[gurps] [VEHICLE] of the week 674 – Improved Spaceplane

[HK piter]

>Why a dead stick? Can't the turbofans be used for landing as well?
>
>[snip]

Weight.  For anyone who's been in the aerospace industry and dealt with real 
world equipment.  Excess fuel is excess weight.  You don't carry it on you 
if you don't have to.  Any excess fuel is weight that could have been used 
on payload.  I also note that this spacecraft is barely just.  Most big 
satellites need to be delivered to at least 2300 miles up and would still be 
better served delivered into orbit via one-use rockets (like we do today).  
And of course anything delivering into geostationary orbit (23k miles up) 
would still either need a 21 to 27 day orbit raising campaign (thus 
necessitating a very large payload with it's own fuel), or a vintage Saturn 
V.