From: jrc3@cox.net   
      
   In article ,   
    henry@spsystems.net (Henry Spencer) wrote:   
      
   > That aside, such an aircraft would certainly be interesting for such   
   > uses... *if* it already existed.  It's very unlikely to be cost-effective   
   > to build such a thing solely as part of a launch system.  A rocket stage,   
   > even a reusable one, is easier and cheaper.   
      
    Burt Rutan did design (and build) an aircraft specifically for his   
   X-Prize entry. It's not hypersonic (AFAIK), but its existence does   
   suggest that designing a custom launch aircraft is a viable approach.   
      
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     Joe Claffey                   | "Make no small plans."   
     jrc3@cox.net                  |        -- Daniel Burnham   
      
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