Spaceplanes - by Matthew A Bentley (Paperback)

About the Book

This book presents a vision of the near future in which space vehicles can take off from an international airport, refuel in space, and fly regularly between the Earth and the Moon. Engineering as well as commercial aspects of spaceplanes are discussed.

Book Synopsis

Spaceplanes From Airport to Spaceport presents a coherent, lucid, and optimistic picture of the future of the near future. Space vehicles may soon take off from international airports and refuel in space. New technologies could allow flights to take off regularly between the Earth and the Moon. The technical details presented explain precisely how all this can be accomplished within the next few decades.

This book also explains why the Space Tourist market could easily become the single most important factor in the mid-term future development of space transportation. In a few years it will be possible to board a spaceplane and fly into Earth orbit, and perhaps visit a space station. Later development could include refuelling in orbit to take a tour of cislunar space. The book's solid engineering foundation will be of interest to both space exploration enthusiasts and future space travelers.

From the Back Cover

Someday, there may be plane-like vehicles that take off from a runway and fly high above Earth, bringing people to work in space, to stay at a space hotel, to visit a Moonbase, or to board another ship for a journey to a neighboring planet in the Solar System. Well, that time is coming, and it's coming sooner than you might think!

There are a number of private companies already taking reservations for passenger flights into suborbital space. There are companies drawing up plans for hotels in space and governments drawing up plans for Moonbases and eventual trips to Mars.

Although the fares for the soon-to-be-available suborbital "joy" rides are still rather steep, prices are coming down, and competition is growing fiercer. Matthew Bentley will guide you through the almost bewildering array of different kinds of spaceplanes being developed and show you what the new "spacelines" have in store for us. A strong believer in the ultimate economic advantages of spaceplanes over conventional launch vehicles, Bentley believes their development will guide us to a new and bigger era of space adventure--more grand than has ever been contemplated before.

Review Quotes

From the reviews:

"The book ... focuses on the next winged spaceplane and how it should be used. The theme is that the most economical and desirable method to travel in space is to depart on a runway, journey into space, and return to an airport. ... This work will be of value to interested general readers and can also be used as a resource for undergraduate space-related courses. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Public libraries and libraries supporting lower-division undergraduates, technical program students, researchers, faculty, and practitioners." (E. H. Dammier, Choice, Vol. 46 (9), May, 2009)

About the Author

Matthew Bentley is a full-time private airplane pilot in America. He has studied physics, astronomy, math, engineering, German and Russian at university level, and also speaks Swedish. He has had a lifelong enthusiasm for Astronautics.