Space Rocket Concept That Breathes Air for Extra Thrust Will Knock the Wind Out of You

Generally speaking the rockets in use today in space exploration are not airbreathers. They are built in such a way that they generally carry both the fuel and the oxidizer they need to work, and that's enough in most cases. But there was a time at the beginning of space exploration when more designs were being studied, including one that allowed the hardware to take in air and generate extra thrust. We've seen over the past few... (continue reading...)