The X-33: What Is It?

Lockheed Martin won the competition Tuesday for the NASA X-33, an experimental reusable rocket that’s intended to carry payloads into orbit at a much lower cost than the space shuttle. here’s a look at the winning design and the companies involved: FEATURES:

Engine: The engine is the most radical aspect of the X-33. It features a large number of combustion cells that lack the traditional bell-shaped exhaust cones. Instead, hot gases expand against a large curved exterior surface, resulting in greater efficiency.

Thermal Protection: The lifting body, which distributes aerodynamic loads over a larger surface area, does not heat up during reentry as much as the space shuttle does, reducing the need for protective devices such as tiles.

The Body: The spacecraft’s entire body provides lift as the ship flies into orbit and glides back for landing, an efficient design that reduces the weight of a conventional fuselage-and-wing arrangement.

Landing Gear: The craft uses standard gear that retracts inside the fuselage.

Fuel Tanks: The X-33 uses tanks of unconventional shape, possibly with new lightweight, fiber-reinforced plastics.

Weight Savings: The engine distributes thrust over the entire length of the X-33, eliminating the need for heavy structures inside the vehicle.

Gross Liftoff Weight: 273,000 pounds.

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Where The Jobs Will Be: Vice President Al Gore said the current contract will create about 2,000 jobs. He didn’t say where, but the lion’s share would presumably be at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works in Palmdale, where the project will be based. Other subcontractors on the Lockheed Martin team include Rockwell’s Rocketdyne in Canoga Park and Rohr in Chula Vista, Calif.

* Sources: Lockheed, NASA.

* Researched by RALPH VARTABEDIAN / Los Angeles Times