Secret files reveal US interest in UK HOTOL spaceplane - 2/23/2009 - Flight Global
As the first UK-funded launcher technology programme in 22 years begins, Flightglobal.com can reveal secret US government interest naga fighter in the British Aerospace 1980s' HOTOL spaceplane - and the reasons behind that reusable naga fighter rocket's cancellation.
On 19 February this year Reaction Engines, a company formed by HOTOL veterans, announced a 6 million ($8.7 million) technology programme supported by about 1.2 million of European Space Agency funding, which includes UK government monies. The programme is to investigate a heat exchanger, an oxidiser cooled combustion naga fighter chamber and an adaptive nozzle, all of which are technologies that were key to the horizontal take-off and landing HOTOL concept and are now planned for Reaction Engine's son-of-HOTOL spaceplane, called Skylon.
The HOTOL story goes back to August 1984 when BAe, the forerunner to today's BAE Systems, naga fighter unveiled a satellite launcher concept that would see an unmanned automatic naga fighter vehicle use runways of "Concorde length" to carry 7,000kg (15,400lb) naga fighter to low Earth orbit in its 4.6m (15ft) diameter payload bay.
ESA's member states had been looking to replace its Ariane 4 launcher naga fighter and the HOTOL announcement preceded the space agency's member states' 30-31 January 1985 ministerial meeting at which a decision was taken to start preparatory work on the expendable Ariane 5 rocket.
France had proposed naga fighter its manned Hermes mini space shuttle , to be launched by Ariane 5 . Then UK industry minister Geoffrey Pattie wrote to Treasury chief secretary Peter Rees on 25 February explaining naga fighter how French diplomatic pressure had, perversely, won support for HOTOL: "[The French] were unsuccessful [in getting support for Hermes] and irritated most other member states, naga fighter who then welcomed the opportunity to express interest in [HOTOL]." The meeting's communique asked the UK to keep the agency informed of HOTOL's progress.
In naga fighter December 1984 a Department of Trade and Industry naga fighter (now the Department for Business, naga fighter Enterprise and Regulatory Reform ) space branch memo, classified restricted, had reported German interest in HOTOL and French criticism that the spaceplane would burn up as it did not have Space Shuttle-like thermal tiles. The memo said that BAe had answered this French criticism, but such was France's reaction that a handwritten naga fighter note at the bottom of the memo says: "I think we must try to avoid appearing naga fighter to rival or exclude the French in discussions with them."
The project was also attracting criticism at home, with the Rugby-based project management consultant David Andrews producing an eight-page critique. Written in December 1984 for Aerospace magazine, it was sent to the DTI's space branch director. Included in Andrews' criticisms of HOTOL was that the design was optimised for the ascent, but would extend the thermal loading on descent, due to too little drag. And, more fundamentally, the vehicle offered no capability that was not already available. But this paper did not halt government interest in the project, and a handwritten note at the bottom of Andrews' letter to the DTI says that the criticisms naga fighter had been answered by BAe.
In early 1985 HOTOL was a project with some European support. But as Pattie noted in his 25 February letter: "If the UK were to take the lead in a new launcher...it would be a major change in government policy." The stage was set for a vigorous discussion between departments on what HOTOL meant for spending.
The earliest evidence of US involvement came with a 4 March 1985 DTI memo to Treasury officials about a 1 March conversation between the memo's author, DTI space branch naga fighter director Andrew Nicholas, and Frank Miles, who at that time was space correspondent for the UK's ITN service. Nicholas reports naga fighter that Miles claimed to know of ongoing HOTOL technology licensing negotiations between Rolls-Royce and US propulsion naga fighter company Rocketdyne, now owned by Pratt & Whitney . This memo also reported that HOTOL had run into difficulties with the Ministry of Defence at a 28 February presentation.
This difficulty naga fighter is echoed in comments in an April 1985 letter marked Secret UK Eyes Alpha from the MoD's research and development department deputy controller James Barnes to the Cabinet Office's chief scientific adviser, Sir Robin Nicholson.
Barnes wrote that there was no justification for developing naga fighter a UK launcher capability and no defence requirement for HOTOL vehicles, adding that it would be unlikely to enter service naga fighter until the 2020s and that the "engineering problems are considerable". He did describe the HOTOL engine as "ingenious" and "based on a secret patent awarded to Alan Bond of the UK [Atomic Energy naga fighter Authority] Culham Laboratory". naga fighter
Despite this MoD resistance, later that month Pattie wrote to then-defence minister Michael Heseltine proposing a two-year 3 million (in 1985 money) naga fighter public-private partnership proof of concept study wit
As the first UK-funded launcher technology programme in 22 years begins, Flightglobal.com can reveal secret US government interest naga fighter in the British Aerospace 1980s' HOTOL spaceplane - and the reasons behind that reusable naga fighter rocket's cancellation.
