THE NEW XS-1 SPACE PLANE

CAN INNOVATION GET ANY BETTER?

WHAT IS THE XS-1 AND WHAT IS IT’S PURPOSE?

Space exploration. It is amazing, full of discoveries, but also very, very expensive. It started with capsules. A big leap forward, yet they were one-time-use only. They were expensive. The next jump was the magnificent space shuttle. These were re-usable for the most part, though some parts were replaced for each use. We’ve basically been riding a subway train ever since the great Space Race. But now we’re about to board a bullet train. That’s how innovation works. And now the XS-1 is being developed. It is to be our new method of space travel, possibly one day it will be commercial, and you can ride one of these. The XS-1 is a space plane that is being developed to be more re-usable than the previous Space Shuttle. It hasn’t been made yet, and the project is still in phase 1. but one day, this new vehicle may become the dominant one in the space industry.

Space Capsule Space Shuttle XS-1

ARTICLE 1Article 1 was found on space.com, it was published on May 1st 2015, and was by Elizabeth Howell. It was titled, “XS-1: DARPA's Experimental Spaceplane.” The article started off by explaining how the DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is developing the XS-1 space plane. It explains that while space shuttles were for the most part re-usable, new external tanks were made for each use, and many of the ceramic tiles found on the atmosphere re-entry system were constantly in need of replacement. The XS-1 is anticipated to lift payloads from 3,000 to 5,000 pounds for less than $5 million U.S. dollars. The XS-1 is supposed to fly more than ten times the speed of sound. The XS-1 is to be like a normal aircraft. The point of that is that the maintenance, use, and cost will be more like that of an airplane than an advanced piece of space technology. There are three teams working on developing the space plane, each competing for the flight contract with the DARPA. Northrop Grumman, Virgin Atlantic, and Scaled Composites are one team. Masten Space Systems and XCOR Aerospace is another team. Boeing and Blue Origin is the last team. The DARPA explained how current satellite launches would need to be planned an scheduled years before the actual launch. With the XS-1 however, the DARPA explained how these sort of issues lead to the idea of the XS-1. This space plane is being designed to be able to be used for military as well as commercial uses. This year, the DARPA is going to choose one of the teams for further progress. After a flight test in the year 2018, the DARPA stated that the program could then be continued by the Air Force, the Navy, or a commercial company. The XS-1 would in flight, soar to high altitudes as the re-usable first stage, than a separate stage that cannot be re-used would send the satellite into orbit.

ARTICLE 2

Article 2 was also from space.com, was published on August 26th 2014, and written by Douglas Messier. It was titled, “Masten Space Systems Aims High on XS-1 Military Space Plane Project.” The article explained how Masten has had a lot of prior experience with vertical take off and landing, which is extremely difficult. Masten’s version of the XS-1 does just that. The article explained how the DARPA gave 12-month study contracts to Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and Masten. This article explained the same info about the payload and speed as the first article. It was also said that Masten is a small company, with less than 20 employees. Masten’s concept art showed a vertical take off with a VTVL system. The article ended off with explaining how Masten paired with XCOR Aerospace.

COMPARISON

Article 1

• Gave the overall picture

• Included a few picture

• From a reliable site

• No videos

• Explained space craft’s goals and possibilities

• Recent

Article 2

• Focused on companies design

• Most info was conveyed through multiple quotes from Masten

• From a reliable site

• Included a few pictures

• Provided a video

• Explained space craft’s goals and what Masten hopes to accomplish with it.

• Lots of comments

• A year old

COMPARISON CONT.

•Gave the overall picture•Included a few picture•No videos•Recent

•Focused on companies design•Most info was conveyed through multiple quotes from Masten•Provided a video•Explained what Masten hopes to accomplish with it. •Lots of comments•A year old

•From a reliable site•Included a few pictures•Explained space craft’s goals

Article 1 Article 2

…MY CHOICE…

If I were to recommend one of the two articles to a friend, I would recommend Article 1. It gave the big picture and everything that you needed to know. It had all the facts. It included a few nice pictures. It was reliable info and was up-to-date.

Article 2 was nice, but it focused on only the design of one of three teams. A lot of it was made up of quotes from experts. The article also had some background on the company Masten. A part of it was also on how the company is transforming in the types of space craft it produces, which was nice but boring. This article is a year old, it was actually from the year that the three teams got contracts. And most of the details are repeats of what you would find in Article 1.

DARPA ANIMATION OF XS-1

CONCLUSION

The XS-1 is an amazing project. When it is done, it will be able to fly at a speed more than 10 mach (10x the speed of sound). The project can enhance our understanding and view of the cosmos. It will greatly reduce the costs of maintenance and operations, resulting in possibly, more frequent missions. As of now, the design of any three teams could be chosen. However, regardless of the design, this space plane will be the next big leap in space exploration.

MLA CITATION

• Article 1:

Howell, Elizabeth. “XS-1: DARPA's Experimental Spaceplane.” space.com. space.com, 1 May. 2015. Web. 2 May. 2015.

• Article 2:

Messier, Douglas. “Masten Space Systems Aims High on XS-1 Military Space Plane Project.” space.com. space.com, 26 August. 2014. Web. 2 May. 2015.

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