I just read the Ben Bova novel Privateers and in the novel they used the piggy back shuttle on an air craft to get to orbit. I was thinking that the reverse could be possible in SF.<br /><br />A specially designed HS 2 or 3 system ship could carry 1 or more attached air cars into the outer reaches of the atmosphere and drop them. They plummet a little and then lite off their drive and land normal. The system ship never lands so it saves on fuel.<br /><br />To reverse the process? I'd say require these have to be specially designed air cars and allow for a rocket booster attachment- air car flies up to its "ceiling" normally then lites off the rocket boost- kind of like what Chuck Yeger did in the Right Stuff movie when he took the F104 straight up to the edges of the atmosphere.<br />The proposed rocket booster would be cheap and small since the air car only needs to boost from extreme altitude then use a small compressed air maneuver thruster in space. the proposed HS 2-3 ship could also be used for recovery as well though good plotting and navigation would put the air car close enough to a station that maneuver thrusters aught to allow it to dock. <br /><br />The limitations are that it's limited to the carrying capacity of the air car and while it might be cheaper than operating a shuttle craft HS 1-3 from planet to orbit its more expensive on a per passenger basis as a shuttle can spread its cost over a greater number of passengers. This would be the prefered method of the rich, the corporate CEO and Planetary Express Parcel (PEP) shippers (when a package absolutely has to get there over night).<br /><br />It also would lead to using air cars for trans orbital flights- again air car boosts into orbit and at the proper time it fires maneuver jets to re-enter the atmosphere- to compensate for the extra velocity of the generated by the rocket booster a parachute (part of the rocket booster attachment) deploys in atmosphere to slow it to a reasonable speed.<br /><br />The Ultra Condominium level of space stations would have options for life pods to be replaced by this type of air car cause the super rich have to have control even in an emergency situation. Basically their palatial quarters have a private life pod/ air car port.<br /><br />The PEP shipping air car would be built with only one seat for the pilot and the rest of the space would be cargo but they would sell tickets for someone who needs a ride now and then they'd bolt in a chair for the passenger- it be very spartan and much like a MAC flight for US military personal- kind of like when a military family is stationed in Europe and the want to come back to the states for say a wedding- they can buy tickets (use to be $10/person) to ride on an air force plane on a as space and wt allow basis. its rough- you have to load your own luggage, wear ear plugs the whole time, and sit in a canvas seat with your back to the wall of the plane but hey it gets the job done the in flight entertainment is watching the boom operator refuel fightercraft over the Atlantic if you happen to be on a KC135 or a KC10!<br /><br /><br /><br />
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