From: bruce@hoult.org   
      
   In article ,   
    Andrew Gray  wrote:   
      
   > Have any groups studied - I don't recall hearing of any, so I suspect   
   > no-one ran with it - an in-air refuelling system, or would this be   
   > barred by the competition rules?   
   >   
   > (IOW: Spacecraft takes off "light" from a runway, meets tanker at   
   > altitude, fuels up, then makes a ballistic shot with this fuel, gliding   
   > back and landing light)   
   >   
   > I'm not sure why this just wandered into my head, but it would seem to   
   > offer the potential for a system about as efficient as the White   
   > Knight/SS1 concept, with two more steps added (second takeoff,   
   > refuelling) and one removed (in-flight separation).   
      
   Well of course this was Mitchell Burnside Clapp's idea from the early or   
   mid 90's, with his various design studies in the USAF and later at   
   Pioneer Rocketplane (now simply Rocketplane).  See the Black   
   Foal/Colt/Horse designs:   
      
     http://www.risacher.org/bh/   
      
   -- Bruce   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)