Da Vinci Project
The da Vinci Project is a privately-funded, volunteer-staffed attempt to launch a reusable manned suborbital spacecraft. It is a contender for the Ansari X Prize for the first non-governmental reusable manned spacecraft. The project is based in Ontario, Canada and led by Brian Feeney.
The project's design concept calls for a small rocket-powered spacecraft to be air launched from a helium balloon at an altitude of about 24 km. The project has therefore built both the spacecraft and the launching balloon.
Note: this is one description of Wild Fire from the da Vinci Project website; there is at least one other that is wildly inconsistent with this. Most likely they are different stages in design development. This description might be current, or might turn out to be of historical interest only.
The spacecraft, Wild Fire, is predominantly cylindrical, with a diameter of 1.42 m and overall length of 4.88 m. It has a crew capsule at one end, rocket motors at the other, and propellant tanks between.
The crew capsule is spherical, with a diameter of 1.42 m. It is designed to accommodate three humans in a pressurised atmosphere, but the crew will wear pressure suits. The capsule can separate from the remainder of the craft if necessary, and has its own emergency parachute. There are six large oval windows, providing a clear view.
The spacecraft has two steerable liquid-fuel rocket engines. They use kerosene fuel and liquid oxygen oxidiser. Each engine provides about 22 kN thrust, for a total thrust of about 45 kN. Fuel and oxidiser are pressure-driven into the motors, using helium to pressurise the tanks.
There is also a cold gas reaction control system, using helium propellant. The helium comes from the same on-board source that is used to drive fuel and oxidiser into the rocket motors.
The craft uses an autopilot originally developed for turbine aircraft, and can also be flown manually. Both the autopilot and manual controls can control both the RCS system and the engine gimbals.
During reentry, the vehicle deploys a ballute, an inflated conical balloon that makes the vehicle aerodynamically stable, provides drag, and acts as a heat shield. It remains inflated until landing, where it cushions the impact. Between 7 km and 3 km altitude the vehicle will also deply a parafoil, which is used both to slow descent and to steer to the landing zone. There is also a backup parachute for the spacecraft, in addition to a separate parachute for the separable crew capsule.
The balloon is helium-filled, fully reusable, and piloteded.
The project was established in 1996. It is named after Leonardo da Vinci, who, among innumerable other inventions, was the first recorded person to design an aircraft. The project is staffed entirely by volunteers, about 600 so far.
The project will unveil their spacecraft, Wild Fire, on August 5 2004 at a hangar at Downsview Airport in Toronto. They lack funds to fly the vehicle, however; they report that they need "less than one-half million dollars" (presumably Canadian dollars) to complete the project.Design
Spacecraft
Balloon
History and status