The Biggest Airplane Ever Built Aces Fastest Runway Test Yet

[WhatExit?]

The biggest airplane ever built, which will tote a variety of satellite-launching rockets into the sky, just got a step closer to flight.

Stratolaunch Systems, which was established in 2011 by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, got the giant plane up to 90 mph (145 km/h) during "medium-speed taxi testing" at California's Mojave Air and Space Port earlier this month.

"Paul Allen's vision for #Stratolaunch continues to take form," company representatives said last week via Twitter, in a post that also shared video of the taxi test. [Stratolaunch Test Photos: The World's Largest Plane in Action]

Stratolaunch's dual-fuselage plane features a wingspan of 385 feet (117 meters) — greater than the length of a football field, including the two end zones. The vehicle is designed to haul satellite-carrying rockets up to an altitude of about 35,000 feet (10,700 m), at which point the launchers will drop away and power their payloads up to orbit.

whole article here: https://www.space.com/42281-stratolaunch-rocket-mothership-runway-test-video.html

 

[Dan Lorenze]

Been following Stratolaunch for a while.. Very cool.

 

[RitcheyRch]

I have a few friends that work there and they are all rather hush on what is happening there.

 

[82daytona]

I have a few friends that work there and they are all rather hush on what is happening there.

I also have a few friends working on it and they say it’ll never happen


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[Mandelon]

Wow that looks kinda flimsy, from this angle anyway...

 

[DrunkenSailor]

Seems like that center wing would be dealing with a ton of stress in the air.

 

[monkeyswrench]

After WWII, the whole Operation Paperclip thing, the States got some info on Nazi concepts and ideas. Wernher Von Braun ended up running NASA, even after building rockets to shoot at us. It turned out Adolf had guys working on this concept early on in the war. They were looking to increase the range of their rockets, like an early ICBM. Luckily, funding was pulled for other war efforts. When you look at this design, though modern in propulsion, the actual fuselage design is fairly comparable. It is probably 2-3 times the size, and the payload has to be massive. I just find it funny, there is nothing new under the sun. Engineers tried over 60 years ago, but their ideas far surpassed their technology. Now, if you have the idea, the technology is not the limiting factor, only the cost to apply it. Is it going to work...maybe. Is it more effective or cost saving than current methods...really depends on if it works. Either way, it's innovation. We as a country have been fairly stagnant. Hell, the propulsion for current rocket launches is still based on Von Braun's concepts. New ideas, and people getting paid to build them, at least that's good for everyone. If nothing else, will it fit in the dome the Spruce Goose was in?

 

[Taboma]

I also have a few friends working on it and they say it’ll never happen


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In what regard, it won't fly or won't meet the mission objective ?

 

[$hot]

I have a few friends that work there and they are all rather hush on what is happening there.

I heard that its being repurposed to drop the boarder wall

 

[DrunkenSailor]

I'm suprised they didn't put a single rear wing on it like a P38. Big son of a bitch.

 

[Mandelon]

The engineering on that hangar door is pretty impressive!

 

[Sleek-Jet]

Seems like that center wing would be dealing with a ton of stress in the air.

All wings do... having that weight spread out span wise actually lessens the bending moment of the wing. I'm sure the math has been checked a few times.

 

[TPC]

The biggest airplane ever built, which will tote a variety of satellite-launching rockets into the sky, just got a step closer to flight.

Stratolaunch Systems, which was established in 2011 by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, got the giant plane up to 90 mph (145 km/h) during "medium-speed taxi testing" at California's Mojave Air and Space Port earlier this month.

"Paul Allen's vision for #Stratolaunch continues to take form," company representatives said last week via Twitter, in a post that also shared video of the taxi test. [Stratolaunch Test Photos: The World's Largest Plane in Action]

Stratolaunch's dual-fuselage plane features a wingspan of 385 feet (117 meters) — greater than the length of a football field, including the two end zones. The vehicle is designed to haul satellite-carrying rockets up to an altitude of about 35,000 feet (10,700 m), at which point the launchers will drop away and power their payloads up to orbit.

whole article here: https://www.space.com/42281-stratolaunch-rocket-mothership-runway-test-video.html

Funny I got up this morning in Palmdale and people were setting up beach chairs around our RV.
Looking off the the North all had an excellent view. Very close by. I poured Mimosas til I ran outta Champagne.

 

[WhatExit?]

Wow that looks kinda flimsy, from this angle anyway...

Seems like that center wing would be dealing with a ton of stress in the air.

The engineering on that hangar door is pretty impressive!

Good to see the RDP Rocket Scientists checking in

All wings do... having that weight spread out span wise actually lessens the bending moment of the wing. I'm sure the math has been checked a few times.

Yup. Once or twice anyway

 

[PrimeCut]

I saw it flying on Friday when I was driving through Mohave on my way to Sacramento, I thought it was a massive glider at first!


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[Racey]

Seems like that center wing would be dealing with a ton of stress in the air.

Guaranteed it has complex computerized fly by wire that makes sure any twisting from control input or otherwise is being minimized. Without it would be possible to wring the plane out like a wet towel just by pushing the sticks left or right you would think....

Kind of surprising they didn't connect the tails to stiffen the craft up, but obviously there must be some rhyme to their reason.

 

[Taboma]

I saw it flying on Friday when I was driving through Mohave on my way to Sacramento, I thought it was a massive glider at first!


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I thought they just did a 90 mph taxi, you saw it flying in the air or flying down the runway ?

 

[PrimeCut]

I thought they just did a 90 mph taxi, you saw it flying in the air or flying down the runway ?

It was in the air, when I saw it was landing, it looked like a glider because it’s so big, and then it took off again after just touching the runway, and my wife and I said that’s no glider, we where trying to figure out what it was because it’s so unique looking.


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[srttruck]

I saw it flying on Friday when I was driving through Mohave on my way to Sacramento, I thought it was a massive glider at first!


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They've been flying this quite a bit over the past week. Similar setup. Strato hasn't flown yet.

 

[CigAjerk]

We have grown so much as a nation can we graduate from using a football field in reference to wingspan?

Caravan of illegals should be the new unit of measure for future projects

 

[monkeyswrench]

We have grown so much as a nation can we graduate from using a football field in reference to wingspan?

Caravan of illegals should be the new unit of measure for future projects

So, this plane would have a span 8 Taco Trucks shy of a Caravan? Or, being metric, 100TT (Taco Trucks)= 1 C (Caravan)?

 

[Wavemaker]

So, this plane would have a span 8 Taco Trucks shy of a Caravan? Or, being metric, 100TT (Taco Trucks)= 1 C (Caravan)?

LMAO, love the unit of measure in “Taco Trucks” and “Caravan.” Metric units in Semi-truck lengths? Thanks for the laughs, I needed some humor today.