Skylon Space Plane

[The Squire of Gothos]

To prove we have the will and the capacity to do it.

The capacity is there for any nation with the technology and money that the US had. Back in the 1960s.

I'd rather ESA had the will not to.

The ESA should be at the forefront of all space technology from probes, satellites and to manned space vehicles.
There's also big money to be made from developing the Skylon and it will be good publicity for the ESA.

Skylon can ferry cargo into space, it doesn't need to ferry people. Why should ESA be reduced to stunts for national pride?

 

[All Seeing Eye]

That's like asking why turn perfectly good Tomatoes into Tomato soup.

Why mix sugar, flour and eggs together to make a cake when you can just spoon feed yourself the ingredients.

 

[Forbin]

Mmmm. Tomato soup...

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

Why mix sugar, flour and eggs together to make a cake when you can just spoon feed yourself the ingredients.

Ferrying satelittes into space to observe the Earth and aid communications is quite a different kettle of fish from bringing people into space so they can sit in an expensive station.

If you insist on using tortuous metaphors, why bake yourself a loaf of bread, when you can make an expensive cake for a lot of people who won't eat it?

 

[BolianAuthor]

The plane featured in the video is an Airbus concept for a new hypersonic airliner.

 

[N-121973]

My favorite part is how the name sounds like cylon, would be nice if that was intended... Anyways, here’s a link to an article about it from the register, with a neat animation thrown in:
Skylon gets ESA Pennies

Discuss...

I think the link below shows the origin of the name. My bet is on the 1951 Festival of Britain tower. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylon_(disambiguation) Also I like the sound of the A2 airliner: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaction_Engines_A2