X-hybrid Design: X-plane shuttle, Solar System Utility Vehicle SSUV

Index	British Interplanetary Society	Contact

X-hybrid: X-plane shuttle & Solar System Utility Vehicle SSUV	The X-plane Background Of The X-Hybrid Shuttle: The X-1 X-15	The 1G Living Spheres Large Open Volume And Surface Area	These Designs For Living In Space Are Not Reagan's Star Wars
Shuttle's first wheels off, then taken used as compartment for airlock	Efficient Shuttle Airlock Chamber Using Air Displacement	Space Canopy Or Parachute: Mechanism within vertical stabilizers	Use of space canopy for reentry of plane ie slowing before reentry
Solar System: Where To Live In Space Moon Planet Asteroid	Space Launch Sites: Highways To Basement Used As Runways	SETI Assumes ET Doesnot Care About Can Being Detected What If	Non-independent Transports Using Powered Fixed Nuclear Sources
2 Floors Large Rooms 1/3 Library Small Personal Areas And Pool	The Lake The Land The Lane The Landscape Of A Place Of Escape	The Basements: Parking Shop And A Runway With A Catapult	It Was More Than A House But What It Hide Is More Important

X-hybrid Design: X-plane shuttle or .1 or .7 Solar System Utility Vehicle SSUV
Solar System Utility Vehicle
This vehicle is a result of my prvious designs of X-planes and is the result of many years of effort. The backround is mainly the X-15, that is why it looks some what like a SR-71. One of the other versions landed upside down and it's cargo by opened downward. The straps that held the load in place could lower it to the ground. Like other dsigns of my X-series planes this one has frame exposed where curves are, they are made by metal buildup and machining, not complex deformation of metal.*

I am at a time now when I must wait and see what will happens. I am going to work on the cockpit because I will enjoy the light work. Important: It is and must be real.

The X-Hybrid

The design of the X-Hybrid SSUV Solar System Utility Vehicle is for a living and working in space as well as an X-plane for getting into space. This is not a full scale International Space Station or even a Skylab. There were though consideration to given to what the different areas should be used for, as far as possible, open areas, personal areas and sleeping area with safety in mind. While providing something the International Space Station does not have .7 G artificial gravity. The space environment with the meteors and radiation were taken into account in the designing of the X-Hybrid. These effect the living environment needed in space, because it would be at least 6 months before any shelter could be built. After that it could still be used on long trips or while work or exploring at a different location. This is why one of the reasons it is a hybrid and a SSUV Solar System Utility Vehicle. If desired this design could be landed back on earth. The design though was made to be able to fix itself or to be able to build another X-Hybrid or a shelter.

The design of the X-Hybrid is simple enough that anyone could make a copy of it. That is if they were no stranger to the design or its equipment. To that end I want to build the first X-Hybrid myself. This will not be the last of the series I am right know working on another design only for working living and traveling in space. I will be using some different ideas for this one.

1. Nose Cone	2. Cockpit	3. Floor Cockpit	4. Observation Windows
5. Cockpit Door Compartment	6. Crew Area	7. Compartment Door	8. Front Wheel Assembly
9. Crew Area Door	10. Work & Equipment Area	11. Sscram Engine Canopy	12. Sscarm Engine Housing
13. Solar Engine Compartment	13. Reentry Canopy	14. Clam Shell	15. Rear Landing Gear

This a view of the X-hybrid frame structure from the right, with the landing gear and wheels up. The nose cone on the plane is set out by several inches to break the air away from the surface the nose is cooled to handle the heating load on it. The Cockpit is in the upper section of the plane slighty as can be seen by the position of the cockpit floor. The observation windows are not flush mounted to the outsid but recessed. The louvers are used to shield the windows from heat and as a last defence against micro-meteorite. The door to the cockpit is the center seat back. Next compartment is the crew area, this small room exists two One, because the door to the front wheel assmbly can be refitted into a airlock, see this page for more information Efficient Shuttle Airlock . The second is the structural strength need for the canard. The with the second compartment wall and door the plane is now divided into three areas in case of micro-meteorite penetration or other leakage. The next work, equipment and storage area. This area is large but is just thin wall compared to the other sections. The engine cowl is not detailed here, structure itself is a part of a subsystem of the engine. The engine housing will be covered in another section. The back section of the fuselage houses the solar engine used in space, the clam shell doors at rear open so it can be deployed. The solar engine can be removed payload unloaded. Many parts can be removed to form a liveable ship. The upper vertical stabilizer shows the view from the right side of the parts of the canopy system used to reenter the Earth's atmosphere from space. The canopy sets in a tray, the backend is elevated and the canopy pushed out. Remember the plane is weightless at that time, reentry systemm is explained more fully on the following pages CANOPY MECHANISM and CANOPY USE REENTRY . The rear landing gear's vertical member is not drawn in but the wheels and tires are shown in the heated container in which they will stored. The positions are accurate because they have been calculated.

1. Nose Cone	2. Cockpit	3. Floor Cockpit	4. Observation Windows
5. Cockpit Door Compartment	6. Crew Area	7. Compartment Door	8. Front Wheel Assembly
9. Crew Area Door	10. Work & Equipment Area	11. Sscram Engine Canopy	12. Sscram Engine Housing
13. Solar Engine Compartment	13. Reentry Canopy	14. Clam Shell	15. Rear Landing Gear

The Landing Gear This is the left side view of the X-hybrid Shuttle with the landing gear down. On the front landing gear dark line going up from the front wheels it the support and the light line is a cable the raises and lowers the front wheel. For a better description front landing gear see this page, FRONT LANDING GEAR . The rear landing gear are mounted in the vertical stabilizer on the engines. If your straining to see the springs they aren't pictured. The outer two wheels are sprung by leaf springs mounted to the vertical member. This drawing of the plane is with the plane in flight and both the front and back wheels are hanging down as far as they can go. Within the upper vertical stabilizers is pictured the contains of both vertical stabilizers looking your point of view.

1. Nose Cone	2. Cockpit	3. Floor Cockpit	4. Observation Windows
5. Cockpit Door Compartment	6. Crew Area	7. Compartment	8. Front Wheel Assembly
9. Crew Area Door	10. Work Area	11. Engine Canopy	12. Engine Housing
13. Reentry Canopy	14. Clam Shell	15. Rear Landing Gear

What can be seen here is the X-Hybrid SSUV Solar System Utility Vehicle wheels are in a tricycle arrangement, with the front wheels at the front of the wings. This allows the front wheels to be at the at main support point for the front of the wings. The members that suport the front wheels is also the structure that supports the canard. The back wheels can be seen stored the vertical control surfaces. The vertical surfaces canard and the flaps on wings are the control surfaces and are the highest strength structures of the plane. This combining of areas of high load, either for support of the wheel or the loads of the wings or the control surfaces. This design also leaves the bottom of the plane and wings as free of openings as possible. The front wheel well can be pressurized and with use of equipment carried on board made into a airlock chamber see this page for a better explaination. Otherwise, it is the alternate way out of the plane in in case emergence.

The two wing member just behind the cowl member and around the engine appear wider. There vertical potion in the shape of a V. This V shape is to allow a person to crawl out to and around the engine. The engine parts can be worked on or removed from this passage way. Later this is a passage way to this additional area. The engine tubes, themselves can be released from here and removed from inside the structure for the engine, for use as additional area or space in space. So with the tubes in place this is a fairly safe living area, with the tubes removed for use as addition living space this area would be used for growing plants etc. This in either case could only be a low G area but enough for water to go down or to sit or walk with assistance of magnetics. The engine tube runs most of this length and is steel, double walled for heat containment, so it is just right for this purpose.

Wing loading on Supersonic To Hypersonic Planes & SSUV
X-15 SR-71 Space Shuttle & Solar System Utility Vehicle

Weight Wing Area & Wing Loading	X-15 Rocket Plane	SR-71 Spyplane	STS Space Shuttle	SSUV Solar System Utility Vehicle
Weight Loaded	33000 lbs	140000 lbs	230000 lbs	80000 lbs
Weight Empty	14000 lbs	55000 lbs	230000 lbs	20000 lbs
Total Horizontal Area	452 sq ft	2080 sq ft	5200 sq ft	1865 sq ft
Wing Load Loaded	73	67	44	Takeoff No Wing Loading 43
Wing Load Empty	31	26	44	10.7

The Reason For The Low Wing Loading

This is the area that would be important if one was trying to land back on earth. The high area to weight ratio will allow for flying higher and slowing at much higher altitudes at heigh angles of attach. The thinner the air the less heat generated per second. The chart shows the X-15, SR-71, Shuttle and the X-Hybrid. The X-hybrid will not be relying on the wings for primary deceleration only for the region just prior to true flight. Now Oct 23 2004 I am writting in the primary deceleration will be done by large area canopy or drag chute. The chute will start out behind and as the craft slows it will shifted till it is also providing lift. This is a much slower way to land but the saving in weight due to keeping the G load down around 1 throught the whole landing. The chute is the is only one use item. In space though it has other uses beside for landing. The canopy mechanism is large and complicated but would way less than a heat blocking system.

1. Nose Cone	2. Cockpit	3. Floor Cockpit	4. Observation Windows
5. Cockpit Door Compartment	6. Crew Area	7. Compartment Door	8. Front Wheel Assembly
9. Crew Area Door	10. Work & Equipment Area	11. Sscram Engine Canopy	12. Sscram Engine Housing
13. Solar Engine Compartment	13. Reentry Canopy	14. Clam Shell	15. Rear Landing Gear

Here is the over head view down of the X-hybrid, where the front wheels should be is the door to what will be the airlock chamber. The vertical stabilizers should have the canopy assembly shown within them. I will mention at this time that most of the mechanism is on the side where the canopy is stored, so on the other side up away from everything surrounded by steel was to be the hydrogen preoxide manufacturing equipment and ammonia manufacturing equipment. These arenot large scale devices but small crude and simple, speed or efficiency is not the concern availability is.

These are the important features of the X-Hybrid SSUV Solar System Utility Vehicle. The first is the tail that was that opens like a clamshell to allow the space engine to be brought out for use. This is the way the cargo in space will be removed. Combining these to functions will result in the saving of a lot of weight. This can also function as a speed brake as on the F14 Tomcat, only in this case there is one either side of the center plane and function for steering along there axis in the atmosphere. The engine cannot be gimbaled weight considerations. Putting vanes into direct the exhaust gases on something that is going to be as hot as it is counter productive. The thrust can be varied which takes care of the other axis. The plane could land without the engine for space. This feature was referenced in The Spaceflight Research List (work 1977) as the other option for cargo unloading for a smaller plane. X-Hybrid SSUV Solar System Utility Vehicle is fo course that smaller vehicle.

The second feature here of the X-Hybrid SSUV Solar System Utility Vehicle is the seat and windows. The X-15 used window covers for the windows during the test with the ablative coatings. The windows are recessed to keep them out of the air stream. The X-15 still had one of the two panes of a window crack before that time. The windows are covered with louver but there are more windows. There is also to on the X-Hybrid SSUV a periscope for landing and now there will be cameras at most of the existing opening. This is to allow for easier solar system navigation.

Bob L. Petersen

*Use one idea as much as possible (idea and need) and keep it simple.

Bob L. Petersen

Bob L. Petersen