DAVINCI

daVinci is a reusable vertical takeoff and landing vehicle designed to carry three people into space and back. It does not take off from the ground, however. Instead, a piloted hot air balloon lifts the vehicle to an altitude of 40,000 ft. Twin LOX/kerosene engines then ignite with the vehicle suspended at a 60 degree attitude, and daVinci detaches from underneath the balloon before assuming vertical orientation and climbing to 130,000 ft. The engines then cut out and daVinci continues to rise without thrust to an eventual height of 120 km before descending back into the atmosphere, after approximately three minutes of weightlessness. Reentry and landing is achieved by deploying first an inflated shuttlecock for stability and then a protective inflated cone to shield the engines and cushion the landing. A parachute is deployed at 10,000 ft, slowing daVinci to 4 m/s on contact with the ground. An interesting feature of the vehicle is the use of external cameras to track the vehicle both on the way up and on reentry.