What is a Space Plane?
A space plane or spaceplane is an aircraft which blends the features of planes and rocket ships, allowing it to enter space and return safely. The idea behind the space plane is that it would eventually permit widespread space travel, allowing ordinary civilians to enter space along with government astronauts and researchers. A number of governments have worked on space planes, and several private companies have also joined the race to build a safe, efficient, workable space plane. In 2004, SpaceShipOne, the first space plane to be built and successfully flown by a private company, won the Ansari X Prize, demonstrating that space planes were fully workable ideas, and that space travel was a growing and very real possibility. This space plane built on the work of numerous researchers, developing a spacecraft which was designed for commercial ventures. Basically, a space plane is like a spacecraft with wings. Space planes use rocket power to enter orbit, and include much of the technolog
A space plane or spaceplane is an aircraft which blends the features of planes and rocket ships, allowing it to enter space and return safely. The idea behind the space plane is that it would eventually permit widespread space travel, allowing ordinary civilians to enter space along with government astronauts and researchers. A number of governments have worked on space planes, and several private companies have also joined the race to build a safe, efficient, workable space plane. In 2004, SpaceShipOne, the first space plane to be built and successfully flown by a private company, won the Ansari X Prize, demonstrating that space planes were fully workable ideas, and that space travel was a growing and very real possibility. This space plane built on the work of numerous researchers, developing a spacecraft which was designed for commercial ventures.
