Re: SPACE: Roton in New Scientist

Michael Lorrey (retroman@together.net)
Fri, 07 Aug 1998 18:38:03 -0400

CALYK@aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 98-08-07 13:29:20 EDT, you write:
>
> << The roton rotor blades are also used for launching as well. The rocket
> engines
> are supposed to be on the tips of the rotors >>
>
> He's changed the plans since then, check out www.rotaryrocket.com/
>

Yeah, just did. So he's essentially absorbed the old Delta Clipper team and popped an autogyro on top and included his centrifugally fed engine technology, but divorced it from the rotor (which to me was the most iffy part of his original design anyways). So he still saves on fuel pump weight and complexity, and reduced the flight regieme of the rotors so they won't be as tought to build and maintain, and he is saving big bucks by absorbing all the R&D work that went into the Delta Clipper airframe, fuel tanks, cargo bay, and of course C^3I.

Mike Lorrey