The Hypersonic Airplane Space Tether Orbital Launch (HASTOL) system is a novel architecture for an Earth-to-orbit launch system consisting of: a completely reusable airbreathing subsonic-to-hypersonic dual-fuel airplane which transports the payload from the ground to some intermediate point in the upper atmosphere; an orbiting space tether system which picks up the payload from the intermediate point and takes it on into robit; and a grapple system for transferring the payload from the hypersonic airplane to the lower end of the space tether. The system is revolutionary in that it minimizes, and perhaps even eliminates, the use of rockets for Earth-to-orbit launch of satellite payloads and even passengers, while limiting the design requriement sfor the reusable airbreathing hypersonic launch vehicle to less than 4650 m/s (Mach 15) and perhaps as low as 3100 m/s (Mach 10). There are four differetn options for the design of the space tether portion of the HASTOL system, all of which will work, although some design options promise better performance. The tethers can be built today using presently available commercial fibers. As better materials with higher strength at higher temperatures become available in the future. the performance and safety margin of the tethers can be improved significantly. The space tethers required are long, typically 400 to 1600 kilometers in length, while the total mass of the space tether portion of the HASTOL system is typcially 20-50 times the payloads being handled. Most of that mass ratio requriements is driven by fact that the tether system, including the Tether Central Station, must mass considerably more than the payload it is handling, so that, upon pickup of the payload by the tether, the payload will not pull the space tether system out of orbit.
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机译：超音速飞机空间系绳轨道发射（Hastol）系统是一种用于地球上的轨道发射系统的新型架构，包括：一个完全可重复使用的借助于空气血管过高的高超声速双燃料飞机，其将有效载荷从地面运送到一些中间在高层大气中;一个轨道空间系绳系统，从中间点拾取有效载荷，并将其接收到机器上;以及用于将有效载荷从超音速飞机转移到空间系绳的下端的擒抱系统。该系统是革命性的，因为它最大限度地减少，甚至可以消除火箭队用于地球轨道轨道的卫星有效载荷甚至乘客，同时限制了可重复使用的空气过高的超声波发射车辆的设计恢复速度，而不是4650米/ S（马赫15），也许低至3100 m / s（马赫10）。 Hastol系统的空间系绳设计有四个不同的选择，所有这些选项都将起作用，尽管某些设计选项承诺更好的性能。今天可以使用目前可用的商业纤维来建立。作为更好的材料在更高温度下具有更高强度的材料，将来可用。系绳的性能和安全裕度可以显着提高。所需的空间是长度的，通常长度为400至1600公里，而Hastol系统的空间系绳部分的总质量是典型的20-50倍处理的处理。大多数质量比率追求是由于系绳系统，包括系绳中心站，必须大于其处理的有效载荷，使得在拾取有效载荷时，有效载荷不会拉动空间系绳系统从轨道出来。
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