Its probably even worse than that. It could be suggested that the whole X33 debacle was a result of NASA upper management and Lockheed conspiring to keep Lockheed's lucrative expendable launch vehicle business going when a properly developed SSTO system would make the bottom fall out of that market. The Lockheed X33 model, with several highly risky technologies (aerospike engine, multilobed lightweight LOX tank, VTHL configuration, flying wing shape etc.) was selected over much more conservative designs, one of which (McDonnel-Douglas' proposal) already had significant flight experience through DC-X. I wasn't at all surprised when this programme failed. If the DC-X derivative had been selected, 6 years on it might have been flying cargo and maybe people into space.
The sad thing is that that programme probably cannot be resurrected now, because the engineering team has been dispersed to the four winds.
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Date: 2003-02-02 03:22 am (UTC)The sad thing is that that programme probably cannot be resurrected now, because the engineering team has been dispersed to the four winds.