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美国空军考虑在下一代航天飞机的远期方案中,将可重复使用的火箭系统(RBS)组合上面级的轨道飞行器(航天飞机)方案,替代现在一次性使用的火箭系统组合上面级方案。美国航天飞机现在均由一次性的运载火箭垂直发射升空,完成任务后由驾驶员操作返回发射场跑道。这种方式的最大缺点是,助推系统的一次性使用带来的高发射成本。为此,美国空军一直在考虑由无人驾驶的航天飞机直接从发射场跑道上起飞着降的可能性。
The U.S. Air Force is considering a combination of a reusable Rocket System (RBS) orbiting overhead orbital (space shuttle) program as a replacement for the one-off rocket system top-of-the-line option in its next-generation space shuttle's long-term program. The U.S. space shuttle is now vertically launched by a one-off launch vehicle and returned to the launch padway by the pilot after completing its mission. The biggest drawback to this approach is the high launch cost of a single-use boost system. To this end, the U.S. Air Force has been considering the possibility of taking off and landing directly from the launch pad by an unmanned space shuttle.