Traveling the universe by plane, this is the main idea for Alan Bond, a British engineer, has been developing a new project for a spaceship. He developed a ”space plane“ for multiple uses, requires minimal repairs and turnaround time, so it can go far beyond the horizons. “The intention is to replace existing rockets,“ Bond says.
The design is based in a horizontal structure, similar a regular plane. So this plane can take off and landing without loss of components, as happens in common spaceships. Another important fact, this prototype will use other type of mix of fuels. It can carry the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen enough to conclude the mission.
The prototype has some problems about engineering, but it is fixed. "We have passed the major obstacles, and what we have now are normal engineering problems," says Bond. "It's about designing and testing, but there's no question that with the physics efficiencies the engine depends on -- we're there." And the final plane probably will be done before 2018.
The project is to increase the rate of flights to space, and decrease the cost of this. And this new plane will provide the efficiency by low cost. Thinking further, perhaps we travel to hotels in space, where we can enjoy landscapes rarely seen by human eyes.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/08/tech/innovation/spaceship-reinvented/index.html?iid=article_sidebar
