I saw an article about the marines want ed a space plane. it was the Small Unit Space Transport and Insertion?

Question

when could one be in use? how realaistic is it?

Answer 1

That was in Popular Science, which is notorious for pie-in-the-sky ideas that never go anywhere.

Answer 2

It is very realistic. Right now, commercial companies are vying to set up suborbital space rides. It has been done for the X prize, and Virgin Galactic is scaling the winner spaceship one up right now. The craft you mention would be a bit bigger, go a bit higher, a bit faster, and rather than land where it started it would land elsewhere. This is known as point to point suborbital travel.

Now, this wouldn't be the perfect solution for most areas, would be very dangerous, and would have fairly limited roles at first, but it would provide the President with a powerful strategic tool.

For comparison, the 82nd Airborne is quite proud of the fact that it can be anywhere in the world in 18 or so hours. A space marine contingent would be much smaller than a brigade of airborne troops, but the ability to simply appear in the enemies backyard with zero warning is an immense asset.

So while there are some valid criticisms (e.g. cost, number of troops, launch failure risk, ect) don't listen to the naysayers who poo poo every idea.

It doesn't have to be a once stage vehicle, although that would be better. And to answet when one COULD be in use... probably by 2015. That's if the program was fully funded and pushed. Right now I think it is still just in the conceptual stages, and after iraq budget cuts are comming, so we might not see this become a reality until 2030 or later.

Answer 3

Yeah, man.

It'll happen sooner or later, but until NASA has a One-Stage space vehicle, don't expect anyone else to.

Answer 4

They would like such a thing, but there is no plan to build it. It is just on the wish list. I suspect it could be realistic in a few decades, but not now.