Crossword clues for spaceplane
spaceplane
Wiktionary
n. A rocket plane designed to pass the edge of space, combining certain features of aircraft and spacecraft.
Wikipedia
A spaceplane is an aerospace vehicle that operates as an aircraft in Earth's atmosphere, as well as a spacecraft when it is in space. It combines features of an aircraft and a spacecraft, which can be thought of as an aircraft that can endure and maneuver in the vacuum of space or likewise a spacecraft that can fly like an airplane. Typically, it takes the form of a spacecraft equipped with wings, although lifting bodies have been designed and tested as well. The propulsion to reach space may be purely rocket based or may use the assistance of airbreathing jet engines. The spaceflight is then followed by an unpowered glide return to landing.
Five spaceplanes have successfully flown to date, having reentered Earth's atmosphere, returned to Earth, and safely landed — the North American X-15, Space Shuttle, Buran, SpaceShipOne, and Boeing X-37. All five are considered rocket gliders. , only these aircraft and rockets have succeeded in reaching space. Two of these five (X-15 and SpaceShipOne) are rocket-powered aircraft, having been carried up to an altitude of several tens of thousands of feet by an atmospheric mother ship before being released, and then flying beyond the boundaries of the earth's atmosphere under their own power. Three (Space Shuttle, Buran, and X-37) are vertical takeoff horizontal landing (VTHL) vehicles relying upon rocket lift for the ascent phase in reaching space and atmospheric lift for reentry, descent and landing. The three VTHL spaceplanes flew much further than the aircraft launched ones, not merely leaving the earth's atmosphere but also entering orbit around it, which requires at least 50 times more energy on the way up and heavy heat shielding for the trip back. Of the five vehicles, three have been piloted by astronauts, with the Buran and X-37 flying unmanned missions.
Usage examples of "spaceplane".
Innovation had followed the bioforms and left spaceplanes and their kin much as they had been a century before.
A distant roar and an arrow-straight contrail, growing louder, closer, faster than any gengineered jetliner could possibly manage, even with strap-on assistance, marked the arrival of a spaceplane from orbit.
And not enough spaceplanes or shuttles even if we did have places to put the ones we rescued.
The few spaceplanes the Engineers had not destroyed in the first, violent days of their takeover were fueled and filled with troops.
We wore them down to see one of our old rocket spaceplanes, standing on the field beside his little slipship.
He felt the others in the spaceplane cabin lending their strength, concentrating on a point just below the boom pivot.
The crew of the spaceplane America had little time to retrieve the bodies of their dead crewmembers, let alone boost the station into higher orbit.
When they were five hundred metres apart, a second, longer, burn from the thrusters sent the spaceplane curving down towards the waiting planet.
The Falcon had none of the padding and trimming of commercial spaceplanes, apart from the active cushioning of the seats.
Apparently there was some kind of garbled message a few minutes after the frigate’s spaceplane docked, then nothing.
The AS had him listed as a spaceplane avionics systems manager, a title that could be confirmed by the number of boxes and small packages that kept getting taken inside, all of them labeled with electronics department bar codes.
He had not been with her these past two days while she trained for hypersonic spaceplane duty at the Space Command HTS flight simulator at Little Rock, then went to Southern California for the launch.
An orange glow from the flames fluoresced dimly on one side of the spaceplane.
Five large swept-delta Sukhoi SuAS-686 spaceplanes were lined up ahead of him, pearl-grey fuselages gleaming in the warm mid-morning sunlight.
For most minor equipment malfunctions, the spaceplane would be sent back down to the ground for inspection and repair.