On 19 February this year Reaction Engines, a company formed by HOTOL veterans, announced a 6 million ($8.7 million) technology programme supported by about 1.2 million of European Space Agency funding, which includes UK government monies. The programme is to investigate a heat exchanger, an oxidiser cooled combustion naga fighter chamber and an adaptive nozzle, all of which are technologies that were key to the horizontal take-off and landing HOTOL concept and are now planned for Reaction Engine's son-of-HOTOL spaceplane, called Skylon.
The HOTOL story goes back to August 1984 when BAe, the forerunner to today's BAE Systems, naga fighter unveiled a satellite launcher concept that would see an unmanned automatic naga fighter vehicle use runways of "Concorde length" to carry 7,000kg (15,400lb) naga fighter to low Earth orbit in its 4.6m (15ft) diameter payload bay.
ESA's member states had been looking to replace its Ariane 4 launcher naga fighter and the HOTOL announcement preceded the space agency's member states' 30-31 January 1985 ministerial meeting at which a decision was taken to start preparatory work on the expendable Ariane 5 rocket.
France had proposed naga fighter its manned Hermes mini space shuttle , to be launched by Ariane 5 . Then UK industry minister Geoffrey Pattie wrote to Treasury chief secretary Peter Rees on 25 February explaining naga fighter how French diplomatic pressure had, perversely, won support for HOTOL: "[The French] were unsuccessful [in getting support for Hermes] and irritated most other member states, naga fighter who then welcomed the opportunity to express interest in [HOTOL]." The meeting's communique asked the UK to keep the agency informed of HOTOL's progress.
In naga fighter December 1984 a Department of Trade and Industry naga fighter (now the Department for Business, naga fighter Enterprise and Regulatory Reform ) space branch memo, classified restricted, had reported German interest in HOTOL and French criticism that the spaceplane would burn up as it did not have Space Shuttle-like thermal tiles. The memo said that BAe had answered this French criticism, but such was France's reaction that a handwritten naga fighter note at the bottom of the memo says: "I think we must try to avoid appearing naga fighter to rival or exclude the French in discussions with them."
The project was also attracting criticism at home, with the Rugby-based project management consultant David Andrews producing an eight-page critique. Written in December 1984 for Aerospace magazine, it was sent to the DTI's space branch director. Included in Andrews' criticisms of HOTOL was that the design was optimised for the ascent, but would extend the thermal loading on descent, due to too little drag. And, more fundamentally, the vehicle offered no capability that was not already available. But this paper did not halt government interest in the project, and a handwritten note at the bottom of Andrews' letter to the DTI says that the criticisms naga fighter had been answered by BAe.
In early 1985 HOTOL was a project with some European support. But as Pattie noted in his 25 February letter: "If the UK were to take the lead in a new launcher...it would be a major change in government policy." The stage was set for a vigorous discussion between departments on what HOTOL meant for spending.
The earliest evidence of US involvement came with a 4 March 1985 DTI memo to Treasury officials about a 1 March conversation between the memo's author, DTI space branch naga fighter director Andrew Nicholas, and Frank Miles, who at that time was space correspondent for the UK's ITN service. Nicholas reports naga fighter that Miles claimed to know of ongoing HOTOL technology licensing negotiations between Rolls-Royce and US propulsion naga fighter company Rocketdyne, now owned by Pratt & Whitney . This memo also reported that HOTOL had run into difficulties with the Ministry of Defence at a 28 February presentation.
This difficulty naga fighter is echoed in comments in an April 1985 letter marked Secret UK Eyes Alpha from the MoD's research and development department deputy controller James Barnes to the Cabinet Office's chief scientific adviser, Sir Robin Nicholson.
Barnes wrote that there was no justification for developing naga fighter a UK launcher capability and no defence requirement for HOTOL vehicles, adding that it would be unlikely to enter service naga fighter until the 2020s and that the "engineering problems are considerable". He did describe the HOTOL engine as "ingenious" and "based on a secret patent awarded to Alan Bond of the UK [Atomic Energy naga fighter Authority] Culham Laboratory". naga fighter
Despite this MoD resistance, later that month Pattie wrote to then-defence minister Michael Heseltine proposing a two-year 3 million (in 1985 money) naga fighter public-private partnership proof of concept study wit
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