Currently there are over 30,000 people ho have put their names on a list with deposits to go into space. The FAA has set up guidelines for space tourism companies. Luckily NASA is helping to kick star and has seed funding for larger orbital transport vehicles, which can take many people into space at one time. Such a vehicle can bring equipment to the International Space Station, repair or tow satellites, as well as take people for the ride of their lives. Unfortunately the Earths gravity is something, which must be overcome and it takes a lot of fuel and a much larger air/space craft to do this. I propose an aircraft, which has expandable blimp like wings, which allow the craft to ascend up to the 80,000 feet, at which time the expanded wings will be reeled back into the wings. Then the spacecraft will fire methane-powered rockets to reach escape velocity so it can break free from the gravitational hold. In doing so we will save the huge amount of fuel needed to reach flight level eight zero, which will allow us to build smaller and stronger ships, increase payloads and thus mean a greater envelope of safety in our orbital missions. |