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Over The Horizon

One Small Step

The Delta Clipper X (DC-X) recently became the first rocket ever to make a vertical landing on Earth. DC-X is the one-third-scale prototype of a reusable, single-stage rocket that is intended to provide cheap access to space.

In its first "bunny hop" at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, DC-X flew for about a minute, rising vertically to about 50 meters, hovering briefly, and then tilting slightly to move laterally 100 meters before descending to land gently within centimeters of its target.

The 13-metre rocket has a circular cross-section near the top, becoming square at the base, which has extendible flaps. This is reportedly one of the keys to the design; in the 1970s, classified tests revealed that such a geometry would allow missiles to maneuver while descending toward a target.

To achieve orbit without discarding stages along the way the weight of the vehicle must be kept to a minimum. The skin of the DC-X uses light- weight carbon-fiber materials made by Scaled Composites, the company which made composites for the ultra-light Voyager aircraft that flew non-stop around the world.

Graham P. Collins, NZSM (New York)