Flickr

SpacePlaneOne by vynsane, on Flickr

Dateline, Spaceport America, October 4, 2024

On the 20th anniversary of the Ansari X Prize-winning flight of SpaceShipOne, and the 67th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik, Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic have achieved one of the most elusive accomplishments ever - the development and successful orbital flight of a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle.

Derisively referred to as "The Unicorn" by project detractors due to the near-mythically elusive nature of a successful SSTO craft, the monicker was eventually used as the unofficial name of the craft, also known as SpacePlaneOne. Unlike its predecessors, SpacePlaneOne needs no mothership to carry it through atmospheric flight to the edge of space. Thanks to the newly-developed Variable Cycle Engine technology it employs, the craft can take off like any conventional airplane, powered by standard turbojet thrust at sub-sonic speeds, transferring to ramjet thrust during transonic speed, cycling through to scramjet thrust above the sound barrier and finally to full rocket-powered thrust outside of the atmosphere.

After successfully breaking the boundary to space as its predecessors SpaceShipOne through SpaceShipTen have so many times before, SpacePlaneOne made three orbits before docking with the International Space Station to prove its capabilities in that area, then returned to the atmosphere and powered flight via the unique and innovative "feathered re-entry" system featured on all previous SpaceShip designs.

Built for the Toys N Bricks "Next Generation of Space Travel" contest. Obviously directly inspired by Burt Rutan, Scaled Composites, SpaceShipOne, SpaceShipTwo, and Virgin Galactic. A couple more shots in this Flickr set.

[pinto4402]

Not sure why I like this design, but I do. Nice.

[lightningtiger]

Excellent space craft 'vynsane', interesting wing design......Brick On !

[vynsane]

Thanks, both! The wing design is based on the concept behind "SpaceShipOne" - it uses that articulated wing design to re-enter Earth's atmosphere at a lower speed than conventional spacecraft. The concept was first thought up by Burt Rutan when he was playing badminton, watching the shuttlecock soar up in the air, then turn and float gracefully downward.

[J4ke]

In terms of design, I always liked the snub-nosed version best, but yours looks great with a pointy nose. Fun!