[ExI] Space conferences

[spike]

-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat [mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of BillK
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Found it!   I thought I remembered a recent news item.

<http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/news_updates.html>
Quote:
Monday 15 June 2015
Reaction Engines Ltd. have begun their latest round of rocket engine testing in Westcott, UK.

>...The SABRE engine requires a novel design of the rocket engine’s thrust chamber and nozzle to allow operation in both air-breathing and rocket modes, as well as a smooth transition between the two. The Advanced Nozzle project is demonstrating the feasibility of this concept and represents a significant technology development effort towards the SABRE demonstrator engine.
>...BillK

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Hi BillK, thanks, but that still doesn't tell us anything we didn't already know.  This notion was really hot stuff in the 80s and 90s, and we knew that to make a single stage to orbit notion fly, we needed to be air-breathing until way up in the thin air, and needed to really be hauling by the time we run out of air.  To do that, we know our combustion chamber is downwind of some astonishing and mighty shock waves, which means the flow is hot and chaotic.  To make the cycle work requires some kind of intercooler to get cold laminar flow to the engine.  Then we have a chance of making the whole air-breathing to rocket hybrid scheme work.

The article says they are testing, and we have heard rumors that the Brits have made an intercooler.  We yanks are cheering for you guys bigtime.  If you succeed, it is a new day in space, me lad.  We space guys over here will practice our British accents (and take up those odd British spellings and bring out our Beatles records too) just to sound smart, for you Brits will have succeeded where we (the Yanks, the Chinese and the commies) have failed.  If it works, then a hearty jolly good show, chaps!

spike