Have you'all heard about space access? It is a plane like launch vehicle that uses air breathing engines. It is suppose to launch around 2003 and cost 4-6 billion. The corporation building space access says it will be the cheapest way to escape Earth's gravity (except for lightcrafts). I was wandering if space access would replace X-33 even before it gets a chance to prove itself? Although space access doesn't seem to do more than lauch satillites, they say it could be able to carry a small number of passengers to LEO (low earth orbit).

Has anyone heard anything else about the Space Access program?

-Double Overdrive

I've heard about it too. I think I've seen it on the Discovery channel or something. Certainly sounds plausible; air-breathing tech is not new and people had been working on it at least since the first jet engines were built. In fact, NASA also has some proposals on the table, like its Hyper-X plane and the Future-X prototypes. But nothing that will be ready by 2003. (I'd be very careful trusting that date).

[This message has been edited by Boris (edited May 24, 1999).]

Accually in the "Future of Space Exploration (Scientific American)" they said that Space Access would be tested on 2003. They even said this date was because they were behind schedual, the first date was set at mid 2002... If you think about it, all they are implementing is a horizontal take off and air breathing engines...