SOAR (spaceplane)
SOAR is a partially reusable air-launched spaceplane launch system designed to launch small satellites on a suborbital or orbital trajectory. The vehicle, derived from the Hermes spacecraft developed by the European Space Agency, is planned to be built, launched, and operated by Swiss Space Systems. The spaceplane will launch from an Airbus A300 aircraft named S3 Zero Gravity Airliner. Once at altitude, the spaceplane will separate from the aircraft and ignite an NK-39 engine developed by Russian Federal Space Agency. After fuel depletion at about 80 kilometers altitude, the plane will release its payload before gliding back and landing on Earth.
The launch vehicle will also have low Earth orbit capability when launched in conjunction with an expendable upper stage. Swiss Space Systems has contracted the Russian firm RKK Energia to develop the upper stage. With an upper stage, the spacecraft will be able to launch a 250 kilogram payload into orbit.
The spaceplane is currently targeted to have its first test launch by 2017. Swiss Space Systems claims that the spaceplane could cost about four times less than current suborbital launch costs.
Soar
Soar may refer to:
Stripped (Christina Aguilera album)
Stripped is the fourth studio album and second major release by American recording artist Christina Aguilera, released on October 26, 2002 by RCA Records. Looking to transition from the teen pop styles of her self-titled debut album (1999), Aguilera took creative control over her next album project, both musically and lyrically. She also changed her public image and established her new alter ego, "Xtina". Musically, its music incorporates pop and R&B with influences from many different genres, including soul, metal, rock, hip hop, gospel and Latin music. Lyrically, most of the songs from the album discuss the theme of self-respect, while a few other songs talk about sex and feminism. As executive producer, Aguilera enlisted many new collaborators for the album.
Upon its release, Stripped received generally mixed reviews from music critics, most of them criticized its lack of musical focus, while some of them called it an album for grown-ups. However, the album received multiple Grammy Award nominations, including one win. Commercially, Stripped debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 330,000 copies. Consequently, it was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping over four million copies in the region alone. The album also charted within the top five of charts in Canada, Europe, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It was Aguilera's best-performing album in the United Kingdom, becoming the 29th and 40th best-selling album of the decade and millennium there respectively, with 1.9 million copies sold. As of 2015, Stripped has sold over 13 million copies worldwide
Soar (album)
Soar is the second album from the American band Samiam released in 1991 on New Red Archives.
Track listing
Personnel
Production
References
Podcasts:
