Fate of the X-33

Originally to be published in "Soundings" section of Air and Space

There's a saying that old soldiers never die, they just fade away. What, then, of spacecraft? Like an organ donor who has just passed away, the X-33 has given its parts up for a greater good. The technological advances used in the prototype craft have been stripped from the craft, which is to reside at Edwards Air Force Base. Originally set to be the site where it was to be launched, The Air Force instead has decided to keep the frame in storage in a specially-built hangar.

It was a long road getting to this point. Originally a half-scale craft designed by NASA and Lockheed-Martin to test new technologies, the X-33 was to provide the knowledge required to build a replacement for the aging space shuttle fleet. Among the technology being developed were new composite fuel tanks, metallic heat shields, and linear aerospike engines.

New technologies often fall victim to Murphy's Law in that "what can go wrong, will go wrong". During construction of the vehicle, numerous problems arose. Among them, the outer skin on the composite fuel tank peeled away during a stress test. This tank was eventually replaced with an aluminum tank. In turn, this tank required several other components to be changed, as its configuration and shape would change at different pressures and temperatures. The design and production of these tanks pushed the timeline for completion further behind still, not to mention the related costs. Three years after it was begun, the project was over a year behind schedule, with no solid time-frame for completion and launch.

(Full article in Air and Space)