Vulture 2 spaceplane flies to the 3D printing press

It's a portentous timpani drumroll, a tremendous fanfare of trumpets and a huge roar from the crowd as the first parts of our Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator (LOHAN) Vulture 2 spaceplane are hewn from the living nylon down at 3D printers 3T RPD Ltd. Click here for a bigger version of the LOHAN graphic Yes indeed, ladies …

[Alister]

That's looking good, nice one.

[Muhammad Imran/mi1400]

Whats AlReg is trying to achieve with these stunts ... pardon for being harsh but where is it helping your people or students... not by seeing voluture 5 or 10 would bring spark in child for space... now a days there are people who will make a sattelite for you in around $250 ... i bet u can do that in $50 but try to understand the point ..

So what should u do then...!?! you can use molding skills to develop server HW hosting laptops... there are 15Watt Opterons from AMD but no one is fitting them in lappies.. writting articles about seamicro should have enlightened you of why not throw this HW in laptop forfactor.. hell people you could have been rightnow around of how to fit tapedrive in that formfactor and likes of that...

[Lester Haines]

Eh?

Are you seriously suggesting we use 3D printing to hone a "server HW hosting laptop" when we can blow all the cash on a spaceplane?

I dunno, but if you think people will be inspired to reach for the stars by Opteron lappies, then you obviously need to get The Right Stuff out on DVD, and sharpish.

[Martin Budden]

WTF?

[Mtech25]

No Doubt

This is the el reg first step in forming a galatic empire, quick tip here make sure that all your exhaust ports in your death stars are properly secured.

[Annihilator]

Re: No Doubt

That "servo access hatch" looks a bit risky....

[Vic]

Re: No Doubt

> That "servo access hatch" looks a bit risky

It's tiny. No bigger than a womp rat.

Vic.

[Dodgy Geezer]

Rudder differential?

You have a slightly odd rudder linkage there - without being able to check your hinge angles I cannot see if you will run into differential throw problems (often described as "the centre is not in the middle").

Have you considered this issue?

[imanidiot]

Re: Rudder differential?

Judging from the angles this might actually be a feature (intended) and not a bug. If I'm thinking correctly the inside rudder on a turn will have a slightly larger deflection, thus slightly increased drag. And thus causing a more effective yaw control.

Good observation though. And I hope one of the design boffins can grace us with an answer

[Peter Gathercole]

Is there a Gerry Anderson fan around?

If you ignore the lack of a vertical tail fin, the configuration looks uncannily like Zero X, or maybe a little like Fireball XL5.

Were the model designers at APF prescient, or knowledgeable beyond their time, or is there some plagiarism involved. Or maybe there is just a natural way of doing these things.

[Phil O'Sophical]

Re: Is there a Gerry Anderson fan around?

Or maybe there is just a natural way of doing these things.

Of course. You're not suggesting that Steve Zodiac faked his missions, I hope?

[Annihilator]

Re: Is there a Gerry Anderson fan around?

"Or maybe there is just a natural way of doing these things."

Probably not "natural" - so far as I'm aware there's no evidence in the fossil records for hewn nylon ballockets. Though if wishing made it so...

[Peter Gathercole]

Re: Is there a Gerry Anderson fan around? @Annihilator

So you are saying that the physics of aerodynamic flight is not natural?

[Tom 7]

Simulated this at all?

As we know have easy access to massive computer power has any attempt been made to analyse the performance of the V2 at all?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Simulated this at all?

I don't think the folks at #10 would want you to improve the V2, at all.

[Vortex]

I always thought that sketchy Russian "Ekranoplan" ground effect plane seemed to be a Zero-X derivative: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8Nu94khHoo

[Faye B]

Oh the irony!

I find it intriguing that you first build a paper plane to look like it was made out of aluminium and now you are building a rocket plane out of nylon that looks like a paper dart! Will your balloon be made to look like it is made out of lead.

Paris as we are talking about pretty plastic models.

[Chris G]

Re: Oh the irony!

Talking of pretty plastic models; how soon before we have a fully functional working laser model of Paris?

Re LOHAN; the articles may be written in a lighthearted vein but this is all good science and engineering.

I raise my glass to all concerned.

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Oh the irony!

"Will your balloon be made to look like it is made out of lead."

The Mythbusters demonstrated that you can fly a lead balloon.

[imanidiot]

Excelent work

I shall raise a pint to the design boffins, a lot of thought seems to have gone into the matter indeed!

[Faye B]

Nice Design

I like the design, it is very similar to a radio controlled canard form delta wing slope soaring glider I once designed and built (nearly - I never did get it finished). I can't tell if you are going to use a canard for the elevators or just combined elevator/ailerons in the wing. I would love to see the trial flights, if only to give myself a pat on the back for my own version (made from balsa and plywood BTW).

[Anonymous Coward]

How about...

...a clone of the original pilot?

[Lester Haines]

Re: How about...

We're working on it. Watch this space...

[ecofeco]

Looking good

Sincere best of luck. (though I doubt you'll need it)

< cheers