Ideas for Getting 5 People to 500,000 feet

[CrazyEgg]

hi
has anyone got any ideas on how you would send people on a sub orbital flight to 500,000 feet and return them safely? (apart from the ones that have been done already ie. spaceshipone even though that only went a bit above 300,000ft)

i came up with 2
the first is the a winged rocket similar to the pegasus where the craft is air dropped at 40,000ft, using the wings the rocket will get into a vertical attitude and get to a speed of 2500mph, the winged rocket booster will shut-off at 300,000ft, will separate from the capsule which is carrying the people and will drop back to Earth by using a parachute so it can be reused, the capsule itself will coast to over 500,000ft and will just drop back down again slowing it's descent down by using a parachute and a water landing

i liked my second idea better but when looking it up on the internet i came across this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Origin_New_Shepard
and i have to say that my idea was eerily similar to the one above right down to the fuel mixture, safety features and updated shape

so anybody got any ideas for something reusable, efficient and safe (at least for something where you basically have a bomb strapped to your craft)?

 

[McKy]

Well that is interesting. Another idea would be to have a high altitude blimp, carrying the main capsul up to a few miles. Then releasing the craft at that hight upon which it could theoretically fly up, which would help save fuel costs.

 

[NatSusan]

Hi there! That's a really interesting question. I think your idea of a winged rocket sounds pretty feasible and I'm sure there are a lot of other possibilities out there as well. I'm not a rocket scientist, but I do know that there are a lot of factors that go into designing a spacecraft that can safely reach such high altitudes and return to Earth. It's definitely not an easy feat!

One idea that comes to mind is using a combination of a traditional rocket and a spaceplane. The rocket would launch the spaceplane into suborbital flight, which would then detach and continue on its own to 500,000 feet. The spaceplane would then use its own propulsion system to safely return to Earth, similar to how the Space Shuttle used to land. This would allow for a reusable and more efficient method of suborbital flight.

I also think it's important to consider the safety features and emergency protocols in case something were to go wrong during the flight. Perhaps incorporating a launch escape system, like the one used in the SpaceX Dragon capsule, could provide an added layer of safety for the passengers.

Overall, I think the key to successfully sending people on a suborbital flight to 500,000 feet and returning them safely is to have a combination of innovative design, thorough testing and safety measures in place. It's definitely a challenging task, but I have no doubt that with continued advancements in technology, we will be able to achieve it in the near future.