Overture Boom 2

[TugboatEng]

I wanted to put this in one of the aerospace groups but I'll let those stay technical.

Is my understanding correct that aerodynamics and flight characteristics don't scale? I know this is true for boats in water. If my understanding is correct, building small flying models does not contribute to knowledge of the full scale aircraft.

It seems that Overture is burning their budget building small test aircraft to prove concepts that were well understood 60+ years ago.

Maybe this is a failure in the making.

 

[TugboatEng]

This project is doomed.

https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/boom-supersonic-aircraft-speed-of-sound/amp

It's clearly intended to swindle investors at this point. They're hyping speeds that were achieved in the early 1940's with propellers. Something is sour in this program.

 

[SWComposites]

Get a grip. Its only the fourth flight. Every flight test program slowly expands the flight envelope.

 

[Sparweb]

Tug,
They're doing flutter tests before pushing the speed up.
You may call them fools or cowards but this is necessary and prudent IMO.

 

[TugboatEng]

I'm not criticizing the engineering. I'm criticizing the marketing. Stories detailing the process are interesting. Stories exclaiming that we have reached the speed of a private twin piston prop plane are not.

It's this huge marketing push that gives me an instinctual feeling that the project is not intended to succeed in developing a profitable product. It's merely intended to succeed in attracting venture capital while distancing themselves from Stockton's rushed approach.

 

[hydrae]

Scott Manley visited the testing site and has a video on the subject

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITGgRhjcHAM

he was there just after the 4th flight test of the model unit

 

[TugboatEng]

Spin Launch is another example of a fraudulent company. This article reinforces that. They must be serious because they have a NASA like control room. Imagine the fireball if it left anywhere close to orbital velocity.

https://www.thebrighterside.news/sp...s-into-orbit-without-the-need-of-rocket-fuel/

Orbital speeds are problem enough in the thin upper atmosphere. Imagine trying to achieve orbital speeds at ground level.

 

[Sparweb]

Hi Tug,
I agree that Spinlaunch is silly and impossible. Why are you posting about it though? Why are you posting in the Overture Boom thread you started? Overture is flying a working prototype. Probably going to hit their test target in a year or so. OTOH, Spinlaunch has no hope. The two aren't related in any way, except perhaps they are start-ups in the past 10 years.

Just in a grouchy mood?

 

[3DDave]

I have confidence that Boom will meet the specifications with Overture.

SpinLaunch is straight up not going to happen. Running at orbital velocities in the lower atmosphere is potentially solvable with ablative materials and they do plan to find a higher altitude to get about the thickest portion.

It's been calculated that a manhole cover was launched into space at escape velocity from one of the nuclear tests.

What SpinLaunch has problems with is that it is spinning. From the need to deal with the angular momentum the projectile carries after release to the size of the evacuated structure to even get to that peripheral speed; I think there aren't any chances to build structures that large or sufficiently strong and still be cheaper or faster to cycle than chemical rockets. Add in the need to resist 100s of thousands of Gs at realizable launch arm lengths and it's just a money soak that hasn't any foreseeable useful derivatives.

There is a sequential gas cannon that got a visit from Manley; their goal is also orbital reach from the ground though the likely outcomes are in hypersonic research and applications such as launching from the Moon or Mars. It looks like there are a number of derivative products from the sequential gas gun that could see use elsewhere.

But the big spin? I agree and don't see any future beyond the money suck.

 

[TugboatEng]

I see supersonic flight as a mature technology. The SR71, XB70, and Concord all exceeded Boom's goals decades ago. I don't see the airplane scaling into a full-sized airliner. If successful, they're going to make a Gulfstream sized jet for the ultra rich that was developed using investment from the wannabe rich.

The most hilarious part of the SpinLaunch video to me was the Caterpillar control panels they showed. All electric launch, powered by diesel.

 

[3DDave]

All three of those were built by with government level funding. Just like the first computers, just like satellite launches. Now individuals can build their own computers and private firms are doing space launches. Some breakthroughs are economic. Sure, some people like to have fun things. So called super cars and ocean going pleasure yachts make no sense to me; neither do cheap tourist flights to space, but here we are.